Greetings, inquisitive mind! Before raking monumental questions a la: “What is the meaning of human life?”, “How to find the meaning of life?” or “Is there a meaning to life at all?”, let's understand what unites us all.
What is the meaning of human life
Someone or something did a great job of inventing us so dissimilar to each other, but in one thing this something was clearly driven slightly, namely in the human the need to strive for something. Yes, each person is unique, but there is not a single life in which there would be no dreams, desires, and goals, because we are all moving somewhere in our existence, it is important for us to achieve something, none of us wants to live in vain .
About the need for self-realization
Why is this happening? When creating a new life, the Universe gives a person a set of resources, usually a set of legs and arms, a brain, a bunch of personal qualities, some kind of crappy character, a number of basic skills, and, well, life itself.
Taking all this from the shelf and solemnly handing it to you, the Universe voices just one short wish: “ It's yours, please use it somehow».
So we smoothly approached the main human need, which is based on everything. This is about the need to realize oneself, to reveal one's potential. The desire that unites us to achieve something and to come somewhere - this is the thirst to satisfy the need for self-realization.
Perhaps here you will cheerfully clap your hands with a joyful exclamation: “Hurrah, now I know what the meaning of human life is!” - do not rush to conclusions. The need to realize oneself is as much a need as the need for sleep or food, self-realization is simply part of our existence.
Is there a meaning to life
The most global joke is that there is no meaning to life. There is not even a concept such as "purpose". When creating life, the Universe does not ask itself what this life should result in. This is logical, because by assigning to each person from the start any specific meaning of existence, the Universe deprives us of two things that it itself gives us - the right to choose and freedom.
This concept, to put it mildly, looks miserable, and the Universe can only act brilliantly, therefore, all of it the idea is to give a person a testing ground for experiments.
You can imagine life as an area of land allocated to you, and the rest of the resources, generously bestowed from the universal shoulder, as tools with which you can use this platform in the way that seems most fun to you.
If you want - set up a garden, if you want - build an amusement park, a house, a swimming pool or anything that will be able to visit your bright head. This is the greatness of our existence - we are not limited to how to manage ourselves and our lives. We are limited only by the fact that we must somehow dispose of all this (but this is not a limitation, but, on the contrary, a concept leading to infinity).
The good thing is not that life is long, but how to dispose of it: it can happen, and it often happens, that a person who lives long does not live long.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Why was the very meaning invented
An idea with the meaning of life is entirely a human invention, and this invention is brilliant, if you understand its essence.
Let's start with a little bit of terminology, we already know that the only desire of this world for us is that we realize ourselves. This desire is so deep in us that we have built a strategy that allows us to unlock our potential.
The essence of the strategy is to streamline your entire life, reducing everything in it to one more or less specific idea in the direction of which you need to move. In this way, the meaning of life is an idea that allows you to realize yourself.
A meaningless life is terrible
A meaningless life never ends well. It is much easier to live aimlessly - it does not oblige you to anything, but it does not lead to anything either.. Without an answer to the question “What is the meaning of my life?”, a person cannot direct and use his energy.
The presence of meaning is not weak focus, which allows some of us to do truly monumental things. That is why in the article about that, one final idea was mentioned, against which all actions should rest.
When a person does not know which pier he is on his way to, not a single wind will be favorable for him.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Desire to be significant
Every person wants to mean something, it’s hard to feel like a nobody that no one on this planet needs. Meaning gives weight to our lives, significance, because by realizing any idea with the help of yourself, you suddenly begin to matter in your own eyes and in the eyes of the world as a whole.
interest in life
Another important argument in favor of the genius of the invention called "The Meaning of Life" is that having this idea in mind keeps our zest for life. Life interests us exactly as long as we need something in it, and when there are no more ideas in the mind, our growth stops and death occurs.
There is no answer to the question of meaning
All this, of course, is very cool, but one critical question remains about what exactly needs to be created on that very land site, or in other words: “What is the meaning of my life?”.
There is no answer to this question anywhere., it does not exist, not only on the Internet, it does not exist in nature, because nature did not conceive any specific meaning for us, as we have already found out. Nature has given us the opportunity to choose any meaning on our own.
Although we cannot give you a specific answer, we can provide information that will help you in your search and help you understand how to find meaning in life.
How does the self-realization process work?
If any meaning of life is a way to realize oneself, then we need to understand how the process of human realization itself takes place. It is based on five basic principles from which we all live.
Some people are well aware of these principles, which allows them to realize themselves in the most effective way, others are not aware and still follow the same principles subconsciously, although this approach is much less effective.
Excellent, the intrigue is created, it's time to show the cards.
Development
As soon as the male cell successfully meets the female cell, announcing the beginning of a new life, from that moment the constant development of a person begins in all aspects of life. Especially in the first 15 years, this process is striking, a person visually undergoes serious changes, and intellectually develops at a gigantic pace. forcing us to evolve with it.
Any human achievement is the result of a long development, otherwise we would all be able to produce something brilliant from the first minutes of life without much difficulty, but any really worthwhile result is achieved in a protracted process of obtaining skills, knowledge and practice. To do anything meaningful, you need to grow up with who you are now.
Search
Needless to say, the most popular resources on the Internet are search engines in which we all look for information of interest.
Life never becomes unambiguous, understandable or simple for a person precisely because the process of self-realization implies a search, which is impossible if all the information sought is already in hand.
The need to seek in an attempt to know the world and maintains our interest in life. Any interest or curiosity that arises in us is the desire to find something, which means we are looking every day.
Another idea of the search is self-knowledge. Every person is wildly interested to know what he is and what it looks like from the side.
There is no desire more natural than the desire for knowledge.
Michel de Montaigne
Creation
The ability to create is the greatest human privilege. Take any citizen who has left a mark on history and you will see that he managed to leave a legacy there because he created something grandiose in his life.
Some of them created brilliant music or a film, someone invented the wheel, and someone created equality between black and white people.
Creation is the process of building up a land area using the tools at hand. It is impossible to realize oneself and at the same time create nothing, because the very process of unlocking the potential involves extracting resources from yourself and investing them in your idea - during these manipulations inevitably something happens..
Probably, every child, sick of the constant intrusion of this world into his life, dreamed of just being alone on the planet. We invite you to present this picture as vividly as possible.
Imagine that right now there is no one else left on the planet, not a single person at all. How long will it be fun for you to stay in such a world? We assure you that it will not be long, and all because each of us needs to serve.
What separates a successful person from the rest? - he shares with the world the best that he has, makes a contribution. What makes a person influential is not his talent or superpowers, but how significant the benefit of all this is for other people.. A detailed debriefing on the need to share has already taken place in an article about.
The life of an individual person is meaningful only to the extent that it helps to make the lives of other people more beautiful and nobler.
Albert Einstein
The element of service in human life was not invented by chance. Everything on earth strives for unity, and service is our way of creating unity within our ranks. It is only thanks to other people that we have the opportunity to express ourselves and feel our significance. Look at our world, we constantly use someone's services and each of us provides some services to others. Any person has his environment with which he interacts daily.
Of the five principles, this one is the most obscure, because we have become too involved in separating ourselves from others and have become divided. The distance between people is now too great: we divided the planet into countries, invented religions, subcultures, families, social statuses and a bunch of other factors - all this so that everyone can define themselves in some category. Coming to the idea of service while in this position is not very easy.
Love
Love is the thrill with which a designer assembles his new car, or the dedication with which a titled athlete trains, or the diligence with which a director makes his film. In this context, “love” can be understood as a hellish and irresistible desire to do something.
Realization of oneself is a life long journey, it takes a reactive driving force to be able to go through this path, and love looks great in this role. The inability to do what you love is one of the main reasons why.
Without love, nothing can be beautiful, therefore, everything that is most essential is always created with love and thanks to love.
Misconceptions about the meaning of life
In modern society, there are several established opinions regarding the meaning of life. These are ideas that many of us believe in, but they fall completely outside the concept of self-realization that we are talking about here. Let's take a closer look at them so that someone does not inadvertently make the wrong choice.
Life is the meaning of life
“What is the meaning of human life? “You have a life - live, just be, this is your great meaning” - this is the traditional understanding of this idea, and, alas, we often live with it.
We return to the metaphor, where life is a land area allocated to a person. What is the deep meaning of this site and can it be in it, in principle, if it is not used in any way, not implemented, not built up?
Life is just a space where you can express yourself, it cannot be a meaning, but it is a resource that allows any meaning to be realized.
The idea of making life the meaning of life is very convenient for humanity, as it is very easy to follow, in short, nothing to follow at all, nothing forces you to move You just exist and that's it. Apparently, this is why this idea is so popular, but about as mediocre, because it does not allow a person to reveal himself in any way.
Life is one, you have to take everything from it
This idea is another way of understanding the idea that life is meaning. If you imagine that there is only one life, then a person simply has no right to make a mistake in it, because you are not given another chance.
It's funny, but here we are in the desire to "take everything" are mistaken already at the start. Realization of oneself is not “taking everything”, but “search in oneself, extract what is found and give it away with love” These are two fundamentally different ideas.
Therefore, any desire to accumulate more money, cars, houses or something else without thinking about how you use it for self-realization is an extremely stupid desire.
A person can have 15 bulldozers, 300 workers and a lot of money, but if, having all this, he does not build up the site, then everything he has accumulated will be worth nothing.
The meaning of finding happiness and success
Among the previous ideas, this one is the most sane, but it has one significant inaccuracy, which lies in the misunderstanding of what happiness and success are.
These concepts cannot be the purpose of existence, but are usually the consequence of being with a suitable purpose. If a good meaning is chosen and a person moves in its direction, then happiness and success will become a pleasant consequence of this process and an indicator that a person is effectively realizing himself.
Strive not to succeed, but to ensure that your life has meaning.
Albert Einstein
To find the answer to the question "What is the meaning of human life?" it is necessary to imagine how the process of gaining that very meaning takes place.
How does one find meaning?
Thoughts are constantly appearing in our minds, among these thoughts there are ideas. Ideas may either not interest us, and then we safely let them go, or ideas may interest us, as a result of which a desire appears in us to realize the idea that has arisen.
Then we proceed to explore the idea that interests us. Research is the movement towards an idea in order to understand its depth and significance. If in the process of research a person begins to realize the full power of an idea, it becomes the meaning of his life.. After that, all his being in all his concrete moments will be directed towards the realization of the found meaning.
When you discover such a monumental idea, you don’t have to think: “Is this really the meaning of my life?” - this question simply does not arise in the head, because everything is so clear to a person. You do not have to long and painfully adjust your life to this idea, the idea itself absorbs you with your head.
In general, the process of finding any meaning occurs according to the same algorithm: idea - desire - exploration - finding meaning.
follow desire
There is no recipe for “How to find the meaning of life”, because this is an entertaining process of searching and creating, which a person cannot be deprived of. But there is one fantastic recommendation - ignore your desire.
Desire is a measure of value.
Baltasar Gracian
Desire is something that you can boldly rely on. Our universal plague lies in the fact that we, under the pressure of public opinion, our own restrictions, complexes and other garbage, push most of our desires to hell. This explains the harsh reality in which the majority of the population is engaged in what they do not find much sense in and which, frankly, they simply do not like. We too seldom listen to our desire.
If you have a desire to realize an idea - explore it, move in the direction of this idea, try to assess its depth, because the desire did not arise inside you by chance, try to understand why this idea hooked you so much.
When we begin to explore our desires, we begin to truly seek and eventually find. It doesn’t matter at all what idea it will be: open a coffee shop, make people’s lives fun, or make a snowman out of the ground in June.
If you saw in your idea an opportunity for self-realization and it is clear to you how to implement the above five principles in the midst of this process, you should definitely pay attention to your idea, sooner or later with this approach you will endow life with meaning.
Ask "Why?"
There is one exercise that allows you to get closer to answering the question "What is the meaning of life?". Whatever you do and whatever you think, ask yourself “Why?”
For example:
- Why do I go to work? To receive money.
- Why get money? To provide for themselves and survive.
- Okay, in that case, why do you need to survive?
Or:
- Why do I need this shortcoming? He makes me stronger.
Why get stronger? This is my development process.
- Okay, but why do you need to develop?
A person who has the meaning of existence in his head will eventually come to his own meaning from any initial question, because everything in his life is aimed at realizing this meaning.
Well, if you have not yet decided on your monumental idea, then this exercise will allow you to find a few thoughts that will be close to it.
The meaning of life is fickle
Perhaps you are now thinking that it’s impossible to make a mistake in the main thing, and from here it’s not entirely clear how to find something uniquely suitable for life. Here it is necessary to understand that a person is constantly growing and what today seemed to him the most significant, tomorrow may seem insignificant and will give way to a more monumental idea.
This is natural, we literally grow out of one idea and come to another. Even if over the years the idea remains the same, a person begins to understand it more fully and widely.
All this is an integral part of the search and development process, therefore, choosing a monumental idea and following your desire, you should not worry too much about the fact that after some time this idea will lose its meaning. It is important to realize that if the current idea is not explored, then the larger idea cannot be discovered at all, and this makes it impossible to reveal our potential.
Summary
Let's condense a long story into a few key paragraphs to solidify the layer of information that hit you so hard on the head.
The main human need is the need to realize oneself as much as possible.. For this, resources have been entrusted into our hands, and we need to understand how to use them.
Initially, there is no meaning to life, we invent meaning ourselves in order to be able to reveal ourselves. In view of this information, a concrete answer to the question “What is the meaning of human life?” does not exist in nature, we ourselves need to create it.
The process of human realization is based on five pillars: development, search, creation, service and love. Any really worthwhile meaning of life is always subject to these five principles.
In an effort to understand how you can find the meaning of life, it is important to listen to your desire. Ideas that give rise to desire in us are definitely worth exploring, because among them is what we are looking for.
The question, what is the meaning of human life, is asked by almost everyone. The meaning of life, the concept of it is one of the central in philosophy or religion. The lack of meaning in life can lead to depression and serious illness, so it is necessary to look for an answer to it. When the purpose of life disappears, a person is unhappy, loses interest in life, which complicates the existence of people nearby. In search of life with meaning, someone turns to religious texts, someone goes through psychological training, someone independently looks for the answer to this question, studying the treatises of famous philosophers.
The nature of the question: what is the purpose and meaning of human life
Many regularly ask the question: what is the meaning of human life? The need to find an answer to this question distinguishes man from animals. Animals exist, satisfying only a certain set of material needs - sleep, food, reproduction, for some animals, communication or community is also important. A person, if he does not find the answer to the question: “What is the meaning of my life?”, He will not be able to live a truly happy life. Therefore, the search for the meaning of life is so important for a person.
The meanings of life are a kind of compass that allows you to understand what is important for further existence and what is not. Living with meaning allows you to consciously make decisions in various situations. The presence of a goal in a person makes his existence understandable, filled. When he knows what he wants, he can easily form a strategy for his path.
The loss of the meaning of life, on the contrary, leads to depression. A person may begin to abuse alcohol to get rid of sad thoughts. If you do not find support in time, do not understand what is the meaning of a person's life, you can even become an alcoholic. After all, alcohol or drugs are a departure from reality, from the need to think, form your own goals and key areas of life.
Is it worth looking for the meaning of life?
Not everyone thinks about how to find the meaning of life. Some don't even think about it. After all, there are successful examples of people who did not think about how to live the time allotted to them, and lived it quite happily. This kind of people believe that you should not think about the meaning of life, it is enough just to live and enjoy. However, this is more like the life of animals and plants, therefore, by old age, as a rule, such people become deeply unhappy and begin to rethink their existence.
Close to those who do not think about the meaning of human life are those who believe that the purpose of being is simply to live. You just need to fulfill your functions as a father or mother, go to work, help parents and so on. Everyone does it. And this is the meaning of life - just to live it, fulfilling your social roles. But this is also an illusion. After all, a person, for example, sleeps to restore his energy, and not just to sleep. Or eat not in order to eat, but also to have the strength for further work. Therefore, the meaning of life is not just to live it, but to do something, to achieve something.
Finally, there are those who could not easily find the answer to this question for themselves, they believe that there is no meaning in life, which means that it is not worth looking for it. As a result, these people also liken themselves to plants and animals, believing that there is no special meaning to life.
Self-realization as a life goal
A fairly popular answer to the question, what is the purpose of life, is self-realization. Such a purpose and meaning of human life means that a person has achieved certain success in some of the spheres of life - in business, education, politics or any social issues. In other words, in this case, life with meaning means that a person leaves a certain mark in history, his successes will be remembered and, perhaps, even enjoy the fruits of his labors. Such motivation is often present in scientists who want to make some kind of discovery and thus preserve the memory of themselves for a long period.
However, this goal has a serious moral dimension. Self-actualization can be done in different ways. After all, well-known criminals also self-fulfilled. They have achieved impressive success in their illegal affairs and operations. They are also remembered, in their field they are recognized authorities. And in the cases of scientists, the issue of ethics is essential. For example, those who studied the structure of the atom probably just wanted to understand the nature of the structure of the world. As a result, the atomic bomb appeared - one of the most terrible types of weapons.
Health Preservation
Some people, especially girls or women, make it their life's purpose to preserve beauty. Answering the question, what is the meaning of a woman's life, they regularly visit various fitness rooms, use the services of cosmetologists, use various means for rejuvenation, and so on. Increasingly, men are beginning to behave in a similar way, paying very close attention to their physical health.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is, of course, good. It really gives a person more energy, as a result of sports, endorphins are produced - hormones of happiness, which creates a feeling of constant success and joy. People who actively and devote a lot of time to their health look, of course, happy, which is why it seems that they have found their meaning in life. However, this is not quite true. Long years of life, a beautiful body, a lot of energy - what is all this for? If only in order to increase this beauty and health, then this is not entirely true. After all, every person is mortal. And even the best athlete will still die, no matter how hard he tries to maintain his physical form. Therefore, over time, the question will still arise, why was it necessary to lead such a lifestyle? After all, all this energy could be spent on something else. For example, for self-realization in some areas.
Earn Money
In the conditions of the material world, an increasingly popular answer to the question of where to find the meaning of life is in wealth and the accumulation of goods. As a result, more and more men and women are making great efforts to earn a lot of money to satisfy their material desires. At the same time, such desires tend to constantly increase, a person needs even more money and a kind of vicious circle is obtained, from which it is very difficult to break out.
Before death, people who want to accumulate as much money as possible face a serious problem - how to divide the inheritance. Moreover, when a person who craves material wealth reaches old age, many even begin to wait for his death in order to gain access to his savings. This makes him deeply unhappy.
It also makes no sense to take your savings with you to the grave, and here the question arises, why did you need so much time and work so hard? After all, in the process of earning material wealth, such people sacrificed a lot, ranging from attention to their own family and ending with receiving some simple life pleasures.
How was the question of the meaning of life solved before?
The question of how to find the meaning of life has been worrying mankind for many centuries. Already the ancient Greek philosophers wondered whether there is a meaning to life. Unfortunately, they could not give a clear answer to the question of how to find the meaning of life, only a few concepts appeared, one of which is self-realization (its author is Aristotle) is still popular. Later, many scientists tried to find an answer to the questions: "What is the meaning or purpose of life, is there a common goal for humanity, should the goals of a man differ from women's goals?"
A clearer answer to the question of purpose in life is found in religious treatises. This is due to the fact that the basis of any religion is the human soul. If the body is mortal, then the soul lives forever, so the meaning of life is not in material, but in spiritual development. And if we consider the most popular world religions, we can draw the following conclusion:
- Own spiritual development, redemption of sins, preparation for the transition of the soul to heaven.
- Atonement for the sins of a past life, purification of karma, preparation of the soul for the transition to a new state of eternal happiness (the Vedic analogue of life in paradise).
- Preparation for the transition to a new reality or for reincarnation (settlement in a new body), and relocation to a new body can occur both “with an increase in status”, if a person lives well, observes religious norms, pays attention to his spiritual development, and with a decrease, if the norms are violated, and the person leads the wrong way of life.
Spiritual development
The meaning of life in the development of the soul can be formulated differently, as learning, passing a certain school. Within the framework of this concept, a person must search for the meaning of life through his spiritual development. And not only in theory - reading the relevant literature, but also in practice. Practice, in this case, is a form of examination. If a person is able to behave in accordance with religious covenants, then the exam will be passed, and he will be transferred to the next class, where there will be more difficult tasks that test the spiritual strength and stability of the "student".
Of course, in the process of such learning, there are changes, when you can relax, do various pleasant things, just like in a regular school. But then the lesson starts again, and again you need to work. Thus, the philosophy of life as a school requires considerable effort. After all, constant development requires constant efforts, but, on the other hand, treating difficulties as lessons makes it much easier to overcome them. To overcome a life problem, it is enough to understand what a person is doing wrong, how to do it right, and life will change for the better. In addition, if there is no meaning in life, one can always turn to the experience of saints who have achieved impressive success in their activities.
Preparing for the transition to a new reality
This concept says that in the course of his life a person goes through various tests, and the more he passes them, the higher the likelihood that he will be ready for the transition to a new reality. Some religions say that there are several levels of life. If a person is engaged in the development of his soul, he moves to the next level, where he will have better conditions, but the tests are more difficult. If development does not occur, and even degradation occurs, as a result of which a person will be transferred to another reality of a lower order. In Christianity we are talking about heaven and hell (if a person behaves decently, thinks about the soul, then he will go to heaven, and if he sins, then to hell). The Vedic treatises speak of the existence of ten levels of reality, each of which has its own tests and its own conditions of existence.
Reflections on eternal life and a new reality can also help when it is not clear what to do, if there is no point in living. In such a situation, depression is practically guaranteed, but it is not clear how to find the meaning of life. Conversations with mentors and relatives help to restore the desire to live, who can tell you what to do if a person does not see the meaning of life.
How to return the meaning of life to a person?
Some girls, reflecting on the question of what is the meaning of a woman's life, suggest that in children. When they have children, they devote all their energy to them. However, children eventually grow up and become independent. In such a situation, many mothers complain that the meaning of life has disappeared, nothing pleases them, and there is no point in living on.
The question arises, how to fill life with meaning? The search for the meaning of life begins with the answer to the question: "What is the purpose of life?". How to determine the main goal? To begin with, it is recommended to make a list of goals in life. From the list received, you should choose which goals inspire, give strength, fill with energy. This will be the main personal goal that will help answer the question of what is the meaning of life. However, you should not stop at this stage, setting goals is not enough when life suddenly ceased to be meaningful. You need to understand how to achieve your goal. To do this, you have to understand how to change your life.
Spiritual practices can also help a person who believes that there is no point in living. Psychology in such situations, as a rule, does not help. It allows you to set goals, but it does not tell you how to change your life. Reflections on the soul, overcoming trials allow you to correctly set the goal of life, set priorities and find the meaning of life, both for a man and a woman. However, in fairness, it should be said that for many who have lost their purpose in life, personal growth training helps to change the model of life and become happier.
Thus, answering the question, what is the meaning of life, you should first of all think about your soul. Life with meaning makes it full, joyful. However, various ideas that one should preserve beauty or accumulate material wealth are false, because they do not have a spiritual component that makes a person truly happy. In addition, you need to know how to set a goal correctly and how to achieve it later. This allows you to find the answer to questions about why to live and how to live. If a person has lost the meaning of life, finding a purpose in life can help him. When he understands why he lives, he can see the goal, the desire to live with him, most likely, will no longer be lost.
A lot of people are starting to wonder what it is. meaning of life and what is the meaning of human life, how to find it and not lose it. After all, 90% of people live their lives without meaning. Since you can live life, but never wake up. Therefore, it is so important today to find or at least just start acting and looking for your own meaning of life, since it is different for everyone.
In the article you will learn what is the meaning of life and what the meaning of human life what is included in the concept of the meaning of life, how to find it and what are the ways to speed up the process of finding the meaning of life. Most people live someone else's life, following fashion, traditions and unnecessary rules. Such a life cannot be called happy, even if a person is rich, has a large family, this does not mean that he is happy and he has a meaning in life.
The meaning of life is what stimulates a person to move forward, act, enjoy life, be happy. Since happiness is not something that has already been achieved, happiness is the path one walks on. But if this path is someone else's and not yours, then you experience negative emotions and you personally do not like this path, but you still continue to follow it. The meaning of life is what a person came to this world for, with what purpose and mission. After all, we did not come here just like that, because everything has a meaning and an explanation.
What is the meaning of human life
In spiritual development
Many people ask what is the meaning of human life, and oddly enough, each person has his own meaning of life. Someone wants to create a happy family, leave behind offspring. Someone wants to have fun all his life and enjoy, someone wants to have a lot of money, a big house, a yacht apartment, a car. But these are all childish, animal desires that disappear with time. When a person achieves what he wanted and what he considered his meaning of life, he begins to suffer.
A person creates illusions of the meaning of life for himself, that if he creates a family and gives birth to many children, he will become happy, and as a result, the children grow up, leave, the person begins to suffer again. Of course, in our world, money and a roof over our heads are needed for life, but this still does not make us better or worse, we remain the same as we were sent to this World. We are spiritual children who continue to run after those things that will sooner or later disappear with the death of our body.
Therefore, before thinking about what is the meaning of human life, first think about why you were created in this world, what will happen after your death, whether you will continue to enjoy those material things and people who surrounded you, when you yourself stop its existence. Surely you will come to the conclusion that it is more reasonable and wiser to develop something eternal, but that if our body dies, then everything that was connected with it dies.
We will be glad to see you again on the pages of the site
What is the meaning of human life? Many people at all times thought about this question. For some, the problem of meaning does not exist at all as such, someone sees the essence of being in money, someone in children, someone in work, etc. Naturally, the greats of this world also puzzled over this question: writers, philosophers, psychologists. They devoted years to this, wrote treatises, studied the works of their predecessors, etc. What did they say about this? What was the meaning of life and the purpose of man? Let's get acquainted with some points of view, perhaps this will contribute to the formation of our own vision of the problem.
About the question in general
So, what is the meaning of human life? Both Eastern sages and philosophers of completely different times tried to find the only correct answer to this question, but in vain. Every thinking person can also face this problem, and if we are not able to find the right solution, then we will try to at least reason and understand the topic a little. How to get as close as possible to the answer to the question of what is the meaning of human life? To do this, you need to determine for yourself the purpose, the purpose of your existence. Depending on what you want to achieve in a certain period, the meaning of a person’s life will also change. This is easy to understand with an example. If at the age of 20 you firmly decided for yourself to earn a lot of money, that is, you set such a task for yourself, then with each successful transaction, the feeling that life is filled with meaning will only grow. However, after 15-20 years, you will realize that you worked hard to the detriment of your personal life, health, etc. Then all these years may seem, if not meaninglessly lived, then only partially meaningful. What conclusion can be drawn in this case? That a person's life should have a purpose (in this case, a meaning), even if it is transient.
Is it possible to live without meaning?
If a person is deprived of meaning in means that he has no intrinsic motivation, and this makes him weak. The absence of a goal does not allow you to take your own destiny into your own hands, to resist adversity and difficulties, to strive for something, etc. A person without the meaning of life is easily controlled, since he does not have his own opinion, ambitions, life criteria. In such cases, their desires are replaced by others, as a result of which individuality suffers, hidden talents and abilities do not appear. Psychologists say that if a person does not want or cannot find his own path, purpose, goal, then this leads to neurosis, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, and suicide. Therefore, each person must look for the meaning of his life, even if unconsciously, to strive for something, to wait for something, etc.
What is meant by the meaning of life in philosophy?
Philosophy about the meaning of human life can tell us a lot, so this question has always been in the first place for this science and its admirers and followers. Philosophers have been creating for thousands of years some ideals to which one had to strive, some laws of existence, in which the answer to the eternal question lay.
1. If, for example, we talk about ancient philosophy, then Epicurus saw the goal of being in obtaining pleasure, Aristotle - in achieving happiness through knowledge of the world and thinking, Diogenes - in striving for inner peace, in the denial of family and art.
2. To the question of what is the meaning of human life, the philosophy of the Middle Ages gave the following answer: one should honor the ancestors, accept the religious beliefs of the time, and pass all this on to posterity.
3. Representatives of the philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries also had their own view of the problem. Irrationalists saw the essence of being in a constant struggle with death and suffering; existentialists believed that the meaning of a person's life depends on himself; the positivists, on the other hand, considered this problem to be meaningless, since it is expressed linguistically.
Interpretation in terms of religion
Each historical epoch poses tasks and problems for society, the solution of which most directly affects how a person understands his destiny. As living conditions, cultural and social needs change, it is natural that a person's views on all issues also change. However, people have never abandoned the desire to find that one, so to speak, universal meaning of life, which would be suitable for any stratum of society, for each period of time. This same desire is reflected in all religions, among which Christianity is worth noting. The problem of the meaning of human life is considered by Christianity inseparable from the doctrine of the creation of the world, of God, of the fall, of the sacrifice of Jesus, of the salvation of the soul. That is, all these questions are seen on the same plane, respectively, the essence of being is presented outside of life itself.
The idea of "spiritual elite"
Philosophy, or rather, some of its followers, considered the meaning of human life from another interesting point of view. At a certain time, such ideas about this problem became widespread, which cultivated the ideas of the “spiritual elite”, designed to save all of humanity from degeneration by introducing it to cultural and spiritual values. So, for example, Nietzsche believed that the essence of life is that geniuses are constantly born, talented individuals who would elevate the common people to their level, deprive them of the feeling of orphanhood. K. Jaspers shared the same point of view. He was sure that representatives of the spiritual aristocracy should be a measure, a model for all other people.
What does hedonism say about this?
The founders of this doctrine are the ancient Greek philosophers - Epicurus and Aristippus. The latter argued that both bodily and spiritual pleasure is good for the individual, which should be positively evaluated, respectively, displeasure is bad. And the more desirable will be the pleasure, the stronger it is. The teaching of Epicurus on this issue has become a household word. He said that all living things are drawn to pleasure, and any person strives for the same. However, he receives not only sensual, bodily pleasure, but also spiritual.
Utilitarian theory
This kind of hedonism was developed mainly by the philosophers Bentham and Mill. The first, like Epicurus, was sure that the meaning of life and human happiness is only in obtaining pleasure and striving for it and in avoiding torment and suffering. He also believed that the criterion of utility could mathematically calculate a specific kind of pleasure or displeasure. And having made their balance, we can find out which act will be bad, which one will be good. Mill, who gave the current its name, wrote that if any action contributes to happiness, then it automatically becomes positive. And so that he would not be accused of selfishness, the philosopher said that it was important not only the happiness of the person himself, but also those around him.
Objections to Hedonism
Yes, there were, and quite a few. The essence of the objections boils down to the fact that hedonists and utilitarians see the meaning of human life in the pursuit of pleasure. However, as life experience shows, a person, performing an act, does not always think what it will lead to: happiness or chagrin. Moreover, people deliberately do such things, which are obviously associated with hard work, torment, death, in order to achieve those goals that are far from personal benefit. Each individual is unique. What is happiness for one is torment for another.
Kant deeply criticized hedonism. He said that happiness, which hedonists speak of, is a very conditional concept. It looks different to everyone. The meaning and value of human life, according to Kant, lies in the desire of everyone to develop good will in themselves. Only in this way can perfection be achieved, fulfilled. Having a will, a person will strive for those actions that are responsible for his destiny.
The meaning of human life in the literature of Tolstoy L.N.
The great writer not only pondered, but even agonized over this question. In the end, Tolstoy came to the conclusion that the purpose of life is only the self-improvement of the individual. He was also sure that the meaning of the existence of one individual cannot be sought separately from others, from society as a whole. Tolstoy said that in order to live honestly, one must constantly fight, tear, get confused, because calmness is meanness. That is why the negative part of the soul seeks peace, but it does not understand that the achievement of the desired is associated with the loss of everything that is good and kind in a person.
The meaning of human life in philosophy was interpreted in different ways, this happened depending on many reasons, the currents of a particular time. If we consider the teachings of such a great writer and philosopher as Tolstoy, then the following is said there. Before deciding the question of the purpose of existence, it is necessary to understand what life is. He went over all the then known definitions of life, but they did not satisfy him, since they reduced everything only to biological existence. However, human life, according to Tolstoy, is impossible without moral, moral aspects. Thus, the moralist transfers the essence of life into the moral sphere. After Tolstoy turned to both sociology and religion in the hope of finding that single meaning that is intended for everyone, but all was in vain.
What is said about this in domestic and foreign literature?
In this area, the number of approaches to this problem and opinions is no less than in philosophy. Although many writers also acted as philosophers, they talked about the eternal.
So, one of the oldest is the concept of Ecclesiastes. It speaks of the vanity and insignificance of human existence. According to Ecclesiastes, life is nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. And such components of life as labor, power, love, wealth, have no meaning. It's the same as chasing the wind. In general, he believed that human life has no meaning.
The Russian philosopher Kudryavtsev in his monograph put forward the idea that each person independently fills being with meaning. He only insists that everyone see the goal only in the "high" and not in the "low" (money, pleasure, etc.)
The Russian thinker Dostoevsky, who constantly "unraveled" the secrets of the human soul, believed that the meaning of a person's life is in his morality.
The meaning of being in psychology
Freud, for example, believed that the main thing in life is to be happy, to get maximum pleasure and enjoyment. Only these things are self-evident, but a person who thinks about the meaning of life is mentally ill. But his student, E. Fromm, believed that it is impossible to live without meaning. You need to consciously reach out to everything positive and fill your being with it. In the teachings of V. Frankl, this concept is given the main place. According to his theory, under no circumstances in life can a person fail to see the goals of existence. And you can find meaning in three ways: in deeds, in experiencing, in the presence of a certain position towards life circumstances.
Is there really a meaning to human life?
In this article, we consider such an ever-existing question as the problem of the meaning of human life. Philosophy on this score gives more than one answer, some options are presented above. But each of us at least once, but thought about the meaningfulness of their own existence. For example, according to sociologists, approximately 70% of the world's inhabitants live in constant fear and anxiety. As it turned out, they were not looking for the meaning of their existence, but simply wanted to survive. And for what? And that fussy and disturbing rhythm of life is a consequence of the unwillingness to understand this issue, at least for oneself. No matter how we hide, the problem still exists. Writers, philosophers, thinkers were looking for answers. If we analyze all the results, we can come to three judgments. Let's try to find the meaning, shall we?
Judgment one: there is no meaning and cannot be
This means that any attempt to find a goal is a delusion, a dead end, self-deception. Many philosophers adhered to this theory, including Jean-Paul Sartre, who said that if death awaits us all ahead, then there is no point in life, because all problems will remain unresolved. A. Pushkin and Omar Khayyam also remained disappointed and dissatisfied in the search for truth. It should be said that such a position of accepting the meaninglessness of life is very cruel, not every person is even able to survive it. Much in human nature opposes this view. On this occasion, the next paragraph.
Second judgment: there is a sense, but everyone has their own
Admirers of this opinion believe that there is a meaning, or rather, it should be, so we must invent it. This stage implies an important step - a person stops running from himself, he must recognize that being cannot be meaningless. In this position, the person is more frank with himself. If the question appears again and again, then it will not be possible to dismiss or hide from it. Please note that if we recognize such a concept as meaninglessness, by doing so we prove the legitimacy and right to exist of that very meaning. It's all good. However, representatives of this opinion, even acknowledging and accepting the question, could not find a universal answer. Then everything went according to the principle "once admitted - think for yourself." There are many paths in life, you can choose any of them. Schelling said that happy is the one who has a goal and sees in this the meaning of all life. A person with such a position will try to find meaning in all phenomena, events that happen to him. Someone will turn to material enrichment, someone - to success in sports, someone - to the family. Now it turns out that there is no universal meaning, so all those “meanings” are what? Only tricks that cover up the meaninglessness? And if, nevertheless, there is a common sense for everyone, then where to look for it? Let's move on to the third point.
Third judgment
And it sounds like this: there is a meaning in our existence, it can even be known, but only after you know the one who created this being. Here the question will already be relevant not about what is the meaning of a person's life, but about why he is looking for it. So, lost. The logic is simple. By committing sin, the person has lost God. And there is no need to come up with a meaning here, you just need to know the Creator again. Even a philosopher and a convinced atheist said that if the existence of God is excluded from the very beginning, then there is nothing to look for meaning at all, it will not exist. A bold decision for an atheist.
Most Common Answers
If you ask a person about the meaning of his existence, he is likely to give one of the following answers. Let's look at them in more detail.
In procreation. If you answer the question about the meaning of life in this way, then you show the nakedness of your soul. Do you live for children? To train them, put them on their feet? And what's next? Then, when the children grow up and leave the cozy nest? You will say that you will teach your grandchildren. Why? So that they, in turn, also do not have goals in life, but go in a vicious circle? Procreation is one of the tasks, but it is not universal.
At work. For many people, future plans are career related. You will work, but for what? Feed the family, dress? Yes, but this is not enough. How to realize yourself? Also not enough. Even the ancient philosophers argued that work will not please for a long time if there is no common meaning in life.
In wealth. Many people believe that the accumulation of money is the main happiness in life. It becomes a passion. But in order to live fully, countless treasures are not needed. It turns out that making money all the time for the sake of money is pointless. Especially if a person does not understand why he needs wealth. Money can only be a tool for realizing its meaning, purpose.
In existence for someone. This is already more filled with meaning, although it is similar to the item about children. Of course, caring for someone is grace, it is the right choice, but not enough for self-realization.
What to do, how to find the answer?
If, nevertheless, the question posed does not give you rest, then the answer should be sought in yourself. In this review, we briefly reviewed some of the philosophical, psychological, and religious aspects of the problem. Even if you read such literature for days and study all the theories, it is far from a fact that you will 100% agree with something and take it as a guide to action.
If you decide to find the meaning of your life, then something does not suit you in the present state of affairs. However, be careful: time is ticking, it will not wait for you to find something. Most people try to realize themselves in the above directions. Yes, please, if you like it, it brings pleasure, then who will forbid it? On the other hand, who said that this is not possible, that it is wrong, that we do not have the right to live like this (for children, for relatives, etc.)? Everyone chooses his own path, his own destination. Or maybe you shouldn't look for it? If something is prepared, then it will come anyway, without any extra effort on the part of a person? Who knows, maybe it's true. And don't be surprised if you see the meaning of life differently at every stage of your existence. This is fine. The nature of man in general is such that he constantly doubts something. The main thing is to be filled like a vessel, to do something, to devote your life to something.
Are you still unable to find the meaning of life? Then visit us for some helpful tips!
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You are constantly tormented by the question: “What is meaning of life? It is probably very difficult for each of us to accurately give a detailed answer to this question, as well as to other questions: “What is love?”, “What do you understand by the word happiness?” etc.
Many psychologists agree that when a person begins to often talk and think about the meaning of life, this is a clear sign that things are going badly for him!
By the way, it is precisely because a person thinks and analyzes a lot that he is completely different from animals - he is not interested in living just for the pleasure of his physical instincts!
From this it turns out that it was because of this that people of different times and peoples were looking for that very magical meaning of life.
And those who have lost the meaning of life and still cannot understand their destiny are doomed to be unhappy!
Meaning of life. What is it?
Perhaps you will tell me that not all people are constantly looking for meaning of life, here the majority cope without it, they just don’t think about it!
I will argue with you, because I believe that this is not so.
You know, after a while a person begins to think about why he lives in this wide world, and then he gives himself an answer to this question that satisfies him, perhaps for a while or for life ... that's how we live ...
Let's look at the answers of most people to the question asked, perhaps you will find your answer in this list.
- My meaning of life is to raise a child, plant a tree and buy a house!
- Oh, and my meaning of life, probably, is in life itself (in my opinion, this is nonsense);
- Meaning of life- to prove to all the people around me, as well as to myself, that I can achieve everything that I want, which others could not do;
- There is no meaning to life... just live and don't torture yourself with this meaningless question!
Meaning of life– always be beautiful and healthy!
Go in for sports, not grow old, take care of yourself, stay “forever” young;
Meaning of life– to get as much as possible and to the maximum of pleasant impressions and emotions!
Life is given to us only once, so why can't we spend this life in pleasure?
It may sound selfish on my part, but still ... this is my life!
My meaning is in self-realization of myself as a person!
I dream of achieving success, becoming an independent and respected person;
Meaning of life- leave a trace of memory!
To be remembered with kind words and thanked for the work done;
The meaning of life is to serve your family and friends.
To live for the sake of their own children, or for the sake of a husband (wife), for the sake of their parents;
My meaning is in pleasant memories!
I want to look back and understand for myself that I do not regret a bit about how I lived my life!
See how many meanings of life I gave you as an example! Choose! But…
You probably need to understand for yourself whether I really chose the right one. meaning of life Am I ready to live for him?
And will it lose its taste at some point in my life?
Let's take our studies at school or at university as an example.
You just won’t memorize a paragraph from a book, right?
Since you are teaching it, then you know why you are doing it, right?
You will be able to get an excellent mark, you will acquire additional knowledge, you will eventually receive a test.
Under any circumstances - you get the result of your action!
And you can only evaluate the meaning of your action by the result when you are on the last step, for example, at the exam.
What is the last step of our life?
Of course, death.
Someone managed to do more in their life, someone lived it in kindness, and someone in anger, someone completely devoted himself to children, and someone managed to try EVERYTHING - we will all be the same before death!
For me personally, the meaning of life is self-development!
Planet Earth can be compared to a college or an institute where everyone must constantly learn new things, gain knowledge and hone their skills in practice!
My life goal is to reveal my human potential and realize it on my life path.
Meaning of life that when I turn over my last life page, while looking back, I can confidently say to myself:
“If I had the opportunity to return to the past and live it from the very beginning, I probably would have lived it like that without changing anything! I myself chose how I want to live my life, I and only I am the mistress of my life and my choice! It doesn’t matter if I did the right thing in any situations or not - but I chose how to behave myself, and in those situations - for me it was the best choice ... my choice! I don't regret a single bit! I lived my happy life with dignity!”
I advise you to read a useful article: - these tips will help you decide in life, as well as analyze a lot!
(Someone will recognize themselves in the main character, and someone will be able to find some answers 🙂)
An excerpt from Dale Carnegie's How to Stop Worrying and Start Living:
“Be your best.
If you can't be a pine on a hilltop
Be a tree in the valley, but just be
The best tree near the spring;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush, be a grass
And make the road happier;
If you can't be a pike, just be a perch -
But be the most beautiful perch in the lake!
If you can't be a path, be a path
If you can't be the sun, be the star;
Win or lose, it doesn't matter
Bring out the best in you!
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