The hot topic at the moment is the religion counter revealed by the census results. According to those statistics, the secular society is expanding and a large percentage of us have turned our backs on a divine head of state. The census is merely cold data, however, and I would be intrigued if there was a way of dissecting the lives of the secular to see how their lives are governed if not by a rule book written and rewritten and rewritten again over 2000 years ago.
One philosophy I believe everyone, by its own definition, follows is existentialism. For the layman, it means one lives one's life to one's own means or purpose. You find your own meaning and reason to get up in the morning. Some people find this in a routine of work to make money, better themselves with goals and build a good quality of life through financial stability. Some try to live by rule 32. Some follow Aristotle and look to knowledge, others follow Plato and look to a higher power. Ad infinitum possibilities. Existentialism is the search for your own meaning of life. Not 'The' meaning: your meaning.
As an optimist rather than realist, Bentham and Mill's utilitarian ways of life attract me far more than the capitalist slog pushed by 21st century world management. Perhaps it is a childlike view but making myself happy, thus making others happy, is far superior than defining myself by a fragrance, pair of shoes, job or particular design of little black dress.
In Edinburgh this summer I worked with an Australian theatre company whose show was an interactive workshop theatre event during which the audience were asked to participate in preparation for a job interview. One section gave the ticket holders an opportunity to tell the actress where she was going wrong in her introduction to her interviewer. My suggestion was that she defined herself by her job. The actors tilted their heads at this, as if I'd told them that minutes and hours are a social construct and I refuse to acknowledge them, in response to a request for the time. I did elaborate and said she should be introducing her passions and interests aside her strengths and unique skills as well as life ambitions and drive. Perhaps too deep for a fairly simple fringe run.
I know there are people out there who think like me and feel more alive knowing they're not praying to Lord Barclays or King HSBC. Those people don't have to be within the earner bracket of statistical satisfaction. In fact, they probably aren't. They're the people who followed their hearts and stopped thinking for a while. They aren't just the creative types like singers, sportsmen or writers but they are also bus drivers, shelf stackers and temps. Thats because they dont restrict themselves in the job they chose or were given. And these people are brilliant.
Having been in religious occasions and heard the Lord's Prayer monotonously droned, I only hope that organised religion takes a turn towards the more inspiring world of evangelists and choirs that dance and are not conservative in their passions. Following a life of worship is a good thing. We all do it. We just worship different things. In Equus, Doctor Dysart notes the value of worship. Without worship, he says, we are nothing. Maybe its a British stiff upper lip kind of thing but one day the world will be singing. It'll be like terrible, hilarious karaoke.
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