A search for the "meaning" of life!?

 “Meaning”-of-Life!---“God!”...Hmm!?

 

A modern genius-name of Alan Lightman is an American physicist on the faculty at M.I.T. as Professor of the Practices of Humanities. He hosts a PBS series on his search for the meaning of life. The seeming infinite-extent of his intellect is absolutely astounishing to a neophyte philosopher grasping “bits and pieces” of the “stellar” (literally) exploration of the cosmos. Wow!

Professor Lightman has concluded through his studies and interviews with some of the most renowned scientists, his erudite protégés, that we are all, in some end, only matter, a collection of atoms and certain chemicals, mostly Carbon atoms but with about $5.83 total tab of various ingredients (his tally cost), that there must be some deeper meaning to our existence. As a child he experimented with physical theories and found the conclusion accurate and true

Lying in a rowboat on a lake one night he contemplated the heavens and began to wonder about “meaning” in his life beyond the scientific-physical of an evolution of atoms assemblage finally defining “man” and determining the accuracy of the “Big Bang” theory.

Years later, while visiting his parents’ home in the Northeast he spied a nest of osprey that raised two chicks about 100’ from the deck. As the fledglings were ready to take flight, Lightman watched from his own safe perch. Finally, one of the babies got brave enough to “take-the-plunge” and it sailed straight toward the good professor. He says he should have quickly retreated to the house but instead stood mesmerized as the giant bird approached directly at him.

In one split-second just before the osprey swerved to avoid him, Lightman says their eyes met for an instant and in that flash he felt a “connection” with the bird. He concluded that very “connection” is present in all matter and that each individual and every single thing shares that special trait. His search is to determine “what” that connection is: The very meaning of life!?

MIT and CIT (California Institute of Technology) have invested 40-years and multi-millions of dollars designing, constructing  and presently operating Lase Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) with the project being headed by physicist David  Howard Reitze whom Lightman interviewed for his series on the PBS documentary on “The meaning of life”.

Lightman asked Reitze how he could spend 4-decades on the program suffering numerous disappointments and setbacks. Reitze said that he liked to build things and that doing it right when the conclusion was immense that it took a long time and one learned from mistakes. He said that his curiosity fired his emotion into a passion and the discovery drove him forward.

Lightman concluded, upon reflection of Reitze’s explanation that emotion and passion defined and drove Reitze’s curiosity as he tried to determine the meaning of Reitze’s quest.

Lightman had interviewed several other physicists (4) in previous segments of the PBS program and had asked each If there existed a “switch” that when turned “on” would solve all queries as to the “beginning” of “time and space” thus revealing the conclusion and understanding of man’s meaning in the scheme of the cosmos, would they turn “on” the switch?

Two were male and two were female. Both men said, “Yes! Absolutely! Immediately!”

Each of the women said, “No! The fun is in the journey to understanding.” One went so far as to deny such insolence to legitimate scientific discovery as to say, “I’d destroy the switch!”

Therein seems to me to be a huge clue in the search for Lightman’s elusive meaning. Hmm!?

Men are pragmatic! (Get ‘er done!) Women are emotional! (Enjoy a process to be surprised!)

Thus, I conclude that Lightman got his conclusion reversed. He said emotion and passion drove Reitze’s curiosity! I see that natural eternal-curiosity drives emotion to passion-discovery!

The very meaning for each is a quest to return from whence we came: To conclude and resolve sacred-Peace in a satiated-spirit! To be God-like of Love-Charity! Just---so…simple!

(Autor's observation: Persons-of-Genius tend to be atheists unable to accept God! In my humble opinion Lightman's quest inevitably and conclusively leads him to conclude: God! He refuses!)