Chapter 3
Chapter 3 – What would be more?
If we look at both preserving our personhood and finding more to life, then what are we exactly aiming at? When you say, “I wish there was more to life”, what would “more to life” actually be? I think it is helpful to know what the target is, if we want to successfully hit it.
Since you are human, my guess is that the following three criteria would come close to your overall deep down desires for finding “more to life”, since they seem to be common desires for all humans.
1. That you would count
You would be able to feel about yourself high significance, value, worth, and purpose. That your existence would matter greatly.
2. That others would count
You would be able to feel about others high significance, value, worth, and purpose. That their existence would matter greatly.
3. That 1 and 2 (above) would stand the test of time
You would always want 1 and 2 to be true – even through eternity. In other words, if we found something to establish 1 and 2 for only the length of our lives and the lives of those we know, it still would not meet the deep desire for it to be lasting. We would still want ourselves and others to greatly count even after a trillion years.
Is there anything that can actually meet these three criteria?
Yes.
In the following chapters we will look at how these three criteria can be met. To make it easier to reference these three criteria later in this book, I'll give them the label now of “3-Criteria”. So when you see 3-Criteria referred to in later chapters, you'll know what the term means.
CHECKPOINT
Did it make sense to you that the test of time brings the issue of what would be “more to life” into focus? If not, you may want to reread the above definition of Criterion 3 (standing the test of time) and contemplate what moving time towards infinity does to Criterion 1 (our counting) and also to Criterion 2 (others counting).