Ask the Author: James Michael Castleton
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James Michael Castleton
In a world that so often seems unkind, I have long contemplated how people make sense of their lives and find the wherewithal to do what needs to be done, yet with the honesty and sincerity of purpose that a meaningful life requires.
Meaning is not an optional part of existence, in the way that pleasure or power (authority, celebrity, wealth) are. If pleasure is taken away, life simply becomes less pleasant. If power is taken away, life merely becomes more challenging. Take away meaning, however, and what is taken away is nothing less than a reason for being and an important determinant of well-being.
It is my impression, from nearly thirty years of practice, that feelings of meaninglessness are the principal cause of most psychological and physical disease. Those whose lives are without meaning have difficulty coping with the realization of what is lacking in their lives. They tend, therefore, to engage in distracting pursuits, fill their time with trivial detail, or subdue their distress through various forms of self-indulgence or addiction. Moreover, because they find it difficult to live in and enjoy the present, they are drawn emotionally either to the past, becoming mired in regret, or to the future, where they are consumed with anxiety.
There came a point several years ago when life dealt me such hardship that I had to answer the question of meaning in earnest for myself. The literature is replete with discussions about how to live a meaningful life. It is virtually devoid of an explanation of what it is about meaning that makes it meaningful--or purpose, purposeful and hope, hopeful--what these emotions communicate to the spirit. Consequently, the discussions regarding "how" lack important specificity.
For me, the investigation of these issues lead to faith. Victor Frankl was once asked how he reconciled his practice with his faith. He replied that the purpose of psychiatry was to heal the soul, while that of religion was to save it. I came to the conclusion that the soul cannot be healed until it is first reformed and that the question of meaning will eventually, and necessarily, beg questions that invoke a consideration of faith.
I have been a behavioral anthropologist, cognitive psychologist and physician. Mending of a Broken Heart looks at the question of meaning from multiple perspectives including medicine, anthropology, humanism, Greek philosophy, eastern philosophy and faith. It shows where each can contribute, where some fall short, and where faith makes unique contributions.
Meaning is not an optional part of existence, in the way that pleasure or power (authority, celebrity, wealth) are. If pleasure is taken away, life simply becomes less pleasant. If power is taken away, life merely becomes more challenging. Take away meaning, however, and what is taken away is nothing less than a reason for being and an important determinant of well-being.
It is my impression, from nearly thirty years of practice, that feelings of meaninglessness are the principal cause of most psychological and physical disease. Those whose lives are without meaning have difficulty coping with the realization of what is lacking in their lives. They tend, therefore, to engage in distracting pursuits, fill their time with trivial detail, or subdue their distress through various forms of self-indulgence or addiction. Moreover, because they find it difficult to live in and enjoy the present, they are drawn emotionally either to the past, becoming mired in regret, or to the future, where they are consumed with anxiety.
There came a point several years ago when life dealt me such hardship that I had to answer the question of meaning in earnest for myself. The literature is replete with discussions about how to live a meaningful life. It is virtually devoid of an explanation of what it is about meaning that makes it meaningful--or purpose, purposeful and hope, hopeful--what these emotions communicate to the spirit. Consequently, the discussions regarding "how" lack important specificity.
For me, the investigation of these issues lead to faith. Victor Frankl was once asked how he reconciled his practice with his faith. He replied that the purpose of psychiatry was to heal the soul, while that of religion was to save it. I came to the conclusion that the soul cannot be healed until it is first reformed and that the question of meaning will eventually, and necessarily, beg questions that invoke a consideration of faith.
I have been a behavioral anthropologist, cognitive psychologist and physician. Mending of a Broken Heart looks at the question of meaning from multiple perspectives including medicine, anthropology, humanism, Greek philosophy, eastern philosophy and faith. It shows where each can contribute, where some fall short, and where faith makes unique contributions.
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