ABSTRACT
Based on the arguments and propositions developed throughout this book, I can now address the questions raised in the introduction:
All of us seek to understand the meaning of life, and especially the meaning of our own lives. We struggle with the mysteries of birth and death, of love and loss. These are fundamental to our nature as human beings. But what drives us? What impels us on our daily round of tasks and relationships? What propels us forward in pursuit of what unclear purpose, what ill- defined and hazy consummation?
My conclusion is that the purpose of life is to strive for the discovery and expression of the life-affirming components of the true self. The discovery or perhaps recovery of the true self occurs in the authentic and timeless encounter between two people. It is the rediscovery of elements of the primary attachments in the joining together of two human beings. I propose to call relationships that fulfil this promise, as described in Chapter Eleven, “resonant relationships.”