I understand your concerns -- I'd still like to believe in Something More, especially if it means my beloved wife & I could be together always to the end of time. I know that's a leftover from naive childhood belief -- in many ways, I'm still a cultural Catholic, if no longer a believing one, and I still appreciate a lot of religion for its aesthetic qualities. And I can certainly see using it as a useful inner framework or guiding metaphor -- but I don't confuse that with any external reality. I don't think there is any greater purpose or meaning, other than the ones we create for ourselves -- birds make nests, humans make cultures, as they say.

You're hitting midlife, LW. That's when these questions really come into focus: What's it all about? Have I wasted my life? Is there anything more? And so on. That's all to the good! As previous posters have already suggested (thanks, neonnoodle), immerse yourself in art & literature. Take time not just to think, but to mull, to contemplate, to slow down & start figuring out what it all means TO YOU. That's what you're really looking for, I think.

You may never arrive at a final answer, either. I'll be 54 in a few months, and I'm still wrestling with those questions. But maybe it's the journey that matters in the end, not the goal. Perhaps the meaning is in the seeking, not in the finding. For me, much of it is love, art, beauty, the unfathomable wonder of the Universe -- that's my meaning. And my purpose is to add just a little bit more of all that to the world. There are worse things to do with a life, after all.

Good luck to you in your search, LW!

Why is it that those who don't appreciate art with any complexity & richness think that it's such a chore, or that it lacks pleasure? There is much more to life than "fun" -- which by the description given, seems to me like simple, immediate & superficial gratification. It's sensation, not depth of feeling. And while sheer sensation certainly has its place, it's far from the end-all & be-all of life.

I liked junk food when I was a kid. When I got older, I appreciated real food. I don't want to go back to a diet of junk, not in food or in art. Bergman & those like him have provided us with a banquet. I'd much rather dine at that table than cram down empty calories that'll just shorten my lifespan.

And as for "talking about life" -- yes, we talk about it as we live it, so that we'll gain greater understanding of both life & ourselves.

You know, there's nothing wrong with adolescence -- in an adolescent. It's charming & brash & full of energy. But there's something sad & pathetic about grown human beings who refuse to grow beyond that, who choose to ignore their own potential, who prefer to stagnate rather than strive for more. There's a vast difference between retaining childlike qualities, and simply remaining childish.

Finally, there's a great deal of pleasure in sublime art, a great deal of beauty & meaning, a joy that's far better than "fun," as far as I'm concerned. Bergman is one of those who offered more, and I'm grateful to him for his gift.

There are plenty of people who have had every financial & educational advantage available, but who remain the most crass & superficial human beings in the world. (GWB, I'm looking at you ...)

At the same time, I've seen people who had none of those advantages respond deeply to what many would regard & dismiss as elitist, "art snob" work.

Art IS for everyone, despite those who try to hoard it within their cramped little circle -- people to whom possession means far more than appreciation. And despite those who all too willingly consign it to that cramped little circle, rather than claim it for themselves as well.

Not all art speaks to every human being. But each & every piece of art speaks to someone, somewhere. And when it does, it enriches life, and expands possibilities. All you have to do is give it a chance ...

This particular boomer is just as frustrated & disgusted by CP's article as the rest of you. Sure, I especially cherish the films, music, books, etc., of my youth -- that's common to every generation. But if I stopped there, and refused to look beyond, I'd be cheating myself out of a wealth of superb work being done now. And I'd probably want to shoot myself, too!

The mass media & marketing promotes a lot more crap today, with far more resources & fervor, than in my youth, but that doesn't mean there's a lack of thoughtful, complex, quality art out there -- we just have to look for it. While the cultural joys of my youth are my roots, I'm just as interested in all the new branches blossoming today.

Remember the 1980s? Survivalists? "Red Dawn?" With enough shovels, we'll all survive? They'll be driving up from South America & into Texas?

It's not just that these people actually believe in this horrific Islamic tidal wave, it's that some twisted part of them welcomes it, needs it, is salivating at the thought of an Armageddon-like confrontation between Good & Evil. No more laws, no more effete obstructions like the Constitution, no more weak-kneed nonsense like human rights -- there's only The Enemy, and the only thing to do with them is Kill Kill Kill! And, um, anyone who even remotely expresses a differing opinion ...

Talk about projection! Everything the ultra-right condemns, loathes, fears, wants to destroy, is to be found within their own terrified little souls, projected onto the enemy du jour.

No, this isn't to deny that some factions of radical Islam would be only too happy to impose religious law on the whole of the world ... you know, just like some of their spiritual brethren right here in America.

The real enemy is self-righteous ignorance of any stripe, folks.