(thanks for the inspiration Paul & George)
Kurt Vonnegut was one of the century's great writers. Famous for his NYT bestseller, "Slaughterhouse Five", Kurt was, among many other things, a humanist. His time in service in WW2, especially in a German prison camp, gave him a unique, dark sense of satire but he loved writing and ultimately, people.
The above quote was sent to me on a birthday years ago by a very dear friend with the tagline, "Thanks for making the journey through this thing better". I was brought to tears and never forgot his touching gesture.
Lately, this quote is on my mind a lot, and came up during conversation where I tried to unpack it a bit more. Like much of Kurt's writing, there's a lot in there.
The Importance of "We"
He starts with a bang. "We" implies togetherness, not isolation. Humans are inherently social creatures, never meant to be alone for any significant period of time. By contrast, solitary confinement is considered one of the most cruel and inhumane punishments we can do to each other. "We" is a critical thought path of inclusion and a great place to start any ideation. Even in the modern workplace, diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) are at the forefront of good management's consideration.
Where is "Here"?
If you don't know where you are, how can you figure out where you're going? Kurt's expression "We are here..." is about trying to discover our purpose in being, perhaps the most quintessential aspect of our humanness. Of all the creatures of the world, we are endowed with awareness of self, which is our greatest gift as much as it is often the source of our greatest insecurity. By understanding our true purpose we are empowered to achieve a greater outcome by sublimating ourselves to this higher power, but all too often we fail to do more than act in our own selfish interests. The fact is, like it or not, understand it or not, WE ARE HERE.
Help
I think it is fundamental to recognize that our purpose as human beings is to help each other. Our modern world bombards us with messaging suggesting that our self-worth and success are ultimately measured by our personal wealth and fame, like points in a perverse, selfish video game. The Truth is that we are here to help each other. All of us need help, often, and as such all of us must be committed to helping each other. In the end, what will matter is not the size of our houses or cars or bank accounts but the size of our hearts. I wish more emphasis were placed on this in our education. Sadly, even most religious education seeks to create a framework of guilt/control rather than of compassion and empowerment. With each passing year, I feel the world torn further apart and recommit myself to trying my best to bring it even a little closer together. Kurt was right
Getting Through This Thing
Our principal mission is to get through this thing. Day in, day out, we act often in seemingly mindless ways, searching for meaning and an overarching understanding of what this "thing" is. Kurt is right in pointing out that despite millennia of collective study and reflection, our understanding of what this "thing" is is superficial at best. At least we can say, by process of elimination, some things which this "thing" is not. It is not about simply collecting material possessions/wealth at the expense of each other. It is not the wanton destruction of our environment (and each other) in a quest for MORE. What we seek is not to be found solely in hedonistic pleasures, since we find that in the end these simply do not provide the long-term fulfillment which is at the heart of what we want this "thing" to be. Is this "thing" a Matrix-like simulation? Is it an illusion? Is it some kind of bizarre divine test of our worthiness? An alien experiment? If so, how could we say we have been successful as a species? Is there an answer that can fill the existential emptiness at the core of being a human in these modern times? Over generations have we somehow evolved away from our inherent divinity? We humans seem to be at once capable of showing the extremes of selfless inspiration and hopeless despair. Many of our heroes vacillate between both.
Fortunately, we do not need to know what this "thing" is to recognize we are in it, whatever it is, and must get through it, hopefully helping each other along the way.
To me, that means to actively seek out the companionship of others and try to help them so we can all get through this thing, whatever it is - together.
Maybe that's enough. I hope it is.
What do you think??
