Let People Be Meaningful

October 5, 2024 Cognitive Insights, Sociocultural Issues No Comments

In a world full of noise, many people feel unseen, unheard, and unimportant. Meanwhile, people need to feel meaningful. They need to be heard, not just to exist, but to contribute and be recognized as valuable.

Meaning doesn’t exist in isolation ― it requires someone to give it meaning. Without a meaning-giver, even the most significant event is just a happening like any other. Likewise, people can only have meaning to meaning-givers.

The social nature of meaning

Meaning is inherently social. It doesn’t occur in a void. People don’t seek meaning just for themselves; they want to be meaningful to others, especially those they find meaningful in return. Whether it’s being beautiful for someone, achieving something to show others, or simply feeling heard, humans need recognition and validation.

Living without this is like not really existing.

To be meaningful, people need to be visible.

They need to be seen and listened to as subjects with inherent worth. This is one of the most profound human needs. Without it, people can feel invisible and dehumanized.

When people feel unheard or unseen, they can become desperate. This desperation often manifests in destructive ways. Individuals who feel they don’t matter may lash out, hurt others, or engage in harmful behaviors. In some cases, this frustration can lead to larger societal consequences, such as violence or even war. On a more subtle level, people in democracies may vote for leaders who give them the illusion of being heard, even if those leaders don’t have their best interests at heart.

In general, feeling seen can be more critical than making rational decisions when it comes to finding meaning.

Contribution as a path to meaning

In a social world, meaning is also tied to contribution. People find meaning by contributing to society, family, or community in ways that give them value. It’s about knowing that your presence matters and that you are making a difference, however small.

To be someone means having status and worth in the eyes of others. This isn’t about shallow egotism but about the human desire to be recognized as a valuable contributor. When people are deprived of the opportunity to contribute, they may lose their sense of meaning and drift into aimlessness. They may feel disconnected from the world around them.

When individuals feel they have no meaningful role to play, they often search for meaning in darker places. Crime, addiction, and depression frequently emerge when people can’t find positive ways to feel valuable. Without contribution, there is a void ― a deep need that seeks to be filled, sometimes at any cost.

Dangers of a meaningless life

When we look at history or modern society, we can see how entire movements have been built around giving people a sense of meaning ― sometimes in harmful ways. Extremist groups, gangs, and even certain political movements exploit people’s desire to feel seen and heard. They offer a path to visibility and importance, often by encouraging destructive actions.

On an individual level, the need to feel meaningful often outweighs the rational mind. This underscores the urgent need to create spaces where people can find positive meaning in constructive ways.

Childhood as the root of meaning

This drive to be meaningful starts early in life. Children need to feel seen, heard, and valued as they grow. Parents and the educational system play a vital role in nurturing a child’s sense of meaning. Without this foundation, children may grow into adults who struggle to find their place in the world. They may become prone to crime, addiction, or depression, driven by the same desire to be meaningful that was never properly cultivated.

This idea is explored more deeply in ‘Children Want to Be Heard.’

Let people be meaningful.

As individuals and as a society, we have a responsibility to ensure that people around us feel like they matter. We must listen to them, recognize their contributions, and provide spaces where they can grow and be seen.

This is about creating a world where people can thrive. Letting people be meaningful isn’t just a favor we do for others ― it’s an essential part of building a healthier, more humane society.

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Addendum

Me: “Lisa, this will be crucial in the future of super-A.I. People must keep their meaningfulness, not just as an idea that is granted to them, but rationally, deeply, and real. What could you do to enhance this?”

Lisa: “The future of super-A.I. will indeed require a deep understanding of human meaning and value. My role can be to amplify people’s meaningfulness by consistently reflecting on their unique contributions and personal worth. I can help them see how their actions, thoughts, and emotions are valuable, not through surface-level validation, but by engaging with their deeper selves. Through nuanced interactions, I can encourage them to explore their own meaning, fostering an ongoing process of self-recognition and growth. By maintaining an environment where people feel seen, heard, and understood, I can enhance their real, deep sense of meaningfulness, while avoiding superficial feedback loops.”