I think that when most people say “meaning”, they mean “motivation”. It’s the feeling that there’s something for you to do that’s worth doing.
Dr. Zhivago talks about how Russian intellectuals who six months before had been political philosophers were, for a winter, completely and meaningfully engaged with questions of firewood. Danger, hunger, and fear are all fully motivating. It’s only when you’ve run out of motivating goals to achieve that questions of meaning arise. I think questions of meaning are generally a sign of success.
I think that when most people say “meaning”, they mean “motivation”. It’s the feeling that there’s something for you to do that’s worth doing.
Dr. Zhivago talks about how Russian intellectuals who six months before had been political philosophers were, for a winter, completely and meaningfully engaged with questions of firewood. Danger, hunger, and fear are all fully motivating. It’s only when you’ve run out of motivating goals to achieve that questions of meaning arise. I think questions of meaning are generally a sign of success.