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Motivation for the study
Human beings are meaning junkies. McNamee (2007) When I discuss the research process later on, I will indicate that the research will be qualitative in nature. I will therefore not attempt to motivate the study by convincing readers of this thesis that, say, 73.27% of all people consider their lives not to be as meaningful as they could be. Statistics, I would like to suggest, are narratives like all other narratives, founded in a certain paradigm and perspective and informed by frameworks of meaning. They are therefore not definitive and should be considered as suggestions in the same way as the other voices invited into this study are contributing meaning to the research. The figures quoted in the following paragraphs should therefore be considered within this context.
On February 4, 2009 Freek Robinson in his radio program on RSG, Praat Saam, quoted statistics indicating that 70% of South Africans consider their lives not to be meaningful (Afrikaans term used “sinvol”) and that 2 out of 5 South Africans are unhappy in their work environment.
Frankl (2004: 105) quotes surveys indicating that 89% of people polled in France admitted that people need “something” for the sake of which to live. In another statistical survey of 7 948 students at 48 colleges conducted by scientists from Johns Hopkins University, 78% of the respondents indicated that their first goal was “finding a purpose and meaning to my life” ( :105).
Authors attribute the success of books like The Purpose-Driven Life (Warren, 2002) to the great number of people struggling with life’s big questions like “Why am I here?” and “How do I live a life that is significant?” (Miller, 2007). Taylor (1966:1) suggested that our greatest desire is to have a
meaningful life.
Echoing these voices, in conversations with friends and acquaintances everybody seems to agree that their lives could be more meaningful. Experience from my own pastoral therapy and life coaching practice indicates that many of my clients struggle with the meaningfulness of their lives. These personal experiences are confirmed by research done by writers like Porras et al (2007).
Webster (2002) suggests that “the loss of traditional mythical metanarratives” has led to a quest for more meaningfulness in life. More specifically, he posits that the “significance of human existence and personal worth” have become more uncertain, thus leading to an enhanced need for more meaningful lives. He describes how in Australia despite improving standards of living in terms of material wealth and longevity, there has been no associated improvement in quality of life, even Narrative Reflections on a Life That Matters calling the material affluence “a waste of time” after Adams (2000: 24). He continues to link this to “the death of God” and the “eclipse of modern authoritative traditions”. This also reminds of Rolheiser’s account of Nietzsche’s madman in The Shattered Lantern (2004:20-21). Rolheiser uses this story as the introduction to a text on the “rediscovering” of a “felt presence of God” – a text within which various discourses of meaning and spirituality are developed.
Chapter 1. Introducing some reflections on “a life that matters”
1.1 Motivation for the study
1.2 Epistemology
1.2.1 An understanding of epistemology
1.2.2 Why epistemology is so important in this study
1.2.3 Epistemology and ontology in a social constructionist context
1.2.4 The epistemology proposed for this study
1.3 Postmodernism
1.3.1 Modernity: An Understanding
1.3.2 Postmodernity
1.3.3 Postmodernity in relation to or in contrast to modernity
1.3.4 Discourse
1.3.5 Postmodernism summarised
1.4 Social Constructionism
1.4.1 Critical relational constructionism (CRC)
1.4.2 Discussing the “critical” in Critical Relational Constructionism
1.5 Narrative Approach
1.5.1 Narrative process
1.6 The bridge to the rest of the thesis
Chapter 2. Theological Positioning
2.1 Chapter overview
2.2 A conversation between Theology and Existential Meaning
2.2.1 Karl Rahner and the Graced Search for Meaning
2.2.2 Ernst Bloch and his Revisionisme – also of anthropology
2.2.3 Jürgen Moltmann: Future, Hope and Meaning
2.2.4 Brümmer on Meaning and the Christian Faith
2.2.5 Tillich and the Anxiety of Non-Being
2.3 Practical Theology: An Understanding
2.4 Practical Theology and a Meaningful Life
2.4.1 Positioning “life that matters” discourses within a postmodern practical theology
2.5 The relationship between Pastoral Therapy and the study area .
2.6 “not knowing” and theology
2.7 Narrative unity and theology .
2.8 The bridge to the rest of the thesis
Chapter 3. Research Methodology
3.1 Overview of the structure of the chapter
3.2 Participatory Action Research
3.3 Research ethics
3.4 The Process
3.5 Reporting the research – some ethical implications
Chapter 4. Voices that matter – introducing the stories of the co-researchers
4.1 The UrCareer Story (In their own words – exerts from their website) .
4.2 The Co-Researchers from UrCareer
4.3 My own story and how it relates to this study
4.4 First letters (e-mails)
4.4.1 Delicia’s Story
4.4.2 Mahlatse’s Story
4.4.3 Amorita’s Story
4.4.4 Millicinda’s Story .
4.4.5 Estelle’s Story
4.4.6 Jurie’s Story
Chapter 5. Spirituality
Chapter 6. Being meaningful in another’s life
Chapter 7. The teleological imperative or “my life has meaning when I have a Purpose”7
Chapter 8. Identity and meaning in life .
Chapter 9. The Examined Life – Process, Perhaps Not Content
Chapter 10. Handing the story over
Bibliography .
