LACK OF MEANING
This page is dedicated to highlight the effects of the lack of meaning and what happens when you lose your meaning due to traumatic events.
Effects of Lack of Meaning
Lack of meaning and purpose is widely associated with the following:
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Depression
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Anxiety
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Addiction
Depression is commonly associated with feeling purposeless, apathetic and isolated. A perceived lack of meaning can contribute to low motivation, intense feelings of sadness, social isolation, and a lack of interest in activities you previously enjoyed. These are shared among symptoms of depression.
Research has shown that a lack of meaning or purpose can contribute to alcohol abuse and drug addiction.
Panic and anxiety disorder can sometimes be associated with a lack of meaning and purpose.
A feeling of emptiness can cause chronic anxiety and sometimes even panic disorder.
Disclaimer: It is usually not the only reason for symptoms of anxiety but can play a major role in provoking anxiety and panic.
Story of meaning being lost
The Yupik people had their culture and meaning already figured out in the form of” Yuuyaraq” which means “The way of being human”. They lived for not only the temporal world but the connection to the spirit world that allowed them to stay in touch with everything in the universe. They gave respect to all things in this world, animate or inanimate. This taught them and gave them guidelines on how to treat one another, what their roles in nature were and how to act towards everything that came their way. Gathering under common beliefs provided them with a sense of unity and the strength to continue to thrive regardless of any perils. During the 1900 Influenza epidemic known as the Great Death, caused by the Europeans bringing foreign viruses to the villages of Alaska, approximately 60% of the Native people were wiped out. Entire families and villages were destroyed by this disease. The Europeans also demonized the culture of the Yupik. They forced the Yupik into Christianity and used their best efforts to eliminate all remnants of the Yupik culture. The Yupik underwent a traumatic event that not only shattered the world they lived in physically and psychologically, but spiritually as well. The survivors of the epidemic actively refused to recall the event and discouraged anyone from asking about the details of both their old culture and the event itself. Eventually, the remnants of the Yupik culture died out. They felt forsaken by what they believed in, and it caused a widespread effect of trauma that carried on through generations of the Yupik people.