“When a poet writes a poem, meaning arises – because the poet is not alone; he has created something. When a dancer dances, meaning arises. When a mother gives birth to a child, meaning arises. Left alone, cut off from everything else, isolated like an island, you are meaningless. Joined together you are meaningful. The bigger the whole, the bigger is the meaning.”
Osho, The Book of Understanding
Beyond the Quote (85/365)
Isolated might feel like the physical reality, but it doesn’t have to be the emotional state. Isolated might make the feeling of meaninglessness arise, but meaning extends beyond just physical connection. Think about the power of creation. Creation is the act of giving birth to something that otherwise would not have never existed. Before creation there is just you. And for as long as you continue to remain in isolation physically, mentally, and emotionally—no meaning will arise. How could it?
How can there be meaning without interaction; without experience; without exchange; without exploration; without connection? Maybe this is why solitary confinement is one of the worst punishments in our criminal justice system—because when in extreme isolation, meaning fades away.
As fas as I can tell, meaning arises primarily through creation. The creation of a poem, the expression of a dance, the birth of a child—yes. But what about connection? You might ask. Don’t we find meaning through connecting to one another? Of course—but what is connection other than the creation of a relationship and the exchange of new ideas, new thoughts, new experiences, new perspectives—in real time?
All relationships are ongoing acts of creation. Maybe this is why some of the relationships in your life have lost their meaning? Maybe it’s because you have stopped creating together? Maybe you are no longer exchanging new ideas, having new conversations, engaging in new experiences, or exploring new territories? Without creation, meaning fades away.
If you are reading this, then you are feeling the meaning that I have poured into these words. I may be isolated in my house, but through these words–I am not alone. You may be isolated in your house, but you are not alone. These words that I type carry meaning with them as they find their way to your eyes. The creations that you manifest carry meaning with them as they make their way to others just the same. It is this expression of experience and this formulation of ideas that gives us that sense of meaning in spite of direct connection.
What about creation that isn’t directly shared? Is it possible for meaning to still arise then? Well, if I was to lock myself in my room, disconnect myself from the internet and live in complete isolation, I may still find meaning in the creation of these words, even if they were only read by my eyes for now. For I am no longer just me—I am me and what I have created as Osho states above. These words—these creations—become a part of a whole that is external to me that will continue to live beyond me. The creations may take on a life of their own.
Think about the creations that you have hanging around in the walls of your house, for example. Creations from your kids, from your grandparents, from your neighbors and friends, from your favorite local artists, etc. They hang on your wall because they carry meaning with them—not necessarily because they are world-renowned creations. We cherish the things that carry meaning with them. This is why that scribble from your child is so special to you—because it becomes a part of the whole that is their creations in this world. And it will carry on beyond them.
So, do not let a physical isolation stop you from creating meaning in your life. Something that is created by you is one of the greatest testaments to your existence that there is. This extends beyond art and can include music, conversation, education, opportunity, humor, insight, advice, relationship, support, written word, etc. Take what you already have inside of you, bring something to life that otherwise never would have been, and continue creating for as long as you can—both in hours and years. The bigger the whole of your creation, the bigger the meaning that is perpetuated beyond. For when you look back after years of creation, you’ll sit back and smile at the life of what you have created that is beyond your own. Don’t settle or have it any other way.
Don't Let the Motivation Stop There...!
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