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"You will always find an answer in the sound of water."

​- Zhuangzi

The Meaning of Life. Part II.

8/29/2017

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If you’re still with me, now we come closer to the meaning. I hope you had a chance to ponder this morning’s message. If not, you may be disappointed by what you read, but first things first.

Before we look at the answer to the meaning of life: “Why do you ask the question at all?” “Why do you even perceive that it is a question that is logical to ask, that has an answer?” Look back to part one if you need to. I can give you the meaning of life, but unless you contemplate and discover what it is you are asking, whether it is indeed a question that makes sense to ask, you will not be able to receive my answer. First you need to get straight that which underlies the question.

Listen to this brief story.

A young boy overhears his parents conversing one day. He hears them speak about different restaurants, and which are their favorite. His father says: “You know, the best food is McDonald’s.” The young boy, as all boys do, desires to enjoy everything his father enjoys, so he makes careful note that the best food is McDonald’s. Later the young boy asks: “Papa, can I have McDonald’s?” And the father says, “yes, we will go tomorrow and you will have McDonald’s.” And so the next day they drive to McDonald’s and the father orders their food, a cheeseburger and fries for each, and brings it to the boy to eat and says “Here is your McDonalds.” But the boy, given his food, replies, “Father, you’re just giving me a cheeseburger and fries, where’s the McDonald’s!”

Can you see how the boy became confused? Can you see how he got it wrong? He wasn’t ready to understand yet. He didn’t know yet that McDonald’s was not a food but a place. It was all wrong in his head. As long as he went on thinking McDonald's was a food he might ask questions like "What does McDonald's taste like?" or "What does it look like?" or "How many calories does McDonald's have?"

I ask you again: look at the question. “What is the meaning of life?” You are just like the child. You have got it all mixed up.

​Tomorrow, we go further.
​


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