Introduction
To assert that knowledge essentially exists to provide meaning and purpose to our lives is, in plain terms, a bold statement. On one level, it greatly emphasizes the importance of knowledge beyond even its ordinary weight; it gives it an actual responsibility. On another, the statement also places an immense responsibility on all human beings, in that not being guided by knowledge must weaken or eliminate any possibility of meaning and purpose. This raises serious questions then, particularly as there can be little argument as to knowledge being at least extremely useful. When explored, however, it seems that the statement is too unequivocal, and simply because we engage with knowledge in relationships, always, and individual character must shape this relationship itself. This is my personal reality and one also evident when certain areas of knowledge are examined, as in the following. Ideas must always vary and conclusions may be challenged, but it is nonetheless necessary that we probe into just how powerfully knowledge offers meaning and direction to our lives.
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"Purpose And Meaning In Life".
Discussion
A number of avenues exist in regard to investigating the question of how knowledge contributes to meaning and purpose, and it is helpful to begin by addressing a contrasting view; namely, that knowledge has little to no role in these matters. This is easily refuted by both wider evidence of how human beings live and personal experience. Regarding the latter, I absolutely believe that knowledge offers me significant meaning and direction by virtue of knowledge as being equivalent to experience. Danish and Hungarian by birth, I have lived in a wide range of cultures, and have spent years in Vienna, Budapest, Saigon, and Milan. I currently reside in Berlin and, as I reflect on this personal trajectory, I realize that the experiences known to me from these cultures translates directly to knowledge. More exactly, as I have taken in the realities of one culture, those of another are then assessed by me in terms of comparison, and this process alone allows me to both develop a broader knowledge base and attach meaning to the experiences themselves. It is in fact virtually impossible, in my estimation, for knowledge to have no impact on how a person perceives meaning, simply because life experience and knowledge are often synonymous.
At the same time, I believe that the idea that knowledge must provide meaning and purpose is suspect, and because this “equation” is too defined. More exactly, such a view indicates a direct influence, with knowledge essentially creating the elements, and this ignores the immense factor of how we translate knowledge in individual senses. I may, for example, be exposed to multiple forms of cultural and sociological knowledge in my own history. That each culture is inherently different, however, essentially creates different knowledge; culture is not mathematics and guided by unchanging principles, so the knowledge itself is intrinsically subjective to an extent. Put another way, the “truth” of German culture is not the same as the “truth” of Italian culture, so to accept each knowledge as that would equate to replacing the knowledge trusted. What occurs instead, in my own experience and in the lives of others, is the interaction between the self and the knowing. The individual takes in the knowledge but inevitably uses it in ways conforming to the individual needs. Meaning is attached and purpose is provided, but the knowledge itself is an instrument, rather than a guiding force.
That knowledge is then a part of an exponential and personal process, and ultimately shaped by the human character it also shapes, is greatly reinforced when areas of knowledge are explored. For example, the Civil Rights movement offers insight into how the human science of sociology generates knowledge employed in a variety of ways. On one level, knowledge of oppression led to extremes of behavior; meaning and purpose more directly resulted in minority action, and from this knowledge. In sociological terms, however, knowledge played another, and less direct, role within the activism. A growing awareness arose that, no matter the causes or positions held in regard to Civil Rights, wages and job opportunities were vastly different for minorities (Carroll, Buchholtz, 541). Here then was knowledge in place, but highly subject to interpretation; one person would believe that the inequality was justified as others would find this knowledge unacceptable, and demanding change. Human character then utilized the knowledge to the degree seen as necessary. Similarly, the counterculture revolution of the 1960s supports how knowledge and interaction are mutually inclusive.
In this turbulent era, the human science of sociology was expanding in unprecedented directions. The essential concept of “difference” as reflecting and challenging embedded ideas, in terms of age, race, religion, gender, and orientation, was coming into prominence as a crucial science in itself (Calhoun, 738). With knowledge itself shifting, human response was then unlimited in range in terms of acceptance or denial. The science of psychology comes into play here as well. Knowledge emerged in the 1960s asserting that the motivations to change political realities were often displaced agendas of personal dissatisfaction; to be an activist, very often, was as much about seeking personal fulfillment and compensating for needs as it was about changing the status quo (Teske, 10). All of this powerfully supports how knowledge, while immensely valuable as an instrument, actually serves to illustrate its own varieties of impact and influence, and this then reinforces the degree quality of its role in offering meaning and purpose.
A final example which validates my point quite clearly is a movie (which was based on a true story) entitled, The Blind Side (Hancock, 2009). The main characters in this move include a White American family and a football player. They decided to take in a talented African American highschool football player by the name of Michael Oher. He was a homeless and depressed, academically struggling student. In the beginning of the movie, he was at a low point in life and he didn’t believe in himself. His triumphant success with becoming a first round NFL draft selected candidate, (despite once having a complete lack of belief in himself) serves to validate the point that knowledge can serve to produce meaning and purpose in life. The knowledge was used to carry out an objective that was rooted in the pursuit of happiness. He became filled with power after being adopted into an American family who genuinely believed in him. Where did this power come from? The power came from his accumulation of knowledge. The knowledge he acquired came from two marks.
The first was the experience of love, acceptance and encouragement in his new family life which filled his spirit and motivated him. The second came from countless hours of tutoring which gave him the empowerment to elevate his academic scores and discover that with determination, he could achieve anything in life. To proclaim such a statement would seemingly be to give knowledge all of the credit for providing the purpose and meaning we seek as human beings. Instead, it is important to highlight the fact that it is what we do with the knowledge we attain which determines if we can squeeze purposeful meaning out of life and how much of it is available. For instance, Michael Oher knew very well how to play the game of football. However, knowing it was not the main contributor to his joy. It was the application and execution of his skills from which he derived so much happiness.
Opposers of this view might suggest that academic knowledge can seem so unattainable that it can rob a person of the desire to reach it. Upon looking at all the hours of tutoring Michael would need in order to graduate, he was totally miserable for a period of time. They might suggest that not only is knowledge absolutely unqualified for 100% of the credit for purposeful meaning, it can be the very factor that causes people to miss out on it. However, in response to that opinion I would like to submit that failure to reach for it or apply it once knowledge is attained leads to failure rather than not having much knowledge to begin with. It all boils down to personal choice and repsonsibility for one’s actions.
The movie’s silver lining came as the football player began to get stronger in what were his toughest academic subjects. He began to earn greater than minimal passing scores on exams. Not only did he meet the minimum requirements to maintain his powerful position on the football team, his confidence began to blossom. This would support the position that knowledge is power and effective use of power brings purpose and meaning. However, careful observation of the plot revealed that it was the positive, strong relationships that he began to build with his adoptive family which began to uplift his spirit and skyrocket his motivation to succeed. Knowledge was like a growing tree in his mind. It could be used as a vehicle for setting a plan of action for great achievements.
Conclusion
Knowledge should not be confused with wisdom which comes from experience and the give-and-take exchange that occurs in relationships. It is insufficient for a person to have abundant knowledge when they arrive at a crossroad or new opportunity in life, if they do not effectively apply their knowledge. Application means weighing of consequences, reviewing experiences, prior mistakes (which build wisdom) and personal motivations which all contribute to a person’s knowledge base. Lastly, knowledge cannot be confused with the other essential element that impacts meaning and purpose such as common sense. When the many facets of knowledge and its place in human existence are explored, certain realities become seemingly irrefutable. Knowledge is inherently of great value but it may never guide or provide meaning beyond the human ability or willingness to allow this. I have experienced this in my life, as differences in cultures appeal to me, or do not, based upon the self created by experience itself and subjective assessments of what is new. Areas of knowledge also provide vast evidence of human perceptions and needs as determining to what extent knowledge offers meaning and direction.
The knowledge exists but its actual utility is by no means an essential feature of it, in terms of acceptance by people as such; it has no ultimate point because it is itself a product of human effort, it varies based on human changes in understanding, and it is then subject to human will and desire. With regard to the initial question, then, I must disagree that the whole point of knowledge is to give meaning and direction, and because there can be no discounting of how we consistently translate knowledge to suit our own characters, or even define it through the same. The Civil Rights era and the Blind Side have a great deal in common when it comes to teaching lessons about the pursuit of meaning and purpose in life. First, it takes a lot of love. Secondly, it takes forgiveness and belief in one’s self and others. Finally, it takes a strong belief in the possibilities and effect of change. Postivie change and life-long, meaningful purpose can only come from the transcription of knowlege into plans of action to be carried out fearlessly.
- Bull, M. G., Housley, N., Edbury, P. W., & Phillips, J. P. The Experience of Crusading. New York: Oxford University Press; 2003.
- Calhoun, C. Sociology in America: A History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 2008.
- Carroll, A., Buchholtz, A. Business and Society: Ethics, Sustainability, and Stakeholder Management. Belmont: Cengage Learning; 2014.
