Saturday, November 26, 2016

Quest for Purpose (4)

Literature search part

Victor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, states:  We discover this meaning in three different ways: (1) by creating a work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; and (3) by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering (and mitigation of more suffering )

Searching for meaning becomes more about attitude that we maintain than the actual whatever we are doing, or the why of doing. For years my company tag line was: providing information to build on. As a geotechnical engineer, that was what I provided, as our core service, but also a bunch more related services. Then I retired and fell into a existential vacuum after doing a few thing that I wanted to do. So I need a replacement for work which I value. Blogging is nice but it is only one part of the solution. 

Some part of the search is displaced by being in the present moment for life activities, sleep, body care, meals, or some entertainment. Some of my days are taken up with care of this property, grass, garden, snow clearing, an bit of maintenance when I am so inclined. 

Studying and learning is a useful displacement, however applying what I learn beyond myself is not part of the use, for the memory is failing so it is difficult to learn and retain information. This is something which was not a problem before age 60, but since the short term memory is a problem. If I read something today, it will be gone later, and I will have no recall of any of this tomorrow. I could not write without spell check and grammar check. Some of that is dyslexia but it is worse, a loss of short term memory. Enough whining, and back to reading Frankl again.     

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