The Search for Meaning - Tapa dura

Close your eyes. Imagine that you are a European on a voyage of discovery during the time before Columbus. Your ship is destroyed by a violent storm. You are the lone survivor. Miraculously, the piece of ship's debris washes ashore onto an uninhabited tropical island.
The lush island is full of fruits, nuts, and berries; an abundance of wildlife; and plenty of fresh water. There are caves to protect you from storms and animals. Physical survival poses no problem.
There is only one hitch. Not only are you the island's only inhabitant, but no one knows you are there. You are presumed to have been lost at sea. There is no reason whatsoever to assume that another ship will ever pass your way before you die, since Europeans have not yet discovered America and such voyages are rare. You will never see another human being for the rest of your life.
What would you do? How would you survive emotionally? What would make your life worthwhile? Is meaning possible without any human connectedness?
Welcome to The Search for Meaning, a seven-step process that involves coming to grips with what it means to be a human being who lives, loves, works, plays, suffers, and dies. Will Willimon, Thomas Naylor, and Magdalena Naylor guide us as we review our life histories; come to terms with meaninglessness in our lives; confront separation from ourselves and others; contemplate the consequences of merely having; seek meaning through being; formulate a personal philosophy; and devise a personal strategy to address the most important quest human beings face - the need for our lives to have enduring meaning.

Thomas H. Naylor, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics at Duke University.