In search of meanings

'I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind'.(Ecclesiastes.1:1)

Despite all philosophies, religious or secular; human existence in this tiny part of a limitless universe has perplexed intellectuals and philosophers throughout human civilization.  Indeed, it seems to be senseless by any objective standard.

Creative people, being extremely sensitive feel an urge to decipher what others may take for granted. In this endeavor, they claim to pursue art and literature in order to make sense of their life, to achieve an inner peace. They build a façade of meaning over apparent meaninglessness of existence for them. This is why creation is such a crucial activity in their life.

Is it a mere cliché repeated ad nauseam or is there any substance in their claims? The term 'meaningful’ seems too elusive to grasp, though frequently used in artistic as well as spiritual writings.  

Do artists and writers ultimately find their nirvana?  Or do they remain as clueless as other people are? Has art or literature ever been able to guide humanity to ultimate purpose of life?

 Such endeavor is bound to give us answers which are fleeting and incomplete even with the best of efforts. New meanings need to be found—and older ones reaffirmed—a life-long struggle and an incessant anguish

Probably the struggle to find ultimate truth itself is more important than reaching the final destination. Creative persons an artists or a writers; are not finding truth objectively, rather they are expressing meaning as they feel subjectively. Their feelings may not be the ultimate answer and may not satisfy their followers but at least they feel the quest to be enlightening and soothing for them

This claim sounds closer to the views of Sufism and may be objected by a rationalist, who reject anything which can't be measured by an objective standards. Subjective experience of an individual is rejected as they lack reliability and validity and thus unacceptable as guiding principles.  

In their odyssey, most of the artists, prefer the peace and tranquility of the wild, far removed physically and emotionally from the mass of humanity. For others it has always been the other way round. They prefer the hustle bustle of a town to find the true essence of life, trying to capture and preserve the real life as it whirls around them., Ordinary people toiling to make both ends meet are the milestones in their personal journey to the ultimate truth.

So for an artist, the inner urge to find his/her destiny itself is the sufficient reward for all that trouble. 

A creative person is basically a dream chaser like Santiago, the hero of Al-Chemist, who sets off in search of a promised treasure and then ultimately finds that the real treasure was the journey itself which enriched him with invaluable gems of experience.

The following quote from Al-Chemist  beautifully summarizes it

“My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer,” the boy told the alchemist one night as they looked up at the moonless sky.

“Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams.”