A search for sense

Our world is a loud and noisy place. Is it possible to find meaning among the chaos?

There is a spirituality that came to our shores in a big way from the 1960s onwards, though it had been lurking in more esoteric circles from the 19th century. It has given us yoga, karma, mindfulness, transcendental meditation, as well as the mainstream religions of Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. It peaked in the 1980s, when it was known as the New Age movement, but then seemingly disappeared from being just a fringe concern for hippies, vegans and the like, because it has since successfully seeped into the mainstream as part of the rich tapestry that defines our culture, adding to the noise that characterises our society.

But is it a part of the problem rather than a possible solution, filtering meaning out of the noise? We need to ask this question if we want to derive meaning. In my previous articles I have concentrated on very materialistic, secular expressions, of Marxism, Platonism, of secular humanism. We are now playing the ‘God card’, because we are venturing into spiritual concerns, of an ‘eastern’ variety. Are there answers here? Well, first we need to express some sort of question: Is there any real sense out there amidst the noise?