The function of the ocean is apparent only at the
level of the ocean and cannot be discerned from examining its constituent
parts. Take a cubic meter of sea water and you will not see a microcosm of the
ocean in a dynamic sense, only some salty water.
Human
purpose can be determined only from the perspective of humanity as a whole.
Individual consciousness cannot intellectually or even intuitively access that
purpose, necessarily carved out, as it is, from the whole in order to enable
limited personal consciousness.
It is this
that makes the personal search for concretely defined meaning futile.
Consciousness operates at a different level than purpose, and the latter cannot
be accessed by the former.
The only
solution is surrender to the greater purpose, personalised elements of
which—God’s will for us—can indeed be accessed. The overall function cannot be
discerned from this allocated purpose, however, just as the purpose of a human
life cannot be discerned from examination of the function of a pancreatic or
blood cell.