Make your faith a game, and game funny

Why do we always ask "why"? Does the answer of "why" really exist or just an illusion by our minds? What does "why" mean? If we at the very beginning define "why" as something that can never be proved by any evidence provided by our sensory receptors (people often do so), then we can never find the answer from this material world, or any scientific theories. Actually, I think maybe Wittgenstein is right. How could you make a word meaningful if it refers to nothing? Just like the word "apple" is meaningful because it refers to an apple. The answer is, words are not given meaning in this way. It is the use of words that gives them meaning. The use of "apple" could be that you refer to something in front of you when speaking out this word, then you simplify this usage into one expression that "this is an apple". But how about "reason" or "cause"? They are not always used as a reference to objects, you cannot hand in me a "reason" in a way handing in me an apple.

So, that is what I am interested in: what reply do we really want to get by asking someone "why"? The occurrence of expected reply to the why-question indicates that the two parties in the conversation share a common understanding of the usage of the words, or the concepts, say, such as "why", "reason" or "cause and effect".

Then, the following is my divergent speculation which is not from a logical reasoning, "reason" or "cause" is only innate in our language, representing not the true essence of the world outside but our existential needs. Continuously asking 'why' only reveals our greed for reasonable explanations of the incomprehensible things, and those answers, through allowing us to understand things in a very human way, in a sense bring the feeling of strong and poweful and fearless. We need these feelings to live our lives. That is not about objective truth, that is about inter-subjective truth, that is faith.

Let's say, what is the biggest fun of science? Science is a faith, but it is not like any religion as it changes so frequently. And it is attractive that the conversion of scientific belief, not like the conversion of religious belief, doesn't make you morally overloaded; you don't feel guilty about shifting from believing in Newton to believing in Einstein. A good religion allows its followers to continually provide new interpretations of the scriptures, and science, like a good religion, enables people to accept new theories it constsntly offers without too much burden. New things stimulate you; life needs this kind of new stimulation. That may be called the existential needs of life.

And, as I say, any faith, including religion and science, is derived from our language, thus I see it only a social activity of human beings. As Wittgenstein says, language game. We need to play games with those who share the same game rules as us. When no one agrees with our rules or beliefs, we can develop mental health issues. To believe is to play games, our deepest need is that we play games with someone or we die. So I don't assign too much meaning to my faith once I see it only a game which is fun to play, nor do I consecrate or hallow it; it is not sublime at all.

Go find out those games: liberalism, Marxism, Christianalty, consumerism, technicism, narcissism, WHATEVERISM. Play them, but don't worship them. Make your life funny, but not holy.

09.10.24