Can we create meaning through language, learning, and daily practice?

The search for meaning is clearly universal. It may take us a few decades before we begin, but we do eventually take that first step in our search.

And one of my goals as the communicator is to make it as easy as possible for you to get the meaning I’m intending to convey.

~ Shane Parrish from, Language: Why We Hear More Than Words

Irony (humor, sarcasm and many other linguistic forms) work so well because they are very powerful. A few words said and heard in person can transfer large ideas. The article goes all the way to mentioning our “power to attribute mental states to others.” A subtle and, frankly, amazing power of projection. My mental state, combined with yours, plus my chosen words, should get you to this other mental state. Heady stuff.

This is the game we play: The only thing you really know is what you can put into words.

~ Alan Watts

The more I try to write, the more I feel like an idiot just banging my head on the keyboard. I can put out a tremendous amount of words, but it’s NOT clear to me that I’m managing to put a lot into those words.

Worse, this combines really badly with my default working style. I have a strong neurotic desire to finish things, and to fixate on my total output rather than time spent working. I’ll often push myself to complete my current task, going well beyond my allocated working time, and not being willing to take a break until I’m done.

~ From Meaningful Rest — LessWrong

That examines what it means to rest, and how breaking one’s default behavior is critical. The bit I’ve quoted was definitely a problem for me. Changing my default thinking (in the form of “shoulding” on myself) has opened up several other doors to change. Note that I still, very carefully avoid implying I’ve been successful at change—that’s another default I’m still working on.

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge’.

~ Isaac Asimov

But it’s not just that malicious sort of anti-intellectualism that does us all in. We’re also done in by a sort of inverse where I start to doubt that my knowledge is actually better than your ignorance. The more I learn, and the more meaning I search for, the less sure I become of what I thought I already knew.

During rare, spontaneous moments, experiences of very special quality and great import emerge from the depths of the human brain. To each person, these awakenings seem awesomely new. What they convey is not. It is the simplest, oldest wisdom in the world. The message is that ultimate meaning is to be found in this present moment, infusing our everyday lives, here and now. But one can’t predict such major peaks of enlightenment. Their insight-wisdom is next to impossible to describe. Even so, these fragile events inspired our major religions in ways that still shape our cultural development.

~ James Austin from, Zen and the Brain

Because in reality, none of us actually understands how our minds work. We only know that sometimes, our minds do some pretty amazing things. It would be great (we, I hope, all think) if I could tweak my mind to do that a little more often.

There are two types of ignorance, the pure, natural ignorance into which all people are born, and the ignorance of the so-called wise. You will see that many among those who call themselves scholars do not know real life, and they despise simple people and simple things.

~ Blaise Pascal

One must have a practice. Because the alternative would be to aimlessly wander.

Ancient Stoicism aimed to be a complete philosophy encompassing ethics, physics and logic. Yet most modern Stoics focus primarily on ethics, and they typically adopt four Stoic principles. The first is that virtue is the only or highest good, including the cardinal virtues of wisdom, temperance, courage and justice. Everything apart from virtue – including wealth, health and reputation – might be nice to have, but they do not directly contribute to human flourishing.

~ Sandra Woien from, Stoicism and spirituality

One thing I particular like about the modern Stoicism is that it is explicitly a practice of doing, not of showing. It’s a central point that one should do the work upon oneself without fanfare or proselytizing. Stoicism is aspirational. I share about Stoicism a lot (here and on my blog), in small part because it’d be great for more people to learn about it. But mostly because I often read about it, and thinking and writing about it helps me in my practice. It helps me in my quest for knowledge and meaning.

Until next time, thanks for reading.

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