Imagine

A simple view of a meaningful life and its global importance

I Ralph Edwards and Marie Lindquist

There are three Oxford Language aspects of ‘meaningful’: important, consequential and sincere, denoting that meaningful includes something that has current as well as ongoing significance and can be trusted as wholehearted and not dishonest nor hypocritical. Can anyone ask for more?

Yes, for a meaningful life we need to ask for one other feature – love. Oxford language suggests synonyms for love: a deep passion for, understanding and attachment to other things we are surrounded by, whether human or any other part of our existence.

Put the important, consequential, and sincere together with deep passion, understanding and attachment for other people and things, not everything of course but at least something, and we can do something that makes us fulfilled.

A good life and a good society cannot be measured in quantitative terms only, but the extent to which people are able to lead lives that are fulfilling to them, and to all those around them. There will never be peace on earth as long as different religions or nations compete with each other, on the premise that “the other” poses a threat and must be suppressed, defeated, or in the worst case completely wiped out.

Creation can be imagined only from conjectures based on limited knowledge. It is time to discuss those conjectures openly and collectively. We dream of a new moral belief system for the world which includes all that is good from the old religions, but which is not mandated by a clergy or a state leadership: a set of common values and desirable behaviours, agreed by global consensus, with the intent to form a solid and humane base on which we all can stand in unity and harmony.

Now imagine a world

• where we find joy and happiness in doing good things rather than making money; accumulated wealth is shared by many, not hoarded by the few
• where we protect our world and preserve its natural beauty; new is replacing old only when there is a real need
• where those in power respect the people they serve, without relying on false promises or oppression; everyone speaks their mind freely, but with consideration of others and without intention to hurt
• where nations are not borders that separate and alienate us from each other, but interfaces for positive exchanges and learning; care and kindness has replaced hostility and fear
• where we engage in constructive debate instead of confrontation; war is never an option, conflicts are resolved with words, not weapons
• where punitive systems are not primarily based on retribution but on the principle of protecting people from harm; the roots of crime are addressed in the belief that changed behaviour is possible and that a meaningful life doing good can replace and must replace enmity and harm.