Many people are interested in the question: what is the meaning of life.
When answering this question, you need to be guided by several points of view and knowledge of different sciences, since everyone understands this term in their own way. After all, there are also people who do not see their purpose in life. This problem concerns not only ordinary people, but also writers, philosophers, religious thinkers, artists, poets and other great people. And some even devoted their entire lives to this study. But it is still not possible to accurately answer the questions: what is the meaning of life and what does it consist of?
The pressing question about the meaning of human life
What is the meaning of life? Probably, it will not be possible to find an exact answer to the question, since each person sees the world from his own point of view and thinks according to his views and preferences. To answer such a difficult question, first of all, you need to understand your purpose in this life.
The meaning of a person’s life will change throughout his life’s journey, since he will constantly be faced with different goals and tasks. They are mainly related to the level of residence and age of the individual.
For example, when a person becomes an adult, his goal is to earn as much money as possible in order to get on his feet and start a family and feed all its members. But when, by the age of forty, he already has all this, he is pursued by a new “mission” - to get on his feet and provide for his children. By the age of sixty, many people take care of their significant other, maintain their health and live for their own pleasure.
Buddha
The founder of religious and philosophical teachings, Buddha, devoted a lot of time to thinking about the purpose and meaning of life. Indian systems are characterized by belief in karma, samsara and moksha. Bad and good deeds committed by people throughout their lives, which have either positive or negative consequences and affect rebirth, are karma. Samsara is an endless sequence of birth and death. A person’s desires are always inexhaustible; to this dissatisfaction should be added the suffering and pain experienced throughout life’s journey. Moksha is liberation from samsara, the opportunity to break out of its circle. Hence the purpose and meaning of life, namely the awareness of the state of dissatisfaction and the beginning of getting rid of all desires.
Buddha
Is it possible to live without a goal in life?
Some people do not understand the meaning of life and therefore live without it. But such individuals lack internal motivation and are unlikely to achieve anything in their lives. After all, if a person does not set goals for himself, it is difficult for him to strive for an ideal life. If a person does not understand what the meaning of his life is, he becomes weak and it is very difficult for him to achieve and achieve something.
If a person does not understand what his meaning in life is, then it is very easy to manage him and make decisions for him, since often such people do not have their own opinion. As a result, individuality suffers, and he ceases to manifest himself as a person.
According to psychologists, those people who do not see the purpose of their lives often become drunkards, become depressed or commit suicide. To prevent this from happening to you, you need to make goals, plans in your life and understand why you live on earth.
Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes, a French philosopher and sociologist, believed that the main thing in life is the principle of moderation, according to which one should not rush to extremes, make hasty decisions, it is necessary to think everything over rationally and find the right path. According to his philosophy, the old is easy to destroy, but before doing this, you need to think about the consequences. The natural scientist respected the traditions and customs of various peoples, this speaks of his high moral qualities. Descartes' life rule stated the desire to change, first of all, oneself, and not the world around him. After all, man is the highest mind, and only he can control his thoughts and rule over them.
Rene Descartes. Author Franz Hals
The purpose of man from a philosophical point of view
Perhaps philosophy is the first science that studies what the meaning of life is. But even here there are disputes, since each philosopher has his own point of view, which he is ready to defend.
Philosophers constantly strive for some ideals and create their own models of behavior. The most popular postulates about the meaning of human life are the following:
1. In ancient philosophy there were the following thoughts:
- Aristotle saw the meaning of human life in obtaining happy emotions;
- Epicurus considered the meaning of human life to be pleasure;
- Diogenes saw meaning in life only when it came to peace of mind.
2. In the philosophy of the Middle Ages, when thinking about what the meaning of human life is, they answered this way: this is the study of the lives of descendants and following their examples.
3. But philosophers of the twentieth century saw the meaning of human life in something else. And here too there are disagreements:
- irrationalists believed that the meaning of human life lies in the fight against death and suffering;
- existentialists argued that the meaning of a person’s life depends only on himself;
- and positivists do not consider this a problem as such.
Goals in human life from a religious point of view
No matter what era of time a person talks about, people have always tried to understand their purpose and determine what the meaning of human life is. Religion has also devoted a lot to this problem. It is safe to say that people who lived a hundred years ago and those who live today have completely different goals, since the world does not stand still and is constantly changing. Those customs, traditions and foundations that were fashionable many years ago are unlikely to be appreciated today by modern youth.
If we talk about religion, Christianity is most concerned about the question of the meaning of human life. If we consider this topic at a religious level, then we cannot help but talk about such concepts and definitions as God, Jesus, the Fall, and the salvation of the soul. Many people are concerned about this problem and this trend will continue for several years.
“Spiritual elite” of the meaning of life
To understand what the meaning of human life on earth is, you need to consider another point of view, which is called the spiritual elite. The meaning of this elite can be called that people should save everything that surrounds them and attract humanity to everything spiritual and cultural. For example, Nice said that the meaning of human life is that it is necessary to give birth to geniuses, thereby increasing the culture of your country and continuing your family. Jaspers also spoke about this, who believed that people should be an example for each other. The meaning of human life, in his opinion, was also to rid the world of orphanhood by doing a good deed for children. And all children should grow up in full-fledged families.
Hedonism and human destiny
Hedonism also studies what the meaning of human life is. And his answers to this question are not very different from other sciences. The founders of this movement can be called Aristippus and Epicurus, who argued that in life a person should experience only positive emotions, and if something negative happens, it has a bad effect on life as a whole.
They also argued that all living things on earth are drawn to enjoy and take everything from life. In other words, their theory is to create beauty on earth.
But there were many objections according to this trend. As scientists say, hedonists see the meaning of human life only in the pursuit of happiness and nothing else. To some extent this definition is correct. But on the other hand, as practice shows, a person who commits an action does not always think whether it is good or bad. After all, most often, a person first does something, and only then thinks about what he did, and it doesn’t matter whether he committed a bad or good deed. Sometimes people even deliberately do things that are associated with torment, suffering and even mortality - in order to punish each other.
It is worth understanding that each person is individual, and what seems positive to one may bring a lot of grief and disappointment to another.
Kant considered the definition of hedonism conditional. And when asked what the meaning of human life is, he answered differently. Kant believed that the destiny of man lies in the desire to develop good will. This is the only way to achieve perfection.
Social function of the individual
People depend on each other to satisfy their individual needs. Against this background, communication and interaction between people is established.
A social function is an assignment to a specific person from society. It depends on the characteristics of the distribution of labor: the teacher is responsible for teaching, the physician is responsible for treatment, the entrepreneur is responsible for organizing production.
Sociologists judge the functions of a particular individual not by what he does or intends to do, but by what consequences for society flow from these actions.
If an individual refuses to perform his functions or the results of his activities have a negative meaning, we are talking about dysfunction.
By fulfilling his functions, a person becomes necessary for others. Against the background of the social division of labor, social statuses and roles are formed. “Cells” appear, each of which is responsible for performing an important social function.
On the meaning of human life according to Unitarianism
The question of what the meaning of life is was also studied by the theory of Unitarianism. The main representatives of this theory can be called the philosophers Mill and Bentham. Bentham saw the meaning of human life in beauty and in receiving pleasure from it. But he understood that a person can become happy and have pleasure only if he avoids all torment and suffering, and this is very difficult to achieve. In his opinion, it was possible, using a mathematical formula, to calculate how happy a person is or, conversely, dissatisfied. As Mill argued, the meaning of human life lies in happiness. But as he said, for a person to be happy, not only he, but also all the people who surround him must experience positive emotions.
How to calm down
According to the creator of the doctrine of stress, G. Selye, stress is the aroma and taste of life. It should not be avoided because complete freedom from stress means death.
In order to calm down, you need to learn how to properly organize your rest. Changing activities helps a lot. If a person is engaged in intellectual work, then on the weekend he should go in for sports or go out into nature.
You can also resort to auto-training: “I am completely relaxed, a pleasant warmth spreads throughout my body. My pulse slows down and becomes even. I relax, my pulse is slow.”
You should also get a massage. It helps improve blood circulation and increase muscle tone.
Meditation also helps you calm down
L. N. Tolstoy's reasoning about the purpose of man
L.N. Tolstoy in his works often touched upon the question: what is the meaning of human life. And the writer’s head was completely filled with his decision. After much thought, Tolstoy realized that the purpose of human life lies in the self-improvement of the individual. As the writer argued, in order to live correctly and honestly, you need to constantly fight both with yourself and with the world around you.
For your information, L.N. Tolstoy is not only an amazing and talented writer, he is also an outstanding philosopher. He owns many quotes and popular expressions. He believed that before you understand what the meaning of life is, you need to understand what life is. It was this definition that he interpreted in his works. But he devoted most of the pages to studying this issue in his epic novel War and Peace. It is after reading it that many people begin to think and understand what life really is.
What literature says about the purpose of humanity
The role of literature in a person’s life is difficult not to appreciate, because books have been able to educate more than one generation, many people learn from them, look for their ideals in them and find their favorite heroes. But unfortunately, lately people very rarely think about books. But thanks to them, you can live real emotions and feel the fate of the heroes.
Many works contain reflections on the purpose of humanity. As statistics show, writers most of all agree that the goal of human destiny lies in the eternal. As Ecclesiastatus states, the meaning of human life lies in something meaningless and a constant rush to get somewhere. He says that love, understanding and happiness have nothing to do with this reasoning.
People are looking for the answer to this question in both domestic and foreign literature. Very often, writers in their works show what a person’s goal really is, and not just assumptions. At the same time, the works end on a bitter note, but no matter how sad it is, it is there that we can observe how people really live. After all, often when a person searches for the purpose of his life, it ends tragically for him. Sometimes, trying to achieve the truth, a person has to face cruel injustice and thereby suffer.
Jean-Paul Sartre
The representative of atheistic existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre, viewed human existence as a meaningful, free activity. However, in the sphere of labor economic participation, a person does not belong to himself, he does not lead an authentic existence. Life itself, according to Sartre, is a consistent chain of self-denials in which freedom is realized, and it is precisely this that is the only basis for the value and non-value of human actions. Freedom places unconditional responsibility on society, as a result of which it is expressed in a critical attitude towards the world and people.
Jean-Paul Sartre. By Moshe Milner.
