The Meaning of Life, Continued

Whether life has meaning beyond mere existence--e.g., a couple hundred years from now, when I and any of my works have long been forgotten, did it matter that I was here?--has been debated by theologians and philosophers for millennia. Whether true or not, research has shown that the belief that life has meaning helps individuals thrive:

People who view their decisions as existentially weighty cope better with stress and tragedy. They also live longer and healthier lives. Disbelief in meaning is a major risk factor for depression, substance abuse and suicide.

The belief in "existential agency"--the extent to which people believe they are capable of finding and maintaining meaning in life--is highly correlated with a favorable view of capitalism and entrepreneurship: [bold added]

In our study, 1,269 American adults 18 to 88 completed questionnaires that assessed psychological characteristics (including existential agency), their general views on economic freedom, and the extent to which they believe capitalism can help solve large-scale challenges such as climate change, automation and poverty. They also responded to items assessing how much they believe entrepreneurship benefits society, as well as their own entrepreneurial motivation.

We found that existential agency is strongly associated with views about capitalism. The more people believe in their ability to live a meaningful life, the more they view capitalism and entrepreneurship as good for society.

To be clear, the researchers do not say that life has meaning, just that believing it to be true makes an individual's life better.

Meanwhile, I ponder the words from our priests' farewell sermon last week:

"What gives our lives meaning is purpose."
"Seeking the reign of God needs to be the purpose of our lives."
"Good is kindness, mercy, compassion, a forgiving heart, humility, and faith"
"Evil is the result of self-seeking."
"It is my hope that...we will all continue to seek God's reign in our lives so that when we have completed them we will be able to return as loving servants and children to God who loves us all."

(Poster by Anna Vital)