IN SEARCH OF MEANING
Humanity’s Greatest Quest
God is not something handed to a person from outside. God is a matter of self-discovery. Discovery of God through one’s own reflection, sincerity, and longing can provide real conviction.
In 1946, the Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Emil Frankl (1905–1997) published his renowned work Man’s Search for Meaning. Over the decades, many other books with similar titles have appeared. During more than three hundred years of the printing press, billions of books have been produced in different languages, and if a single title could be given to all of them, it would undoubtedly be: In Search of Meaning.
A human being, by nature, is a seeker. Each person is born with an enquiring mind, always attempting to understand the world and his place within it. It is this inner curiosity that has inspired the writing of so many books, whether fictional stories or serious works of philosophy, psychology, religion, or science. All of them, directly or indirectly, turn upon one idea: the quest for truth and the longing for significance.
When an individual reaches adulthood, his immediate concern is the earning of a livelihood. He enters employment or engages in some form of economic activity. While he is absorbed in his work, he experiences a period of satisfaction and routine. Yet, gradually, a realization begins to surface. His job provides sustenance but does not offer the deeper fulfilment he silently seeks. Certainly, work puts bread on the table, but, as Jesus Christ rightly said, “Man cannot live by bread alone.” (Matthew 4: 4) Bread meets physical needs, but it cannot satisfy the intellect, the imagination, or the spiritual hunger that underlies every human personality. This gap between outward success and inner emptiness is one of the principal reasons for the frustration and unhappiness felt by so many today.
According to the Big Bang theory, the universe came into existence nearly thirteen billion years ago. Simply knowing this makes one reflect. “For billions of years I did not exist, and then I appeared as a conscious being, part of the human world.” Almost every thoughtful person, at some point, wonders how and why he came into existence. There are very few who have not paused to consider the meaning of their presence in this vast and ancient universe. Such reflections often arise in quiet moments when the noise of life momentarily subsides.
When a person is born, he finds himself placed within a world already equipped with a complete life-support system, one he did not help to create. He later discovers that nature held within itself the raw materials and latent technology required for the progress of civilization. Human beings merely uncovered, refined, and applied what nature had already stored. This recognition leads naturally to deeper questions. Who designed this vast system? Who arranged this remarkable balance in which life can flourish? What is the relationship between me and the One who fashioned such a world?
And beyond this comes the most profound of all questions. Why does man die, and what lies in the period that follows death?
If one attempts to explain these realities, a single overarching concept emerges. Religion expresses it through the term “God”. If we accept this term, then it becomes clear that everyone, knowingly or unknowingly, is searching for God. God is the key that brings coherence to all phenomena, and once He is discovered, everything else finds its place. Without this central truth, life often appears fragmented, confusing, or purposeless.
Once, in a crowded marketplace, I saw a little boy running about in great distress because he had lost sight of his mother. He cried repeatedly, “Where is my mother?” The moment he found her, and she gathered him into her arms, he became calm and content.
This simple incident illustrates the case of humanity. Every person is, knowingly or unknowingly, in search of God. When he finds Him, the inner restlessness subsides, and true peace emerges. But during the search, people often run towards various attractions— wealth, status, relationships, pleasures, or achievements— believing that these will finally satisfy them. Yet once they obtain these things, they discover that the inward search continues, unchanged. This pattern has repeated itself across the whole of human history. For this reason, it becomes essential to pause and reassess one’s direction with sincerity and maturity.
Every life has two parts. The first may appear light-hearted, even comic, especially in youth when distractions abound. But if a person does not set himself upon the right path—the path that leads to God—the second part may become a tragedy. This is because God is not something handed to a person from outside. God is a matter of self-discovery. Discovery of God through one’s own reflection, sincerity, and longing can provide real conviction. If one wishes to make life meaningful, this question must be given priority. Only personal study, contemplation, and honest searching can lead one to God. And the sign of having found Him is unmistakable: a deep inner peace, like the child who has been reunited with his mother.
Jesus Christ said, “Seek and you will find.” (Matthew 7: 7) This is not merely a religious instruction; it expresses a universal law of nature. But the successful completion of the search depends on one essential condition: sincerity. The one who seeks with genuine sincerity will certainly reach his goal. q
To the unwise retreat is defeat;
to the wise, it is strategy.
