Spiritual and Personal Growth

The Adventures of Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi’s 19th century tale about the trials and tribulations of a wooden puppet (the original story not the Disney version), provides a neat explanation of the meaning of life specifically addressing who we are and why we’re here.

Who We Are

Pinocchio perfectly symbolizes our dual nature; our material self and our real self. Of course Pinocchio’s material self is as a wooden puppet. Our material selves aren’t made of wood (although I love the English phrase of describing someone who’s not to intelligent as being “thick as two planks”) but we are made of physical, emotional and mental material that combine to create our body. This is the material self that you’ve come to know and love complete with all its sensations, habits,likes, dislikes, thoughts, habits and attitudes. But there’s more to us that this body.

These ideas were first mentioned in the free report Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life which you can get by Clicking Here…

Pinocchio transforms into a real boy after going through many trials and eventually learning to control himself and express his more virtuous traits. Just so we have a real self that seeks to express itself through a disciplined material self. This real self is the most noble, compassionate and wise part of us. It is the soul or spirit which was created in God’s image. We are designed to realize that this is our true identity. In fact we need to know that we are not material selves who have a soul but rather we are souls who have a material self through which we act in this world.

Why We’re Here

Pinocchio redeems himself by the end of the story by first controlling his natural tendencies then expressing the divine qualities of his real self. Through the majority of the story Pinocchio is belligerent, lazy, dishonest and indifferent. He is always shown the error of his ways and promises to change but he most often repeats the same mistakes. Similarly we often succumb and robotically react to the downward pull of the natural tendencies of our material self to be lazy, annoyed, depressed, impatient, gluttonous, indifferent and ungrateful. When we do this it’s as if we’re becoming more material (i.e. more dense) as symbolized by Pinocchio when he’s being dishonest and his nose grows.

By the end of the story Pinocchio has control of his material self’s natural tendencies and he starts to express the noble qualities of his real self as he is courageous and strong when he saves his father and himself from the belly of the shark and he is compassionate, diligent, patient, selfless, determined, purposeful and productive when he works as a farmhand and provides for his father. After a few months of this he wakes up one morning to find himself in a nice new house, lot’s of money in his pocket, his father’s health restored and he is transformed into a real boy! Just so, we are here to express the noble divine qualities of spirit through our material selves. We are to build our character so we are more loving, kind, beautiful, wise, tolerant, cheerful, peaceful, courageous and productive. These are some of the divine qualities that our real selves are here to convey. By doing so we are redeeming the world, fulfilling the divine plan and shining our light.

As since the improved ability of the real self to better express this divinity in the material world is the only thing that survives death - it is truly the meaning of life!

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

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Thank you,

Brendan

Imagine it’s 1543 and you’ve been taught all your life that the sun revolves around the earth. You believe it, in fact you know it to be true because it makes sense. If you stood at a horizon, a beach for example, you would see the sun “swing around” by first coming up in front of you than going down behind you. But along comes Nicolaus Copernicus who started to think that perhaps the universe was actually heliocentric (i.e. sun centered) and, from his book “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres”, you are suddenly introduced to the idea that the earth revolves around the sun! Think about what a complete change in perspective that is. The big round ball that you live on is not stationary in space but is moving around another big round ball. More importantly the earth is not the center, and by implication not the most important feature, of the then-known universe.

This new idea is such a dramatic change in world perspective that it could lead to asking two life-changing questions; “what other fundamental ideas do I hold that are completely wrong?” and “what is the primary focus (i.e. the center) of life?” We now understand much of the operations of our solar system but these two questions are relevant today because most people currently hold a fundamental idea that is completely wrong and they do not understand who or what is the primary focus of life. Most people see themselves as the “center of the universe” and that God or the soul, if they exists, are suppose to revolve around them! These people need a complete change in perspective! Metaphorically it’s as if they never learned that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Just as the Sun gave us life and sustains our lives, the Divine Source, both God transcendent and immanent, is the center of life which we’re suppose to revolve around.

What does it mean for us to revolve around the Divine? It means that we are here to express the higher divine qualities of love, joy, peace, goodwill, courage and wisdom on earth and thereby shine our light. These qualities are the divine archetypes that God used to create and sustain the world. They are meant to be integrated into our character. Why? Because they are the only thing that last (character means enduring marks). Throughout it’s lifetimes the Higher Self retains this improved ability to express this divinity.

We make the mistake of acting as if the universe revolves around us when we are solely focused on our security, prestige, appearance pleasure and possessions. In effect we are attached to the material world and figuratively are “stuck in the muck”. There is no light in this sort of limited focus.

Contemplate the following passage from Copernicus’ book, “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” and consider it’s perfect analogy with the Sun representing the divinity that is the real you and the earth representing the human self that is suppose to be governed by the divine.

At rest, however, in the middle of everything is the sun. For, in this most beautiful temple, who would place this lamp in another or better position than that from which it can light up the whole thing at the same time? For, the sun is not inappropriately called by some people the lantern of the universe, its mind by others, and its ruler by still others. The Thrice Greatest labels it a visible god, and Sophocles’ Electra, the all-seeing. Thus indeed, as though seated on a royal throne, the sun governs the family of planets revolving around it.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Emerging research is learning of a startling problem facing the planet which is a much greater threat than global warming. It’s being referred to as global weighting and the gist of it is that the combined population growth of China and India, which are two countries that are aligned vertically and within the top half of the globe, are going to result in a such a massive amount of weight on one side of the top half of the earth that its centrifugal force could bring the planet out of its axis ever so slightly and cause the planet to spin out of orbit. To see this phenomenon in action spin a basketball on your finger and you’ll notice that, if you can balance it, it will spin perfectly fine. Now tape a small weight to the top half of one side of the ball and try to spin it. You’ll find that it is much tougher and in fact the ball will not sustain a true spinning on its axis.

We all are aware of the population growth of China and India but what is not so well known is the tremendous population difference between these two vertically aligned countries and the rest of the world. According to Worldmapper.com, by the year 2050 India and China will have populations that are 4.0 times and 3.5 times, respectively, the next highest country, the United States. Notwithstanding the fact that the average junk-food, fast-food eating American weighs at least twice that of the average Chinese or Indian, this is a large gap. The Worldmapper.com also has population maps giving a dramatic graphic representation of the potential global weighting problem caused by such a large number of people. However the following World Population Map by Bettina Speckmann and Marc van Kreveld of Utrecht University perfectly shows the dramatic population, and corresponding weight, differences between China/India and the rest of the world.

There is much debate about how to address the global weighting problem. Two broad solutions are considered; displacement and population offsets. Displacement is an obvious solution with a world organization such as the United Nations systematically relocating Chinese and Indians to the bottom portion of the other half of the globe such as South America (there’s a lot of land in Brazil and Argentina although they would have to cut down some of the rainforests) and Africa (the industrious Chinese and Indians could possibly improve the living conditions and leadership of Sudan, Zaire and Ethiopia). Taking a page from the global warming activists who are offering carbon offsets as a solution to global warming, population offsets, although somewhat controversial, could help solve the coming global weighting dilemma. The idea would be that for every Chinese or Indian man who fathered a child in their Country, they would go to the opposite part of the world and father a child thus “offsetting” the weight they placed on the planet. It’s considered possible particularly if the women who bore the child were given a large sum of money upfront, in effect a “signing bonus”, then also given a respectable monthly amount until the child reached adulthood.

One thing the global warming movement has taught us, by implication, is that there is no “Higher Power” that is capable of guiding and sustaining human life on this earth forever. Just so we simply cannot afford to assume that the global weighting problem will be “taken care of” by an all-caring Supreme Being. May the world come to see that global weighting is a much more serious threat that should be addressed before global warming. After all what difference is the temperature of the planet if it’s spinning into outer space? Let the documentaries (attention Al Gore and Laurie David) begin.

In my previous article I discussed the passage in John 10:30 where Jesus says “The Father and I are one“ In this article I want to elaborate on the idea of two becoming one by first explaining the true meaning of an individual then listing some of the areas that humanity has considered this idea of two becoming one.

The meaning of individual has come to mean a separate and distinct person however that is not its origin. Originally it meant a person who is not divided from the Latin in- “not” + dividuus “divisible”. Of course this means that there must be more than one “part” of a person. What are these two parts? The human self and the spiritual self. The lower self and the higher self. The body and soul. When these two are “one” a person is not divided and is therefore an “individual”. This same idea is found in the word holy which is rooted in the word whole. This also implies more than one part. When a person fully expresses his divinity through his humanity he is considered holy.

A person is a true individual and holy when their higher and lower selves unite and the two become one. The idea of two becoming one is very common throughout humanity. It is generally understood that as the two come together they express and produce more than they could separately. The following is a list of some of the “two becoming one” concepts found in humanity:

• Man and women marry to best raise a family.
• Together the shepard and his watchdog best guard the flock.
• The teaching of Jesus and the evangelism of Paul formed Christianity.
• The driver and car unite to transport people over vast distances.
• The hunter and weapon serves to protect and provide man.
• The farmer and land are intimate and together they sustain humanity.
• Management and labor work together to be productive and profitable.
• The writer and language coalesce to communicate great ideas.
• Individuals with freedom form a nation supported by Divine Providence.
• Einstein revealed that matter and energy are one in the same. Einstein Proves the Existence of God!
• Romeo and Juliet symbolize true love.
• In Star Wars, Luke and the Force are one and together save the galaxy.
• Adam and Eve symbolically formed humanity together.
• A person with Amazing Grace can be saved.
• Beauty and the Beast forge a great love that transforms.
• The actor and director combine to convincingly convey the story.
• In King Arthur Percival receives the Holy Grail when he says “The Land and the King are one”. In fact the Holy Grail is the wisdom that we are divine beings who are here to express ourselves through this body on earth.

Note that with so many ideas of “two becoming one” found it lends support the idea that you have both a divine self and a human self and that they are suppose to become one so that you can express the divine in this world.

Today’s (4/9/07) Sunday Reading are just the following four short but powerful lines from John, Chapter 10, verses 27-30:

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

Now there’s a lot to discuss in these short lines but I just want to focus on the key line that is the main issue through the whole chapter; “The Father and I are one.” These words literally prompt his critics to attempt to stone him for blasphemy.

Was Jesus into self-aggrandizement when he said “the Father and I are one” and later in the same Chapter, “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”? In other words did Jesus literally mean himself, the man, Jesus of Nazareth when he uses the personal pronouns “I” and “me” or did he mean something more? I suggest that he meant something more than his temporary, human self when he says these truths. He is referring to his divine self. His eternal, immortal soul which is the true child of God. Jesus is holy, a word derived from whole (which implies two selves), meaning He fully united his spiritual self and human self. He perfectly expressed his divinity through his human self while on this earth.

Why didn’t Jesus use more precise language to explain this idea? He did. He was using the language of his faith. His use of the personal pronouns I and me is related to the language used by God at the burning bush in response to Moses’ question of who should I say you are and God replies “I am who am” and “tell them I AM sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). The use of personal pronouns corresponds to the idea of individual divinity.

The important point of this is that you also have a divine self and in fact you are the divine self who is expressing itself in this world. In this Chapter of John when accused of making himself a God Jesus answered “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”?”. In other words Jesus was teaching us that we are also divine.

Critics and unthinking people will incorrectly assume that I am suggesting that we are God. We are not the One, transcendent God who created and sustains heaven and earth. We are the immanent god, a figurative child of God, who is simply seeking to express divinity on this earth. We are similar in kind but not in degree to God. Just as a thimble full of the ocean is similar in kind to the entire ocean but in no way can it sustain the whole planet as the ocean does.

Our divine self is but a spark of the eternal flame. And, although the spark leaves the flame, it is forever “of it” and it can never be otherwise. In this sense the spark and flame are one just as you and the Father are one.

For further exploration of this idea please see the next article; “When Two Become One“

Your house was not built from the bottom up, it was built from the top down. I know what your thinking, “what? of course my house was built from the bottom up…they started at the basement or foundation then worked their way up.” “Do you think they propped up a roof then added the floors under it?”

No, figuratively speaking, your house was built from the top down because it all started with a non-tangible idea in the minds of the architect and builder for the design and structure of the house. This thought is not physical and in a sense is “higher” than things of the concrete material world. It is the essence of your house. It is what guided the construction of your house. It is what continues to influence the functionality of your house. Further, this non-physical idea fulfills the deeper meaning behind all dwellings, namely the protection that allows us to function.

If you can understand that your house was started by an abstract idea then you can see that you were also founded by an intangible energy. So, what is the abstract, intangible idea that formed you, that energizes you and that guides you? It is the soul! This is the divine energy that had the idea of you and that wants to express itself through you. Figuratively it is higher than your physical body so it is at the top. It is what came first. It is the very essence of who you are. Finally, this intangible essence that is your true self fulfills the deeper meaning behind humanity, namely the expression of God’s divine qualities for the redemption of this world.

Today’s (3/25/07) Catholic Gospel reading are the familiar lines from John 8: 1 - 11 where the Pharisees bring a women who was caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and say that the law of Moses commands them to stone her and Jesus says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then the Pharisees leave without condemning her and Jesus says to the women “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” These two quotes from Jesus seem simple enough however I think that they raise a lot of questions that often confuse people rather than clarify…so let’s try to get clear.

Most people think of “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” as a comment that since you’re not perfect, you cannot judge another person. However this is not true. Even though you make mistakes, you can judge the actions of another person and determine whether or not they are part of the Divine plan. You should not however pre-judge (i.e. prejudice) a person (based on the color of their skin for example) before you know their actions.

Since adultery was “against the law”, does Jesus believe a person who breaks the law should not be punished? I don’t think that could be concluded from this incident because adultery is not a mistake that harms society at large and therefore the “sinner” should not be jailed or killed to protect the individuals of a society.

The story’s sin is adultery and most of us can read this and think that the lesson of this story doesn’t apply to us since we are not committing heavy-duty “sins” like adultery, murder, rape, burglary, etc. However it is much more appropriate to redefine what we mean by sin. This word has always carried a much too ominous tone. We should consider our “sins” as the mistakes against the Divine plan that we are making. This will cause an increase in the number of our “sins” however, as Jesus taught in this incident, we are not condemned.

So what are the types of mistakes against the Divine plan most of us are making? See if you recognize yourself in any of the following:

• Our Higher Self is trying to express joy through your lower self so we are making a mistake when we go through the day being depressed, gloomy and filled with self-pity.
• Divinity is trying to be loving and kind so we are “sinning” when we are being rude, bitter or spiteful.
• The Soul is looking to shine Its peace and patience so we are doing the wrong thing when we are being angry, belligerent and impatient.
• Our True Self wants to be productive and competent in all activities so we are making mistakes what we slack-off in work, slothfully sit in front of the TV or computer and neglect our duties to our children.
• Our Spirit want to express wisdom through our personality and we are going against that when we make no attempt to consider the meaning and bigger ideas behind life and simply wallow in the world of our desires and emotions.

If you are committing these mistakes, and we all are, first recognize them, then repeatedly work to stop them. Of course that’s easier said than done but remember that your Higher Self does not condemn you for your mistakes. They are all part of your growth.

All of this talk of your mistakes and spiritual growth may not seem to exciting as most of us look at life from the perspective of “what’s in it for me?”, however the growth that occurs when you learn to express love, joy, peace, wisdom, courage, etc. is the greatest pleasure you can have because it’s what life is all about. This growth is the only thing that survives death!

This idea is summarized in a quote from the Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950):

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

Are you a chronic worrier? Are you afraid of the bogeyman around the corner? Do you worry about bad things that could possibly happen? Do people call you a worry wart? If so help is on the way. You need to get familiar with the work of journalist and co-anchor of the ABC News show 20/20, John Stossel. He has aired numerous shows on the folly of being worried, scared or afraid over things which you have little or no control. His most recent was “Scared Stiff: Worry in America”. You can check out his website, John Stossel, and this article, The Fear Industrial Complex. I propose that one way to lower the stress of your chronic worrying is to consider, at the start of any worrisome thoughts, What Would John Say (WWJS)? For example:

• On a flight you feel - “This plane has something wrong with it and is going to crash and burst into flames…there will be no survivors.”
• What Would John (Stossel) Say (WWJS) - “Relax and enjoy the ride. The odds of this plane crashing are about the same as you being hit in the crotch by lightening 10,000 times in a row.”

• After hearing stories about e-coli outbreaks at fast food restaurants you emote - “I’m never going to eat out again.”
• WWJS - “Eating out at restaurants is extremely safe. You have a greater chance of having a three-way with Brad and Angolina than of getting e-coli from eating at a restaurant.”

• After seeing a picture of a missing kid on a milk carton you think - “I’m going to look into have an electronic tracking chip implanted in my child so I can track when she gets abducted.”
• WWJS - “I can guarantee that your child will not be abducted. There is as much a possibility of that happening as there is that porcupine will bite you in the ass while you going number two behind a tree in the Amazon jungle.”

• As you enter an elevator and the doors close you sense - “This is my coffin…first the air will run out and while I’m in agony gasping for the last bits of air, the thin cord that’s holding this box will snap and I’ll plunge to my death as we descend to the depths of hell.”
• WWJS - “Don’t worry, that’s never going to happen, you’ll probably just get stuck between floors for days and starve to death…HAHA…just kidding! The chances of anything bad happening to you in an elevator are equal to the chances that Godzilla will knock on your door dressed as a Girl Scout selling cookies, lure his way into your home, then eat your whole family.”

• You hear about a high school shooting and say - “My child’s high school should install metal detectors, frisk each child as they enter and hire armed security guards to patrol the school.”
• WWJS - “Fear not for I have come with great statistics of comfort and joy. Your child has a better chance of being voted Prom Queen, Miss America and American Idol winner, all on the same day, than of being caught in a school shooing crossfire.

• Your neighbor has a co-worker whose cousin’s friend was mugged in New York City in the early 80’s and you conclude - “I haven’t been to a big city since my grade school field trip in 1976 and I will never go because I could be robbed…or worse.”
• WWJS - “It’s prudent to take common-sense precautions but you don’t have anything to fear. It’s more likely that you will sit next to the Pope on the subway and he’ll say, “nice day isn’t it” and you’ll say, “yeah”, than it is that you’ll get mugged in the big city.

To be clear, I’m not mocking John Stossel by making these humorous, hopefully, comments. I am a big fan of his and I love his shows. I think that knowing the odds against something happening will help many people change their irrational fears, worries and concerns. However I also think that most people who have these thoughts know deep down that they’re irrational but they can’t help but have them. So, in addition to understanding the statistics, people with these types of worries should contemplate how we are guided and supported by the same Divinity that sustains the whole universe. What will be will be. Let go and let God’s grace comfort you. Peace.

Yesterday’s (3/6/07) Catholic Gospel reading is just eight lines from Luke (9:28-36) where Jesus is talking to Moses and Elijah and a voice from a cloud says to the disciples, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” It seems like this is supposed to be a “passing of the baton” from the early prophets to Jesus. I think the voice from the cloud is an affirmation and reminder that we are suppose to listen too and follow our Divine self.

I found the passages immediately before and after the reading more interesting as they echo teachings of the Taoist monk Lao Tsu some 500 years before Jesus. They are those seemingly
paradoxical statements that usually confuse people rather that enlighten. From Luke 9:24 and from Luke 9:48 we get:

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

“For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

From the Tao te Ching Chapters 22 and 7, respectively:

If you want to become full, let yourself be empty.
If you want to be reborn, let yourself die.
If you want to be given everything, give everything up.

The Master stays behind; that is why she is ahead.
She is detached from all things; that is why she is one with them.
Because she has let go of herself, she is perfectly fulfilled.

The parallel nature of these passages indicates that these are timeless spiritual truths that are not the exclusive domain of any specific religion. What does “whoever loses his life will save it” mean? It means that you have to let go of the dominance the lower self (i.e. the ego) and allow the Divine self within you to lead. The lower self is self-centered and attached to social status, appearances, power, prestige, emotions and money. The Divine self is other-centered and may have these things but is not attached to them.

Similarly the passage “the one who is least is the greatest” means that when you “let go” of the ego it seems like you’re lessening your influence (i.e. being least) however you are actually increasing it if you allow the Higher Self to control.

The following are the full passages from Luke Chapter 9:

18 Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”
19 They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’”
20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Messiah of God.”
21 He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
23 Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
24 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
25 What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?
26 Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
27 Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

28 About eight days after he said this, he took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray.
29 While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.
30 And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
32 Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
33 As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying.
34 While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
36 After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen.

37 On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.
38 There was a man in the crowd who cried out, “Teacher, I beg you, look at my son; he is my only child.
39 For a spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams and it convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it releases him only with difficulty, wearing him out.
40 I begged your disciples to cast it out but they could not.”
41 Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you and endure you? Bring your son here.”
42 As he was coming forward, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion; but Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and returned him to his father.
43 And all were astonished by the majesty of God. While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples,
44 “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
45 But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

46 An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest.
47 Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side
48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”
49 Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.”
50 Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.