As I’ve observed before in my postings at Faith in the Journey, when writing about religious or spiritual matters from a more diverse and inclusive perspective it’s important to avoid conventional theological language. This is essential because particular beliefs about the nature of divinity — let alone about the existence or non-existence of God — are really secondary to the exploration of life’s most existential and profound questions. Even so, while contemplating such questions has always been essential to our ultimate wellbeing, many of us struggle to find ways of meaningfully reflecting on life’s most important concerns in the absence of “God language.”
That said, some of the modern world’s great religious and spiritual teachers have suggested effective approaches to inquiring about the sacred dimension of life in non-theological terms. In one of my past posts, for example, I wrote about Rudolf Otto’s concept of the “Numinous” – the combined experience of wonder and awe – as a map of the sacred. In another I commented on Maurice Freedman’s “Touchstones of Reality,” a method for identifying and exploring the many experiences, ideas, and beliefs that have shaped our understanding of ourselves and our lives.
Yet another of these innovative spiritual teachers is Paul Tillich, one of the most renowned theologians and philosophers of the twentieth century. As someone deeply concerned with defining and describing the nature of the sacred in contemporary terms, Tillich focuses on asking questions about the existential significance of the sacred as it manifests in the living of our lives.
For Tillich, the meaningfulness of the sacred centers on a personal realization of what he calls the “ultimate concern” of each individual’s life. Significantly, Tillich emphasizes, the experience of the sacred as ultimate concern does not require an engagement with any form of traditional religion. Instead, he says, the manifestation of the sacred as ultimate concern implies the simple yet profound personal realization that there is “something in life for which you would give your life,” something that, as a result, “you take with ultimate seriousness.” For Tillich, this sense of being ultimately concerned engages us in the largest possible sense with fundamental and crucial questions about meaning, purpose, and value.
Indeed, for Tillich, even the nature of divinity is defined in terms of ultimate concern. Commenting on the relationship between ultimate concern and the divine, he writes: “God is the name for that which concerns man ultimately.” He is also careful to add that this understanding of divinity does not presuppose the existence of a being called God who is the focus of our ultimate concern. Rather, he says, it means that whatever concerns a person ultimately, in effect, becomes god for them.
Probably the most important single factor determining our personality and our journey through life, ultimate concern is referred to by Tillich as our “personal god” because of its enormous power. For example, if money is my ultimate concern, the dominant focus of my life will be on making money above all else. I will choose the work, partner, friends, and activities which will result in acquiring the maximum amount of money. If the making of money is my ultimate concern, when the value of generating income conflicts with another value, the value of increasing my net financial worth will always win the conflict. This “money god” will control my life choices as well as determining much of my personality as well as my relationship to the world around me.
Of course, while some people’s ultimate concern is money, for others it may be sexual gratification, the pursuit of pleasure, or rock music. For some it might be the call of nature, the creation of art, scientific discovery, or working for social change. For yet others, it is connection to family, a sense of patriotism, or dedication to their career. Indeed, sometimes ultimate concern is more traditionally religious in nature, focusing on an understanding of the divine as revealed in the Bible, Qur’an, or other sacred text. In addition, while it is possible to have a variety of life interests, according to Tillich our ultimate concern will inevitably subsume them all and turn them toward its service.
In my own case, looking back on more than 70 years of life, I can discern a common overarching concern, one which has not only provided meaning in my life, but also guided its unfolding in ways both simple and profound. That concern at its loftiest might be described as “psychological and spiritual evolution,” the process C.G. Jung called “individuation.”
According to Jung, it is through the process of individuation that we grow into the utterly unique and remarkable beings we are each meant to become. Doing so requires that we listen and respond to the promptings of our own highest and deepest consciousness. As Jung observed, a central goal of these promptings is to stimulate and encourage the integration and synthesis of the many parts and dimensions of ourselves into a greater wholeness.
Moreover, while experiences of psychological and spiritual evolution can occur throughout life, Jung understood individuation to be a process that unfolds primarily in the second half of our lives. Having individuation as my ultimate concern – something I was not aware of until I became middle-aged – has shaped virtually all of the major decision and developments of the past thirty years of my life. My work, my pastimes, my choice of a place to live, and the focus of my relationships are all simultaneously a reflection of this concern as well the result of my embracing it.
Understanding what concerns us ultimately is essential insight if we seek a greater sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. It also offers us a way of deeply engaging the sacred dimension of life without recourse to religious dogma or theological belief. That said, what concerns you ultimately? Since our ultimate concern is inherently grounded in the actual living of our lives, what determines how you spend your time, money, and other resources? What gives you the greatest sense of intrinsic meaning and fills your life with significance and value? Or asked in perhaps the simplest of terms, what is sacred to you? Tillich’s teachings on ultimate concern provide both a highly adaptable and enormously practical focus and context for asking these perennially important questions, questions essential to both our ultimate wellbeing and happiness.
