To understand, to make sense of
We are meaning seeking, meaning creating creatures. We are constantly trying to make sense of our experiences, to understand our lives, our selves and others. We are always on the lookout for patterns, connections between events and experiences, for explanations.
The physical world
Let’s consider this from the perspective of evolutionary biology and from the science of complex systems. Look at the qualities and the characteristics of increasingly complex organisms. Think of the flow of life from the relatively simple to human beings, the most complex organisms in the world. From single cell creatures such as bacteria and viruses, through plants with their astonishing diversity and rich patterns and lifestyles, to animals which have developed high degrees of cellular differentiation, developing tissues, organs and whole body systems, to the animals with a nervous system and a brain, to, ultimately (so far!), the rich complexity of the human mind and body. At each stage of complexity we see the emergence of new and unique characteristics and abilities, not shared with simpler organisms, so by the time we consider the human being, we see the emergence of consciousness, of memory and imagination, with the capacity to develop language, to be able to create and handle metaphors, enabling us to communicate, to see patterns, to collaborate and connect and to develop deep and rich levels of understanding. It’s quite something. And we need this ability to make sense of things because these characteristics of consciousness, memory and imagination make us acutely aware of a number of problems. We become aware of our own mortality. We can imagine not existing any more. And that’s scary. We need some way to handle that, to understand it. And we become aware of the essential paradox which everyone has to wrestle with – that we need to know that we are unique, separate and individual but that at the same time we are connected, we share and we belong. Those two issues – the awareness of mortality and the awareness of the paradox of separateness and belonging – are at the heart of much distress and pain. Making sense of these issues and the effects of these issues in our lives goes a long way to making life a better life.
The relationship world
Let’s consider it now from the perspective of narrative. Richard Kearney, in his “On Stories”, says a lot about how we use stories to understand our lives, our selves and others. He says “Every life is in search of a narrative. We all seek, willy-nilly, to introduce some kind of concord into the everyday discord”. And Robert Coles in “The Call of Stories”, says of doctors, that “The people who come to see us bring us their stories. They hope they tell them well enough so that we understand the truth of their lives. They hope we know how to interpret their stories correctly. We have to remember that what we hear is their story.” Stories need an author and a reader, a teller and a listener. Stories are a shared activity. They are the way we create understanding and meaning together. Karen Armstrong in “A Short History of Myth” shows very clearly how certain kinds of stories are powerful tools for making sense of the deep paradoxes of life. Owen Flanagan in his “Really Hard Problem” puts forward a fascinating concept of “spaces of meaning” and shows how because we all have our own unique perspectives on the world that we create shared understandings by entering into “spaces of meaning” with each other. In a much simpler and more artistic way, Saint-Exupery makes the same point in his “Little Prince” who shows us how we all live on different worlds (when was the last time you said to someone “What planet are you on?!”) and that what connects us are our stories (and love!)
The spiritual world
Spiritual in the sense of that feeling of being connected to something greater than ourselves, or that sense of purpose and meaning in life. The spiritual way of looking at life is about taking a larger perspective, seeing ourselves in the flow of life, of history, of a planet circling a sun in a vast universe. Spiritual practices can be about experiences, experiences of transcendence for example, but they are also fundamentally practices of meaning creation. We understand, we make sense of, we create meaning through our values, our attitudes, our beliefs, our attractions and repulsions. Spiritual practice can be amongst the most powerful ways of understanding life.
Different ways of understanding
There are different ways to understand. The physical way can be seen in science which, as Deleuze says, is a way of thinking about function, a way of trying to understand how things work. The relationship way is seen in storytelling and in philosophy, and that leads to the third way, the spiritual, which is a way of understanding the connectedness to that which is greater than the self. There is no one right way. We really all are unique. Our views, our memories, our consciousness are all unique and individual. But we are also connected. We share environments, we collaborate, we compete, we form and break relationships. We share. What we all do is try to make sense of our lives, of the world and of our daily reality. We need to understand, to see patterns, to grasp that reality. When we don’t do that, we feel scared, confused, alone. We are meaning seeking, meaning creating animals. Nihilistic thought, randomness, chance and powerlessness can be overwhelming, can become unbearable, closing doors, squeezing out hope and leaving us lonely and in pain. Why me? What have I done to deserve this? What’s happening? What’s going to happen? We’re full of questions, and always seeking answers. We do that by using our ability to understand.
But we mustn’t forget that our understanding is always unique and personal, and the we need to negotiate, in our spaces of meaning, to create our communal visions, our shared purposes. With understanding comes humility, a humility which should prompt us to ask others What sense do you make of this? What does it mean to you?
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What a fantastic series this is. In addition to the great books above, I’d also recommend:
The Story Factor by Annette Simmons
The Moth podcast (real stories by real people moth.org)
The Summing Up by W. Somerset Maugham
Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint Exupéry (whom you mentioned above, his life story and philosophy is amazing)
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As for the question, since I’m a writer of fiction I find myself constantly diving into lives that do not exist outside my own head. It seems a precious responsibility, and I am humbled that these spirits chose me as the vehicle for their tales.
That might sound odd to some people, but when once you’ve experienced the true depth of character (and removed the authorial veil) it is hard to imagine that these lives emanate solely from within the self.
Bob –this is fabulous and I wish you had written it a few months ago !
I like the idea of merging these categories –the ‘spiritual’ influencing the physical and altering the narrative or visa versa.
I read about processes like neurogenesis and get excited about the ‘material’ reality of change. I have used these modern analogies in my work and it also helps in my understanding in learning music.I also like the biology of Maturna in this respect.
A novelist may create a whole new narrative structure in the imagination. Now that I read more fiction and poetry I understand the ineffable feelings that are often voiced in relation to this . Sometimes powerful images emerge that create an indelible mark — seldom have I ever read any RCT that does this!
Keep up the good work!
Apologies for the oxymoron!
I hope this adds to the discussion. I thought Maturana’s words in relation to narrative and creativity were quite beautiful .
http://www.beautydialogues.com/2008/08/post-4.html
i find that a spiritual understanding of ourselves and of our reality and world is the key in 100% of the cases. As you also wrote: “it gives a larger prospective and a very powerful way to understand life” in its complexity. for the ones who can really grasp this meaning and under-stand that we are really like a drop dissolved in something much bigger and omnipervadent than us and than all our thoughts and petty problems, it is just like being in heaven absorbed in a dimension of pure love where you only want to help others and as a reflection understand youself better and better. All the best doctor Bob!
[…] a bad definition, and it highlights both the key ideas of connection and of purpose. We are meaning seeking, meaning creating, beings. We do that through stories, through seeking patterns, by joining things […]