SIGNS

Bruce Lee: "Be insubstantial...Water is insubstantial. You cannot grasp hold of it. You cannot punch it and hurt it."

When approaching a sign on the street, the first thought in one’s mind, after noticing its material shape and form, is to determine its meaning (i.e. the words that define its purpose). In a sense, "signs" and "meaning" are intertwined. For some signs, misinterpretation is so costly that its meaning is literally written on it, as is in the case of the STOP sign. This raises the question: why do we have signs? We look for signs when we want direction, or we want to give direction. Signs hold important information for the sake of order. Said another way, it’s as if we are moved to make signs when we feel something is significant enough. This is reinforced with the Latin roots of the word significance, which are signum (sign) and facare (to make). Signs in a baseball game are lower stakes versions of street signs, relaying different actions to players at various positions. No life-threatening situations will arise due to the misreading of a baseball sign, yet each sign has its clear meaning, and is expected to be followed to the letter of the law. But what happens when something’s significance is so great that it reaches the level of the indescribable? Wouldn’t that situation be closer to something best described as insignificant (i.e. unable to make into a sign)? We have a hard time labeling something so impactful as insignificant. But isn’t it far worse to lower the unconditional into a condition of significance? What if we could overcome this mental hurdle and become comfortable in the realm of the insignificant? Wouldn’t we find the meaning of life is closer to an emptiness than a substance, given insignificance lacks substance. Doesn’t infiniteness lack edges? And isn't that without edges insubstantial? So, what happens when we try to force meaning onto life? We find it insubstantial, like water, or music, or dancing. It is, in essence, a meaningless meaning. Not in the nihilistic sense of the word, but in the mystical sense, whereby we know that material conditions exist but spiritual unconditionality is essential.
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