German version of this article
Many of the people who participate in the Wild Moon or similar programs are in one way or another searching for the meaning of their lives, their life’s purpose, or their place in life. They hope to find answers in nature that they have not found anywhere else. But is the Wild Moon really the solution? For that we have to look a little deeper to find out…
Where does this search for meaning come from?
The search for meaning is particularly strong when we are on the path to self-actualization. This can easily give rise to the idea that it is a sign that we have done everything right and have fulfilled all the other needs on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
However, when we spend longer periods of time in nature and experience ourselves more and more as part of the surrounding ecosystem, the search for the meaning of life ceases for many. And this is not – as one might think – because we are then so busy fulfilling all our other basic needs.
Rather, it is because we are more directly connected to our basic needs. We recognize and experience what we really need to feel good. We no longer project what we think we need. The tense clinging to apparent security falls away. What remains is the realization that these essential basic needs are often easier to satisfy than we think.
But what was it like in the past?
In the past, probably not very many people had this feeling of emptiness and meaninglessness in life. They had to deal much more actively and directly with meeting their basic needs. As a result, the meaning of their lives was much more tangible, and most people knew why they were doing what they were doing.
This does not mean that we should go back to a time when life (from our current perspective) was just hard and we had to fight for survival. Instead, it shows that the need to make sense of our lives can be given a more stable foundation, for example by spending time in nature.
The feeling of emptiness
The search and hope for something that fills the emptiness within us, that makes us search for meaning in our lives, has a great impact on our well-being. In this state of emptiness, we are very open to slide into projections and being manipulated that we need something on the outside. These projections prevent us from seeing and living what is actually good for us and what makes us happy and fulfilled.
So it could very easily be that the search for meaning is not a sign that all our other needs are met, but simply a symptom of our sick, security- and comfort-fanatic world.
Based on this hypothesis, the search for meaning falls away as soon as we lead a deeply naturally balanced life. Balanced not in the sense that everything is always great, but in the sense that we have physical, mental and spiritual challenges that are more directly linked to our basic needs.
Self-empowerment gives meaning
For example, it can be deeply fulfilling to have to use your own body to keep warm in winter. Whether that’s physical exercise or chopping wood and making a fire and keeping it alive. Yes, it is exhausting and can be very challenging at times. But it also has a direct reward or direct feedback. We know why we are doing it. It makes sense without us having to ask ourselves why. Then we stop thinking and just do it. In the moment.
Planting, tending or harvesting edible plants can also be physically challenging, but nourishes not only our body but also our mind and soul.
There are many aspects of our lives that have been misappropriated by “luxuries” – such as central heating, supermarkets or electricity – and have robbed us of a small piece of our life’s meaning.
A piece of the puzzle
So, for example, if we live in the wilderness for a while and reconnect more directly with our basic needs, the question of the meaning of life no longer arises for most people, because we already give ourselves the answer with every step and every action we take.
