Meaning of Life

This blog will be about the conclusions reached in Proph-et: Journey from Stardust. Because, thinking for myself about life’s big questions, I’ve studied religions other than my own to see what they said of Significance, read philosophers that had pondered questions of Self, and looked to science for a better understanding of Surroundings. It just seemed wiser to put the horse before the cart—and seek out some expert “second opinions” in the process. Having reached an informed opinion, I wanted to share. Many readers noted my novel is as much about fact as fiction and suggested I also write a ‘text book’ to detail and expand the message. This blog is a compromise. Every week I’ll take a step on the journey we all share, peel back a layer of our defining moments, and share the meaning I found. But let me begin with the reasons I chose to write a novel.

First, I opted for fiction because thinking has become a spectrum disorder. At one end are the Contented: those who unquestioningly believe authority—spoon-fed by their parents, the first thing they swallow is the only religion they’ve ever been taught. At the other end are Conspiracists who don’t believe anyone in a position of power—these are the ones that make up their own myths. In between are the Critical Thinkers: those who are willing to deal with facts and who thoughtfully come to their own conclusions. But after decades of being spun dizzy by pastors and pundits, this is becoming a lost art. And the “dumbing down of America” is accelerating with the mindless entertainment now being served up in the media. In this era, people want the meaning of life in three seconds. A novel that was as much enlightenment as entertainment seemed to be the best vehicle for the times. And while I can’t promise instant gratification, I have greatly shortened the journey for those who will put in the time.

Second, I wanted to have a distinct voice with a fresh perspective on our passage; to be a knowledgeable but dispassionate ‘Tour Guide.’ Recalling the advice that if you can’t solve a small problem make it bigger, I expanded my scope beyond humanity to the Cosmic passage and purpose of Being. This allowed me to use an alien viewpoint; to wit, a spiritual species who, having solved their problems, judged our passage without “our baggage.” After all, from what I’d gleaned from science, other life is not only possible in a vast and ancient cosmos where planets and the chemicals of life abound—but inevitable. I even joined the Mutual U F O Network as a Field Investigator to see if the “truth was actually out there.” While I took some inspiration from these X-files, in the end I don’t ask you to suspend belief but only to expand your imagination. To my point, this too had to be fiction.

So, brain brimming with science, philosophy, and religion, I synthesized what I’d found and put it in a novel. Of course, not everyone will want to read it. In particular, those who are sure they have all the answers, those that are afraid of the answers, and those who are not even willing to ask the questions (and I guess that some don’t even care about the meaning of life). Clearly I wrote Journey from Stardust for Critical Thinkers who are willing to make their own informed choices. But I confess I also hoped to pull some of the Contented out of their comfort zone. Of course, Conspiracy Theorists already believe that aliens are among us!

If you are curious and intrepid, follow the “posts” on Journey from Stardust. I’ve done the leg work so you can walk in my footsteps. “Seek and ye shall find.” In my next Blog, the journey begins.