Life, the Universe, and Everything
42?
The title for this post is based on Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In this satirical work of science fiction, Douglas Adams describes how many millions of years ago a race of hyperintelligent pandimensional beings got fed up with the constant bickering about the meaning of life so they built themselves a stupendous super computer that was the size of a small city and amazingly intelligent. The computer’s name was Deep Thought and its creators asked it for the answer to the Ultimate Question, of Life, the Universe, and Everything. Deep thought replied it could give them the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but it would take some time, seven and a half million years! Seventy-five thousand generations later the beings gathered to hear deep thought speak, they would finally know the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. The answer to the great Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42. (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy chapters 25-28)
If you are familiar with The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy you may have thought my post would be on the number 42. There are many opinions online about 42 being the answer to the ultimate question about Life, the Universe, and Everything but I am not going to chase the meaning of 42. I would rather consider the author. Douglas Adams described himself as a radical atheist, and this shows in his writing.
“If you describe yourself as 'Atheist,' some people will say, 'Don't you mean "Agnostic?' I have to reply that I really do mean Atheist. I really do not believe that there is a god — in fact I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one. It's easier to say that I am a radical Atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it's an opinion I hold seriously."
—Adams interview, American Atheist (Winter 1998-99)
The universe in Hitchhikers’s Guide to the Galaxy is characterized by randomness and absurdity. The entire series of fiction novels mocks modern society with biting humor, cynicism, and quite a bit of pessimism. (Britannica.com) I remember reading Douglas Adam’s work and finding it both funny and somewhat depressive. But it is consistent with his worldview. If everything is random and absurd then there is no inherent meaning in life, your life means whatever you want it to mean. That may sound liberating at first, but it seems to me that the ultimate conclusion is rather depressive.
In the Dust of This Planet
In the Dust of This Planet is an academic treatise about the horror humanity feels as we realize that we are nothing but a speck in the universe. (Radiolab.org) Interestingly this academic book looking at philosophy and horror had quite an impact on pop culture. Whether or not you’re familiar with nihilism you have been exposed to it.
Here is an excerpt from an interview with Eugene Thacker, the author of In the Dus of This Planet
BROOKE GLADSTONE: Your hypothesis is the greatest horror is that nothing exists and nothing matters. And the world that we live in that we define in terms of humanity doesn’t care about us.
EUGENE THACKER: Right. What in philosophy is often referred to as nihilism or pessimism. That there might not be a purpose to things or to your life or to our existence or to the cosmos. There might not be an order to things. We might not be here for a reason. This all might be purely arbitrary, an accident.
JAD: That there's no inherent meaning to anything.
EUGENE THACKER: That it just doesn't matter.
JAD: This is what Nietzsche called-
EUGENE THACKER: The most difficult thought.
(Radiolab.org)
Nihilism
According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy.
When you remove God from the picture, I can see how nihilism would be the logical approach to life, the universe, and everything. Everything is made up, it is all social constructs, made by people wanting to control other people. Who can tell you that you are wrong? What you feel is your reality and that is as real as it gets. Why should anyone else impose their reality on you? All you have is this life and you should be allowed to live it any way you please. Another way of looking at it is that other lives are only as important as you decide they are. If there is a life that inconveniences you, why not end it? If the fittest get to survive, should not the weak die? What makes it wrong? Who gets to decide? When there is no God, who gets to decide what is right and wrong? What makes one conclusion superior to another? What happens when we can’t agree on how we should live our lives?
I am not sure how many of you have played with these thoughts, it gets really dark real quick.
So how do I navigate life?
I am glad you asked.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
- John 3:16 NKJV
Maybe some of you roll your eyes at my answer. How cliché of me to quote John 3:16. It does seem simplistic to quote a well-known Bible verse, but maybe there is a reason this verse is so well-known, perhaps it encapsulates the biblical worldview succinctly. My approach to Life, the Universe, and Everything is to think about it in relationship to Jesus’ death on the cross. I do this because as Jesus hung on the cross it revealed the heart of God like nothing else in the history of the universe.
not just a god
It is not enough for God to exist as an intelligent designer or a cosmic force. A distant and uncaring God is not much better than no God at all. I don’t seek God simply to answer the questions that physics and biology are unable to answer. I don’t seek God to simply fill in the gaps that science inevitably leaves. The God of the Bible is a personal God who cares about us. God does not only care about us enough to create us, but cares enough to guide us, to provide for us, and to rescue us. God is not only all-powerful and all-knowing, God loves me personally and He loves you also. God loves us enough to send His unique Son to die so that we might be redeemed to live forever with Him.
When I consider Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for me and you I am filled with not only hope but the assurance that everything will work out in the end.
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
- Romans 8:32 NKJV
I love how Paul puts it. Since God was willing to deliver His Son for us, would He withhold any good thing from us?
Peace and Hope
This understanding gives me peace when God answers my prayers with a “no” or a “not yet.” This also helps me get up in the morning and face the day, because I know I am not alone. When I look at the cross and I see how far God is willing to go to save me, I face my day with confidence that God is with me and will provide for all of my needs.
In light of the cross, consider the words of Jesus spoken in the Sermon on the Mount.
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
- Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV
Since Jesus was willing to die on the cross to freely offer me salvation, I do not have to worry about the uncertainties of life. This also helps me live a generous life that is oriented towards blessing others, rather than an anxious life focused on selfish desires and gain at the expense of those around me. My awareness of God’s love for me brings me not only peace and hope but also gives me a purpose in life.
Purpose
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
- Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV
The God of the Bible offers us salvation as a gift. We do not have to do good works in order to earn our salvation. However, God has created us for good works. We do good works because in doing so we fulfill our calling and find joy and satisfaction. We do not have to be kind and generous and stand up for the truth in order to one day receive some reward, rather we do all those things because we are going to receive a great reward, but our reward is thanks to God’s grace and His great love for us, and not because of anything we have done to earn it.
We are selfish and foolish, we chase pleasure and happiness but never find it. God tells us how we should live our lives in order to maximize our existence in this sinful world.
6 “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
- Isaiah 58:6-11 NKJV
You have a choice
You can reject the Bible and the picture of God it conveys as nothing more than made-up stories or mythology. You don’t have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You can go through life chasing pleasure. Try being your own God, master of your destiny. See how that works out. Perhaps that’s where some of you are. Maybe you have broken every rule and guideline that God has given humanity, and you have realized that it never satisfied you and it only caused pain and suffering.
Another option is for you to give the God of the Bible a try. The God who loves you so much He sent His one and only Son to die for you. The God that offers you eternal life, but not only that, God also promises to take care of you and provide for you all the days of your life. The God of the Bible not only created us but also redeemed us. He is not a distant God. He is interested in your life, He wants to bring you comfort, healing, and strength. God wants to give you a hope and a purpose.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
- Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV
The cross of Calvary teaches us a clear lesson. God loves us, He loves you. The resurrection teaches us that Jesus has conquered the grave and we do not have to fear death. As you consider these truths about God and His plan to save you, how will you respond?
A knock at the door
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
- Revelation 3:20NKJV
Jesus knocks at the door. He chose to come and die for you, you did not have to force Him. He wants to have a relationship with you, He wants to save you, give you eternal life, and forgive all your sins. But Jesus remains at the door knocking. He will never knock it down. You have to open it.
Why not give God a try?
Why not open the door, invite Jesus in, and enjoy dinner with Him? Why resist someOne who loves you so much and wants what’s best for you?
I believe that everything that you are searching for, whether you know it or not is found in the God of the Bible. There are things you don’t even realize you need in your life that you will discover as you walk with God.
One possible answer to Life, the Universe, and everything is 42. Another possible answer is a life characterized by fairness, compassion, and a close relationship with God.
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 NKJV
