MACROSCOPE
The Soul of Science
Michael Shermer
Bootstrapping Purpose
Purpose is personal, and people satisfy this deep-seated need in
countless ways. Among these are avenues by which we can bootstrap
ourselves toward higher goals that have proven to be especially
beneficial to individuals and society. These include:
Deep love and family commitment—the bonding and
attachment to others increases one's circle of sentiments and
corresponding sense of purpose: to care about others as much as, if
not more than, oneself;
Meaningful work and career—the sense of purpose
derived from discovering one's passion for work drives people to
achieve goals so far beyond their own needs that they lift all of us
to a higher plane, either directly through the benefits of the work
or indirectly through inspiration;
Social and political involvement—as a social species
we have an obligation to community and society to participate in the
process of determining how best we should live together;
Transcendence and spirituality—a capacity unique to
our species that includes aesthetic appreciation, spiritual
reflection and transcendence through art, music, dance,
exercise, meditation, prayer or quiet contemplation, thereby
connecting us on the deepest level with that which is completely
outside of ourselves.
My own journey up the pyramid began with falling in love, parenting
a child and making the commitment to place family before self. The
immeasurable joy generated by the most quotidian of family functions
reinforces this commitment on a daily basis. Even with unlimited
wealth, I would continue my career no differently because I have
been fortunate enough to find a profession that offers more than
just personal gain. As such, my work takes me ever further out of
selfhood and toward global goals. Although I have visited many of
the grandest cathedrals in the world and sensed a spiritual
veneration of the highest order, my greatest transcendent
experiences have come through the contemplation of nature in her
grandeur, such as the view from Edwin Hubble's chair through the
100-inch telescope atop Mt. Wilson. From that perch, one's picture
of the cosmos grows to galactic proportions, dwarfing any prior
world view and yielding a perspective transcendent beyond imagination.
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