“What’s It All About?”: Finding Life’s Significance in Today’s Society

“What’s it all about?” was the question of the protagonist in the 2004 British/American film Alfie starring Jude Law, a remake of the original 1966 British film. Alfie was a handsome limousine driver whose job enabled him to enjoy sex with different women, detaching himself from them when they cramped into his life – until he found himself cast out of the lives of the women he once had relations with. His lifestyle was one of hedonism – the philosophy that says one has to enjoy life, eat, live, and be merry, have fun, have sex, for tomorrow you die. Some thought-provoking circumstances in Alfie’s life, though, caused him to ask himself in the end, “What’s it all about?”, resounding the theme song of the film with the oft-repeated question “What’s it all about, Alfie?” He had erectile problems and feared he had cancer. His women distanced themselves from him as they found other loves, and an elderly man he met at the clinic gave him the advice to live each day of his life as if it were the last.

We can ask the question “What is life all about?” What is this alternation of night and day, this coming of year after year, and the recurrence of holidays and seasons all about? What is pain all about, what about war, what about the birth of newborns, what about death that may come as a thief in the night both for the young and the old, — what is the meaning of them all? Finding meaning in this world goes with the question, “Who am I in this world? What is my purpose?”

Society offers a variety of consumer products just as there is a smorgasbord available in the shops in our shopping malls for those who have money to spend in them. There is also, in our contemporary society, a smorgasbord of ideologies or systems of ideas, beliefs, and values. Among these are naturalism, hedonism, individualism, materialism, postmodernism which is akin to pluralism, and theistic ideologies, primarily that of Christianity, in the Philippine society.

According to J. Budziszewski, naturalism is the belief that the material world of nature is all there is, all there ever has been, and all there ever will be – that nothing supernatural is real. If naturalism is true, then there isn’t any God. I am a UP Cebu professor who took my undergraduate and graduate degrees from UP Diliman but I tell my students that they need not become atheists or agnostics when they study in UP. They can keep their religious faith even if UP is a very secular university that espouses humanism, a doctrine or way of life centered on human interests and values. I teach critical Marxist theories in Communication theory class and I believe that Marx contributed a lot of valuable ideas in analyzing class relations, dominant ideology, and the goal of equality in society. Unlike Marx, however, who said that religion is the opium of the people, I tell my students not to feel allergic when they hear the word “spiritual” or “God” in any discussion. I sometimes infuse ideas from spiritual perspectives in my discussion of development issues and concerns in my teaching of Development Communication.

Our consumerist society tends to commodify everything – what is valuable is what can make you look white, what can satisfy your palate, what can make you look above others with your possession of a flawless fair skin, a flashy car, or clothes, bags, and jewelries that can make you look elegant and sexy. Materialism goes with hedonism – just enjoy life – drink, smoke, eat, have sex even before marriage and outside marriage – a kind of reckless individualistic pursuit of pleasure and achievements. Postmodernism also lurks in contemporary society. It is the belief that truth is fragmented, that morality is relative, and that there are no grand narratives or absolute truths – just pieces of truth and evolving identities. While there is some value in postmodernism, its danger lies in the thought that anything goes, which can lead to meaninglessness and rootlessness.

In the prime of my youth, I have determined Christianity as the all-excelling ideology and way of life in a smorgasbord of ideologies and it is one that I recommend especially to this present generation. This did not keep me from joining certain rallies and protests when I felt I needed to. I have kept the same perspective all these years – not that I can truly say I am a good Christian ( I still have to grow a lot in goodness of character) – but I have seen and have determined that Christianity is the ideology that can offer hope in the darkness and uncertainties in this world. What with the sad and unsettling news about the conflict in Sabah; what with the rub-out of 13 men in Atimonan, Quezon; what with all the crime reports we hear almost daily; what with the casualties from floods and landslides due to super-strong typhoons and the news about earthquakes and tsunamis in other countries; what with the news of war and bombings in the Middle East, etc., etc., etc.

Why is Christianity all-excelling? Christianity teaches its followers to love others including their enemies, to help the needy, the hungry, those in prison, the abused, and the oppressed. Its practice can lead the way towards a peaceful society and to having peaceful and amicable relationship with other countries. It offers the hope of eternal life or a life beyond this life – one that is far grander than this one if one chooses the right path. It is Christianity that can give a higher sense of purpose in life – higher than purely humanistic endeavors for the betterment of society. It is the personal relationship with Christ that can make one feel that life has a higher purpose than the satisfaction of one’s physical needs and one’s ego. Yet my journey as a person continues as I strive to live and practice my chosen ideology amidst the struggles and challenges of everyday life. The important thing, however, for anyone, especially for the young generation, is to ask the question, “What’s it all about?” and hopefully, to find the right answers to it.

About the author: Belinda F. Espiritu is a faculty member of the University of the Philippines Cebu. She holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature and a PhD degree in Communication. She would like to hear from the readers about their feedback or comments on her articles through her email address: belinda.espiritu@gmail.com to set a conversation going even after her articles have been published.