Life, Dreams, Meaning

I woke in the clarity of a dream. It's such an amazing space of lucidity. In the dream an older and very respected friend visits, but since I'd seen him last, his capacity to care for himself has been greatly reduced by age etc. This frustrates him to tears: "I'm the person who always takes care of others. This isn't supposed to happen..." And it's true. He was the brilliant one with all the answers (albeit often made on the spot). He had always been the calm one in the tempest of chaos who happily faced down uncertainty and fear with a confidence-inspiring smile. To see him stumble and falter, even in the hazy half-consciousness of an early morning dream, was sad.

This dream, a weekend conversation with an aging parent, a recent interview with Kurt Vonnegut, mixed in with general musings on life and the directions I'm headed have all, no doubt, led to such a dream. And with the dream of course, huge questions on the meaning of life and everything are stirred up. But as is typical in dreams, the answers are embedded within.

Is the Meaning of Life (MoL) "to care for others"? Or is there no MoL? Or is it to live, grow, sense, feel, learn, then lose everything? I think that last one is it. Life is change. Experiencing it is meaning. Get attached, but be prepared to let go, and be okay with it. Ideally, do this without hampering the lives of others. Try to stay in balance with the rest of the world. And when it's time for those around you to let go, let them go. Hanging on too long may cause wobble in life.

One of the problems that I have with some religions is that they offer short-term, unsustainable meaning. A big-footprint, live-for-today, God will provide, consumptive lifestyle that pays little heed to the balance of nature. They don't share. It's a greedy lifestyle.