Understanding evolution raises much controversy and many questions about purpose and meaning in our lives. Some believe that understanding evolution is conditionally linked to the absence of meaning and to surrendering to a state of absurdity and indifference. However, this belief requires clarification and a deeper understanding of the subject.
Over time, we as humans in general have held convictions and beliefs upon which our understanding of the world was built, and through them we found meaning, order, and purpose in our lives. As a result of these convictions, our mind created a satisfying structure of meaning through which we felt comfort and stability. In other words, before understanding evolution, we saw meaning, order, and purpose as the mind had been accustomed to for years, as generations passed on religious ideas and beliefs that became rooted in our way of thinking and viewing matters over the years. This created a safe space for our perception, through which we linked our existence to a certain narrative that protected us from the idea of nothingness and eternal death. But it was our mind that created the purpose through a set of convictions and beliefs—and it is also our mind that convinced us of the absence of meaning and purpose.
With time and the change of our convictions, the meaningful understanding of evolution becomes unclear, and a person may feel confusion and mental chaos simply by stepping outside the traditional narrative of existence. The meaning and purpose they once lived collapse under the pressure of evolution and mental transformations, and the mind begins to lean toward believing in the absence of meaning and purpose. However, we must realize that the truth is simpler and much more than we imagine.
Meaning and purpose in life are not merely supernatural entities capable of fulfilling all wishes and ambitions. They are the product of our thinking, perceptions, and beliefs. They are a story we tell ourselves and the world around us.
The problem is that convictions rejecting evolution fill the void with mythical stories deeply rooted and strongly impactful in human consciousness. These stories speak of the existence of supernatural and special beings, and they give us the tempting feeling that we are the most unique, important, and superior creature in the universe. These convictions portray humans as beings with a specific purpose in existence, granting them an absolute feeling of superiority over all other creatures.
Meaning and purpose in life are not merely supernatural entities capable of fulfilling all wishes and ambitions. They are the product of our thinking, perceptions, and beliefs. They are a story we tell ourselves and the world around us.
And after our old convictions relatively change, we begin to feel shock, mental confusion, and that the meaning and purpose we once saw in life have completely collapsed. The mind then flips to the opposite and leans toward the absence of meaning and the loss of purpose. Yet understanding the meaningful truth of evolution brings us a greater awareness. The human being discovers the simple and specific truth of their existence and place in the universe.
And we realize that we are just one species among living creatures that evolved along with other beings on planet Earth. We also realize that this planet is very small compared to the universe, and that it is home to millions of living beings that preceded us in existence and dominated different environments of Earth.
At this point, we realize that we are part of the Tree of Life, and that we must be a genuine and humble part of it. Our mind searches for a simple meaning to our life, connected to ourselves and to those we love. It searches for our relationship with nature to which we belong, and the living beings we share existence with. It learns to be a humble and responsible part of the Tree of Life, respecting the diversity and interactions within it, feeling special without excessive arrogance or false illusion. The problem is not in the absence of meaning, but in our inability to understand that meaning can be simple and humble, and does not need to be supernatural or grand to fit a mythical creature.
A deep understanding can find for us a true meaning connected to our reality, and can contribute to building a better world—and this is the challenge we must face and accept.
The story begins and ends in our mind… so do not search outside it.
