How do I understand the meaning of human life? What is the meaning of human life
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Many people are starting to think about what it is meaning of life and what is the meaning of a person’s life, how to find it and not lose it. After all, 90% of people live their lives without meaning. Because you can live your life, but never wake up. That’s why it’s so important today to find or at least just start acting and looking for your own meaning in life, since it’s different for everyone.
In the article you will learn what the meaning of life is and what the meaning of human life What is included in the concept of the meaning of life, how to find it and what ways are there 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 has a meaning in life.
The meaning of life is what stimulates a person to move forward, act, enjoy life, and be happy. Since happiness is not something that has already been achieved, happiness is the path along which a person follows. 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 why a person came into this world, for what purpose and mission. We didn’t 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, strangely enough, each person has his own meaning of life. Someone wants to create a happy family and leave behind offspring. Some people want to have fun and enjoy themselves all their lives, others want to have a lot of money, a big house, a yacht, an apartment, a car. But these are all childish, animal desires that disappear over time. When a person achieves what he wanted and what he considered his meaning in life, he begins to suffer.
A person creates illusions of the meaning of life, that if he starts a family and gives birth to many children, he will become happy, but as a result, the children grow up, leave, and the person begins to suffer again. Of course, in our world we need money and a roof over our heads to live, but this still does not make us better or worse, we remain the same as we were sent into this World. We are spiritual children who continue to run after those things that will disappear sooner or later with the death of our body.
Therefore, before you think about what the meaning of a person’s life is, first think about why you were created in this world, what will happen after your death, will you continue to enjoy those material things and people who surrounded you when you yourself stop your 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.
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What is the meaning of human life? Many people have always thought about this question. For some, the problem of the meaning of human life does not exist at all as such, some see the essence of existence in money, some in children, some 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 did you see as 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 issue in general
So, what is the point? Both eastern sages and philosophers from completely different times tried to find the only correct answer to this question, but in vain. Every thinking person can also encounter this problem, and if we are not able to find the right solution, then we will at least try to 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 in 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 change. This is easy to understand with an example. If at the age of 20 you firmly decided to earn a lot of money, that is, you set such a task for yourself, then with each successful deal the feeling that life is filled with meaning will only grow. However, after 15-20 years you will realize that you worked hard at the expense of your personal life, health, etc. Then all these years may seem, if not senselessly 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, meaning), albeit a transitory one.
Is it possible to live without meaning?
If a person is devoid of meaning, it means that he has no internal motivation, and this makes him weak. The absence of a goal does not allow you to take your own destiny into your own hands, resist adversity and difficulties, strive for something, etc. A person without the meaning of life is easily controlled, since he does not have his own opinion, ambitions, or life criteria. In such cases, one’s own desires are replaced by those of others, as a result of which individuality suffers and hidden talents and abilities do not appear. Psychologists say that if a person does not want or cannot find his way, purpose, goal, then this leads to neuroses, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, and suicide. Therefore, every person must look for the meaning of his life, even unconsciously, strive for something, 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. For thousands of years, philosophers have been creating some ideals to which we had to strive, some laws of existence, in which lay the answer to the eternal question.
1. If, for example, we talk about ancient philosophy, then Epicurus saw the goal of existence in obtaining pleasure, Aristotle - in achieving happiness through knowledge of the world and thinking, Diogenes - in the pursuit of 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 ancestors, accept the religious views of the time, and pass all this on to posterity.
3. Representatives of philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries also had their own view of the problem. Irrationalists saw the essence of existence in a constant struggle with death and suffering; existentialists believed that the meaning of a person’s life depends on himself; positivists considered this problem completely meaningless, since it is expressed linguistically.
Interpretation from a religious point of view
Each historical era poses tasks and problems for society, the solution of which most directly affects how an individual understands his purpose. Since living conditions, cultural and social demands change, it is natural that a person’s views on all issues change. However, people have never left the desire to find that one, so to speak, universal meaning of life that would be suitable for any segment of society, for each period of time. This same desire is reflected in all religions, among which Christianity is especially noteworthy. The problem of the meaning of human life is considered by Christianity inseparable from the teachings about the creation of the world, about God, about the Fall, about the sacrifice of Jesus, about the salvation of the soul. That is, all these questions are seen on the same plane; accordingly, the essence of being appears outside of life itself.
The idea of a "spiritual elite"
Philosophy, or more precisely, 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 a “spiritual elite” designed to protect all of humanity from degeneration by introducing it to cultural and spiritual values. So, for example, Nietzsche believed that the essence of life is to constantly produce geniuses, talented individuals who would elevate the common people to their level and deprive them of the feeling of orphanhood. The same point of view was shared by K. Jaspers. He was sure that representatives of the spiritual aristocracy should be a standard, 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 are good for the individual, which should be positively assessed, respectively, displeasure is bad. And the more desirable the pleasure, the stronger it is. The teaching of Epicurus on this issue has become a household name. He said that all living things strive for pleasure, and every person strives for the same. However, he receives not only sensual, bodily pleasure, but also spiritual.
Utilitarian theory
This type 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 lies 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 type of pleasure or pain. And by drawing up their balance, we can find out which action will be bad and which will be good. Mill, who gave the movement 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 is important not only the happiness of the person himself, but also of those around him.
Objections to hedonism
Yes, there were some, and quite a few. The essence of the objection comes down to the fact that hedonists and utilitarians see the meaning of human life in the pursuit of pleasure. However, as life experience shows, when a person commits an action, he does not always think about what it will lead to: happiness or grief. Moreover, people deliberately do things that are obviously associated with hard work, suffering, death, in order to achieve goals that are far from personal benefit. Each personality is unique. What is happiness for one is torment for another.
Kant deeply criticized hedonism. He said that the happiness that hedonists speak about is a very relative 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. This is the only way to achieve perfection, to fulfill. Having a will, a person will strive for those actions that are responsible for his purpose.
The meaning of human life in the literature of Tolstoy L.N.
The great writer not only reflected, but even suffered over this question. In the end, Tolstoy came to the conclusion that the purpose of life lies only in 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 struggle, struggle, get confused, because calmness is meanness. That is why the negative part of the soul seeks peace, but it does not understand that achieving what it wants 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 it says the following. Before deciding the question of the purpose of existence, it is necessary to understand what life is. He went through 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. Afterwards, Tolstoy turned to both sociology and religion in the hope of finding that single meaning that is intended for everyone, but it was all 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 and talked about the eternal.
So, one of the oldest is the concept of Ecclesiastes. It talks about the vanity and insignificance of human existence. According to Ecclesiastes, life is nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. And such components of existence as labor, power, love, wealth, do not have any 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 existence 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 lies 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 one cannot live without meaning. You need to consciously reach out to everything positive and fill your existence 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 action, through experience, if you have a certain attitude towards life circumstances.
Is there really meaning in human life?
In this article we consider such an ever-existing question as the problem of the meaning of human life. Philosophy gives more than one answer to this, some options are presented above. But each of us, at least once, thought about the meaning of our own existence. For example, according to sociologists, approximately 70% of the planet'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 anxious rhythm of life is a consequence of the reluctance to understand this issue, at least for oneself. No matter how much we hide, the problem still exists. Writers, philosophers, thinkers were looking for answers. If we analyze all the results, we can come to three conclusions. Let's try to find the meaning too?
Judgment one: there is no meaning and there cannot be
This means that any attempt to find a goal is a delusion, a dead end, self-deception. This theory was supported by many philosophers, including Jean-Paul Sartre, who said that if death awaits us all, then there is no point in life, because all problems will remain unresolved. A. Pushkin and Omar Khayyam also remained disappointed and dissatisfied in their search for truth. It should be said that this position of accepting the meaninglessness of life is very cruel, not every person is even able to survive it. Much in human nature resists this opinion. On this subject, the next point.
Judgment two: there is a meaning, but everyone has their own
Admirers of this opinion believe that there is a meaning, or rather, there should be one, so we must invent it. This stage implies an important step - a person stops running from himself, he must admit that existence cannot be meaningless. In this position, the person is more frank with himself. If a question appears again and again, then it will not be possible to brush it aside or hide. Please note that if we recognize such a concept as meaninglessness, we thereby prove the legitimacy and right to exist of that very meaning. It's all good. However, representatives of this opinion, even recognizing and accepting the question, could not find a universal answer. Then everything went according to the principle “once you admit it, figure it out yourself.” There are so many roads 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 his whole life. A person with such a position will try to find meaning in all phenomena and events that happen to him. Some will turn to material enrichment, some to success in sports, some to family. Now it turns out that there is no universal meaning, so what are all those “meanings”? Just tricks to cover up the meaninglessness? But if there is still a common meaning for everyone, then where to look for it? Let's move on to the third point.
Judgment three
And it sounds like this: there is meaning in our existence, it can even be known, but only after you know the one who created this existence. Here the question will be relevant not about what is the meaning of a person’s life, but about why he is looking for it. So, I lost it. The logic is simple. Having committed a sin, a person has lost God. And you don’t need to come up with the meaning here yourself, you just need to know the Creator again. Even a philosopher and convinced atheist said that if you initially exclude the existence of God, then there is no point in looking for meaning at all, there will be none. A bold decision for an atheist.
Most common answers
If you ask a person about the meaning of his existence, he will most likely give one of the following answers. Let's take a closer look at them.
In continuation of the family. If you answer the question about the meaning of life in this way, then you thereby show the nakedness of your soul. Do you live for your children? To train them, to put them on their feet? And what's next? Then, when the children grow up and leave their 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, their future plans revolve around their career. You will work, but for what? Feed your family, clothe yourself? Yes, but that's not enough. How to realize yourself? Not enough either. Even ancient philosophers argued that work will not bring joy for long if there is no overall meaning in life.
In wealth. Many people are sure that saving money is the main happiness in life. It becomes excitement. But to live fully, you don’t need countless treasures. It turns out that making money constantly for the sake of money is pointless. Especially if a person does not understand why he needs wealth. Money can only be a tool to fulfill its meaning and purpose.
In existing for someone. This makes more sense, although it is similar to the point 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 the question posed still haunts you, then you should look for the answer in yourself. In this review, we briefly examined some 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, it means that something does not suit you in the current state of affairs. However, be careful: as time goes on, it won't wait for you to find something. Most people try to realize themselves in the above directions. Yes, please, if you like it, it brings you 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 loved ones, etc.)? Everyone chooses their own path, their own destiny. Or maybe you shouldn’t look for him? If something is prepared, will it come anyway, without any extra effort on the part of man? Who knows, maybe this is true. And don’t be surprised if you see the meaning of life differently at each stage of your existence. This is fine. Human nature 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.
Ecology of life. Psychology: The meanings of life can be divided into three groups: vital, social and ideal. There are 16 main meanings in life. The meanings of life provide a person with energy to live on and justify the years already lived.
The meanings of life can be divided into three groups: vital, social and ideal. MIt is possible to identify 16 main meanings of life. The meanings of life provide a person with energy to live on and justify the years already lived. Not all meanings are higher, in the sense of orientation towards a lofty goal, but all of them are ideal in the sense that they allow a person to live for their sake.
Vital.
1. Life for the sake of life (survival). Based on the instinct of self-preservation. One of the most natural meanings. The meaning-forming quality here is survival. Every day we live fills our lives with meaning, simply by the fact that we managed to live it. This meaning is especially relevant in conditions of constant threat to life. V. Frankl noted the presence of a similar meaning among the inhabitants of concentration camps, although he did not consider it successful.
2. Life for pleasure. This refers to pleasures: food and drink. They are based on food and drink instincts, respectively. The meaning-forming quality here is the pleasure derived from food and drink.
In everyday life, there are two varieties of this meaning: a) gluttony, b) drunkenness. Despite the fact that, from a psychological point of view, such ideals are usually not worthy and are more often not considered meanings at all, in reality, many people live precisely for this. Pleasure, as a meaning-forming position, was considered by S. Freud, although he attributed it primarily to the sexual instinct.
3. Living for wealth (money). It is formed on the basis of the hoarding instinct (collecting honey by bees, collecting nuts by squirrels, etc.). The meaning-forming position here is wealth, the modern symbol of which is money.
This meaning suits many people (and not just the very rich), because it is not the size of the account that gives meaning to existence, but its constant replenishment. Many retirees these days find pleasure in putting pennies into a savings book, and replenishing it gives a pleasant feeling of time not being wasted.
4. Life for the sake of a pleasant pastime, entertainment (doing nothing): holidays, parties, going to theaters and cinema, light flirting, social life, all kinds of hobbies, etc. It is formed on the basis of the instinct of saving forces, which requires a living being to do nothing as soon as such an opportunity presents itself. The meaning-forming position here is the opportunity to “have a good time.”
Social meanings.
5. Life for love (based on sexual instinct). The classic meaning of life according to S. Freud. The meaning-forming position here is the quantity and quality of sexual love (including in its repressed variants).
There may be two varieties of this meaning. In the first case, the meaning-forming position is the amount of love, i.e. For a person, it will be important to quantitatively multiply the people who love him and the people he loves. This is the meaning of life for numerous Don Juans and Cleopatras. It occurs more often in men than in women.
In the second case, the meaning-orienting position is the quality of love; this meaning is often connected with the ideas of family, marital fidelity, and the development of relationships in a couple. Most often, these varieties replace each other throughout life: in youth a person is more focused on increasing the amount of love, with age he begins to appreciate quality.
A characteristic feature of this meaning is a certain impersonality of the partner. It is the act of love itself that is important, not the personality of the partner. If it is not possible to achieve love with one potential partner, a person guided by this meaning will try to find another (he never remains faithful to a departed partner, no matter how strong the feelings between them are).
6. Life for the sake of children (based on parental instinct). The meaning-forming position here is prolongation of the family line (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren). This is one of the most successful meanings. More common in women than men. Although D.A. Leontiev considered it the most common in both men and women.
7. Life for the sake of a nest (home), is formed on the basis of the territorial instinct, a particular version of it is the nesting instinct. Building a cozy nest can fill life with meaning for both men and women. The difference comes in relation to home.
For a woman, a nest is her home and its interior decoration (renovation, wallpaper, shelving, buy a wall for the kitchen). For a man, the nest is the house and its surroundings (construction of new extensions and buildings, garage, car in the garage). Many people who live this meaning in life believe that they live for the sake of their family; although the family in this case is secondary, the house is primary, family members are considered as breadwinners, “carrying into the house,” its builders and strengtheners.
8. Life for the sake of a large social group (Motherland, party, church, nation, etc.), is formed on the basis of the herd instinct, something that brings animals into herds and flocks, and can force them to sacrifice their lives for the sake of this flock. This meaning of life is actualized in moments of danger threatening a large group; in the absence of such a danger, it is usually not declared.
9. Living for the sake of friendship (a small group of people you personally know who are not related by biological ties). It’s based on the same herd instinct, it’s just that the herds are different in size. The semantic organizing position is friendship, the quantity and quality of friendly acts expressed towards members of your small group. This meaning is typical for adolescence.
10. Life for career (power), is formed on the basis of a hierarchical instinct, which determines the pecking order in a flock of ducks and forces the animals to fight in order to become the leader. The meaning-organizing position here is movement along the career (or power) steps. As long as you move up, your life is meaningful.
This meaning can be correlated with the scenario “life for the sake of achievement” proposed by V.N. Druzhinin. “Outstanding inventors, talented rock musicians, directors and movie stars... The main thing is to achieve your goal, to become a winner. The term “winner psychology” arises. The cult of a person who has chosen the path of success, of achieving a goal, is the result of the development of industrial and post-industrial society.”
11. A variation of the previous meaning could be “life for the sake of professional excellence.” This meaning presupposes the professional improvement of a person, without moving up the social ladder; this is especially important in those professions where career growth is limited (blue-collar professions, many white-collar professions, etc.). A person finds satisfaction in the fact that he does his job better than all his colleagues (a car mechanic repairs carburetors better than others, a Russian language teacher achieves universal literacy among her students, etc.). But “professionalism”, in order to fulfill the function of the meaning of life, needs recognition from other people: employees, bosses, clients.
12. Life for the sake of a specific person - based on the instinct of following, which causes antelopes to run after the leader, and goslings to run after the object they have imprinted as their mother. This meaning must be distinguished from “life for love”, since it is based not on sexual instinct, but on the instinct to follow.
Therefore, the person to whom life is dedicated is rarely a sexual partner; it can be an outstanding relative (including a spouse or child), but it can also be a complete stranger, sometimes an ideal hero of the past. Very often this is a person who has already died, in the name of whose memory the life of the follower is carried out.
This is a very personal meaning, because you can only follow this specific person (this person), and not any other, even those who satisfy all the conditions. One of the options for the religious meaning of life can be this one: life in the name of the founder of a given religious teaching.
Ideal meanings.
13. Life for the sake of knowledge (study, science). It is formed on the basis of the orienting and research instinct. A variation of this meaning can be a variant of the scenario “life as a preface” (V.N. Druzhinin), when the meaningful position in life in it is study: the acquisition of knowledge. “And yet “life as preparation for life” gives meaning to the expenditure of time, a person knows why he lives, he is attached to reality, and considers every new situation as an opportunity to learn something. From here comes a thirst for novelty, but not just the frequency of events, but the novelty of personal experience.”
14. Life for the sake of creativity (art). It is formed on the basis of the imitative instinct. Creativity is in many ways an imitation of the outside world, i.e., the embodiment of some situations, pictures in subjective images objectified by the author. Creative people live in the name of creating these images (paintings, books, films). This meaning may be characteristic of the life scenario “Life for the sake of creativity” (according to V.N. Druzhinin).
15. Living for self-improvement(improving abilities in any area, sports). It is formed on the basis of the play instinct, which gives the cubs the opportunity to develop strength, skills, and abilities in play; He may need them in the future, but for now he doesn’t need them at all.
People who profess this meaning of life may also be characterized by the “Life as a Preface” scenario; only the meaningful position in life here will be the multiplication of the capabilities and abilities of the person himself, his body, his mental and spiritual qualities, and not knowledge, as in the case of meaning formed on the basis of the orientation-research instinct.
A simplified definition of the word “meaning” is “an essence in the context of reality.” In other words, meaning is the meaning of existence. All our lives we are in search of this meaning. Our plans and deeds are nothing more than attempts to find justification for our place in the Universe. On the path to the truth we stumble and fall, we get up and move on. How will this all end? According to the results of the life exam, someone will receive an “excellent”, while others will receive a “failure”. The truth is that no one will have the opportunity to retake.
A person's happiness (or misfortune) lies in his ability to think. This gift of evolution moves us, although it keeps us in a state of perpetual restlessness. We don’t know how to just live, walk the streets, meet people, fall in love, be disappointed, look at raindrops running down the glass, enjoy the sun. We definitely need to know: “What is all this for?”
Mental anguish is fueled by doubts, uncertainty, shame, conscience, hope - feelings that manipulate our consciousness and force us to come up with more and more new criteria for the meaning of our existence on Earth. Perhaps this is why humanity has not yet found and will never find an answer to the question “What is the meaning of life?” However, this topic will always concern each of us.
About meaning and purpose
Meaning . French philosopher and writer Albert Camus once said: “I have seen many people die because life was no longer worth living for them. From this I conclude that the question of the meaning of life is the most pressing.”
For humans, unlike other living beings, life is a set of values. To master them, you need:
- define the goal;
- choose means;
- build life routes;
- start moving forward.
Throughout their lives, people search for goals and implement tasks. Their scales are different. For some, the meaning of existence is to acquire a prestigious car, for others it is important to become the best specialist in their profession, and for others, it is intended to rid humanity of diseases forever.
In all cases, a person has a goal, a guiding beacon, which is called the meaning of life. But it appears in those who do not just mechanically use the skills inherent in it by nature. This is the privilege of beings who think, feel, and experience joy both from the process and from the result.
Thus, the meaning of life can be represented as a set of values for the sake of which a person moves towards goals and to which he subordinates his existence.
Purpose . If we determine the meaning ourselves, then the purpose chooses us. This is a kind of spiritual mission of a person, his true calling. It does not always coincide with our goals, and sometimes it takes us in the diametrically opposite direction.
Let's give a few examples.
Doctor and chemist Alexander Borodin found himself in music - he is known primarily as an outstanding Russian composer.
Animator Walt Disney was once fired from a newspaper for lack of creative thinking, but it was precisely this that allowed him to enter world history.
The popular Spanish performer Julio Iglesias was a football player. However, over time, he realized that his singing gave people more pleasure than playing football.
Many women strive to make a career and achieve some success in this, but after giving birth to children, they understand: their main role is motherhood.
A mediocre engineer at home becomes a brilliant chef. A successful financier feels at ease only when he plants flowers in his own garden. And there is always a demand for a unique shoemaker, despite the fact that he does not have a higher education.
The most amazing thing is that people who have found their purpose do not ask the question “What is the meaning of life?” The one who has not yet found is looking. The finder does not ask where to look.
Life is much easier for people who believe in a higher power. Christians rely on Jesus Christ in everything, Muslims rely on Allah. “Everything is God’s will,” say Orthodox believers. And they are not lying at all.
In religion, purpose is God's providence, which the Lord expresses in relation to an individual or group of people. The belief that He will manage, guide and not let us pass by our place on Earth allows people to live in an absolute sense of the meaning of life.
The simplest advice to those who are looking for purpose: ask yourself the question, what activity fills my existence with meaning and joy? Don't be afraid to listen to yourself and follow your desires. The experience of many outstanding people shows that they found their calling because they listened in time to their own “I dream, I want.”
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What did they think about the meaning of life in ancient times?
Representatives of Greek, Chinese, and Indian philosophy conducted constant debates about the place of man in the context of the Cosmos. Each person seemed to them to be a part, a reflection and even a symbol of the Universe.
Heaven, Earth and the inner world of the individual formed the basis of the universe in Chinese teachings. Man was a part of all this. His life in itself had no meaning.
Socrates, the founder of philosophy in general and Greek philosophy in particular, called for self-knowledge and self-improvement. This is what, in his opinion, allows one to correctly determine the values for setting goals.
The scientist called wisdom the highest good. In the pursuit of wisdom, he saw the meaning of human life, as well as in happiness, the main source of which is morality. Not in the accumulation of material wealth, but in virtue, purification and development of one’s own soul.
Socrates was also supported by Antisthenes, who believed that anyone who wants to be happy and get a ticket to immortality must lead a righteous and pious life.
Plato believed that a person can be truly happy when his soul goes beyond the bounds of his body. Human nature, according to Plato, consists of will, reason and instincts. And a person builds his life depending on which component predominates in him.
Aristotle saw the meaning of life in living “for good,” in the desire to become a responsible citizen of his state.
Epicurus dreamed of achieving peace and avoiding trouble.
By the way, almost all ancient Greek philosophers agreed that the meaning of life should be sought in the present. He is here now. “Live today, forget the past,” says the ancient Greek proverb. “The great science of living happily is to live only in the present,” confirms the popular wisdom of Pythagoras.
What is the meaning of human life - opinions of Russian philosophers and writers
“A vain gift, a random gift, Life, why were you given to me?” Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin reflected, turning to himself. He transferred his own experiences and doubts to his hero. Evgeny Onegin is one of the most striking examples of spiritual soul-searching, further self-determination and, finally, moral rebirth.
Pushkin was not the only one among Russian poets who was concerned about the problem of making his own existence meaningful. Alexander Blok believed that the person who understands what the meaning of life is will cease to be a philistine and will comprehend a lot.
It is worth noting that the views of our outstanding compatriots on one of the main (if not the main) issues of existence concerned, first of all, the spiritual component of human nature. Goals within biology and psychophysics seemed to them devoid of any justification.
Vasily Rozanov was the first to openly “swing” in search of meaning. He called one of his philosophical works “The Purpose of Human Life.” The writer’s task was to find not a far-fetched, but a natural goal of human existence. And Rozanov determined: you need to strive for three things - knowledge of the truth, preservation of external and internal freedom and the increase of good.
Another Russian philosopher and theologian Viktor Nesmelov, in his work “The Question of the Meaning of Life in the Teaching of the New Testament Revelation,” leans toward the Christian view on this issue. Religion explains to man that he does not live for death, but for eternal life in heaven, “in God’s kingdom of light and truth.”
Nikolai Berdyaev believed that the life of the spirit brings light into the existence of both body and soul, and therefore fills existence with meaningful content. Imagining his future, a person should strive to fill the spiritual emptiness and come to a truly fulfilling life.
Dostoevsky, almost all of whose heroes rush around in search of truth and sometimes overstep the bounds of what is permissible by Christian morality, believed that human existence is meaningful if it is within the framework of moral restrictions. Everyone determines the dimensions of these boundaries for himself, but under the watchful control of the Almighty.
The work “The Meaning of Life” was also noted in the history of Russian philosophical thought by one of the Trubetskoy brothers, Evgeniy Nikolaevich. His views on this issue have an exclusively religious basis. The prince considers God to be “the fullness of life and the basic assumption of all life.” “This is what makes life worth living and without which life would have no value,” writes the philosopher.
According to Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy, the goal and meaning of life should be the self-improvement of the individual. But not everything, but the one that the Lord showed us. This can be achieved through non-resistance to evil through violence and love for people.
Tolstoy, as he himself said, had moments in his life when the question “What then?” became unbearably painful for him. The writer called states when he did not find an answer “life stops.” He didn’t know how to live, what to do, he was lost and depressed.
Tolstoy's heroes each move in their own way towards understanding their existence. For example, Pierre Bezukhov, through mistakes and disappointments, comes to understand: one must strive for truth, light and dignity.
World religions about the meaning of life
A believer is to some extent freed from mental turmoil about the meaning of his existence. Firstly, for him, faith in a higher mind already makes sense. Secondly, he knows that life is not finite and the curtain will not fall on earthly death, like after a performance has ended. The three main religions have their own ideas on this topic.
Christianity
The task of every Christian believer, who bears the stamp of the sin of Adam and Eve, is to save his soul. The central figure, the pillar of existence around which everything else exists, is God. People build their lives with the name of the Lord on their lips, with the Savior in their hearts, with God’s commandments in their heads. There is no other option.
It happens, it happens differently. Man turns away from the Creator, breaks the commandments, sins, and is in no hurry to repent. His actions are wrong and irrational. Sins are what deprives a person’s life of meaning from the point of view of Christian teaching.
However, even atheists will agree that there is nothing beautiful in gluttony, debauchery, murder, despondency and other sinful manifestations. And everything ugly, devoid of harmony cannot contain a semantic principle. Returning to God, repentance is nothing more than a rethinking of one’s life.
The Christian religion has many meanings for humanity. When Christ created the world, everything was filled with meaning, just as when he rose from the dead. Only after the Resurrection of Christ did life on Earth acquire a new vector. The risen Jesus illuminated the path for each of us with the light of hope for salvation.
Another providence of God: the Lord created us in His image and likeness. And at this moment our existence acquired an additional incentive - to comply with the Creator’s plan, not to destroy, not to destroy the Divine plan..
In Orthodox Christianity, in addition to conformity with God, there is another goal - to gain eternal life. “There are no dead with God - all are alive with God,” says the Holy Scripture. The immortality of not only the soul, but also the body is another meaning of existence for a believer in Orthodoxy. Hence the tradition, the unspoken law - to bury the deceased in the ground, and not to burn his flesh.
Why are there many pessimists among atheists? Because their life is filled with small everyday victories and defeats, short dashes from one stage to another, sometimes big ups, but equally big downs. And all this is moving towards an ending that is completely obvious to them. A bold point at the end of the path.
Often, feeling the breath of death and turning back, an unbeliever thinks about his life: “What was that? Was everything I did worth it to come into the world?” For many, such thoughts become a big and terrible revelation.
A believer does not have a period at the end - an ellipsis. He has no fear of death, because the earthly world is not finite, and everything can still be corrected. Therefore, Orthodox Christians, like other Christians, have an incentive to live without losing meaning.
Islam
In the Muslim religion, ideas about the purpose of man, his role and functions in the universe coincide with the Christian worldview. “There is no God but Allah...” says the shahada, a testimony of faith in the One God and the mission of his prophet Muhammad.
According to the Holy Quran, it is impossible to know Allah without worshiping Him. And worshiping the Almighty in Islam means doing good and abstaining from evil deeds.
In the main Book of Muslims there is an indication of the goal to which a person should strive. Allah says that He created life and death to test which people do good deeds. This is the meaning of human earthly existence - to do good.
The Qur'an provides one instructive example narrated by the Prophet Muhammad. When a person dies, “three things will follow the deceased: relatives, property and his affairs.” The first ones will return, but the affairs will remain with him. It’s not for nothing that they say: a person is judged by his deeds, not by his words.
The Muslim religion, so to speak, ironizes the meaning of atheistic existence. People who do not know Allah are usually motivated by material achievements - money, a profitable job, a prestigious car. Sometimes they want health for their family and friends, a prosperous family, happiness, etc.
All this has a right to exist, if not for the finitude of the world. At the end of life, a person needs nothing; everything acquired loses its meaning. Let's make a reservation - for non-believers.
The Koran calls all the above aspirations a useless game. “Know that the life of this world is fun, empty decoration, arrogance and the desire to increase your property and the number of children over others. In the future shelter there is real life,” explains the Holy Book.
Thus, the goal and meaning of a Muslim’s life is to get closer to Allah, to live according to His laws, to salvation and eternal life.
Buddhism
Unlike Christianity and Islam, Buddhism does not have a higher mind - God, and also does not cultivate faith in the immortal existence of the human soul. What is the meaning of life for Buddhists?
As Buddha, the founder and ideologist of religion, taught, there is a lot of suffering in human life that arises due to human desires. Get rid of suffering - every Buddhist. This can be achieved only by immersing yourself in a special state of enlightenment, bliss - nirvana.
Being in nirvana, a person ceases to need anything. All desires and the suffering they cause fade into the background and no longer influence his current life, do not disturb or disturb him.
Nirvana can be achieved by moving from another state - samsara. This is a kind of rebirth, a transition from one body to another. The movement is carried out under the control of “spiritual memory”, karma. Your bad deeds, like your good ones, will follow you, having a bad or good influence on your life.
The movement from suffering through rebirth to a state of supreme bliss is the goal and meaning of people who profess Buddhism.
Why is the meaning of life different for everyone?
Thinking about what role is assigned to him in this world, a person tries to answer three main questions:
- What is the value of life?
- What is the ultimate purpose of my existence?
- What should I live for?
It will not be possible to find answers immediately or in a short period of time. It will take a long time before a young man develops ideas about the meaning of life. They will depend on various factors. Such as:
- social status;
- upbringing;
- religious affiliation;
- habitat;
- Lifestyle.
Based on the combination of these factors, people who have certain semantic preferences can be divided into four groups.
1. Hedonists
They live for pleasures and pleasures. This is their life system of beliefs and principles. They choose different means to promote their goals. Hedonists may experience satisfaction from the benefits that their participation brings to society and people. But often they prefer pleasures that violate the norms of morality and morality to traditional values. Food, alcohol, sex, shopping, work, recognition, spiritual practices, the company of friends, family, hobbies, travel, etc. help hedonists enjoy life.
2. Ascetics
Asceticism involves the denial of all desires. Essentially, this is the ideology of Buddhism. Ascetics strive to achieve a higher state of spirit, detachment from earthly pleasures, passions, worries and attachments. They don't need fame, wealth, or money.
They agree to live alone outside of civilization. At the same time, ascetics pay a lot of attention to physical training and improve mental discipline. This is also part of their idea of the meaning of life.
Asceticism, with a certain amount of self-regulation, opens up great opportunities for spiritual growth and internal improvement.
3. Contemplatives
These people experience satisfaction from the process of observing, examining, contemplating everything that surrounds them. They perceive the world passively, without directly influencing it. A visual object for a contemplator is the sphere of application of his mind, thoughts, talents, desires, intentions.
This lifestyle is called active inactivity. A person lives in forward motion, does not rush, does not become immersed in vanity, and does not forget about the main thing. His goals and, ultimately, the meaning of life are in the fulfillment of a high duty, and not in the race for obtaining material wealth.
Contemplation is actively used - it fills them with creative creative energy. A contemplative person feels the world more subtly and, as a rule, does not waste time on momentary meanings.
4. Figures
These people do not live for themselves, but for the common good. Marxist philosophy, which promotes this way of life, states that by living for others one can become “truly perfect and great.”
The meaning of existence of figures is determined by the contribution they make to public affairs. Personal achievements satisfy them to a much lesser extent.
Each of us without fail, at least several times in our lives, asks ourselves the question - what is the meaning of human life and whether it exists. We are interested in why we are born, for what. After all, none of us can escape death anyway. And throughout our lives we endure trials. Every moment we are afraid that something will happen to us, our family and friends.
Why then exist at all if a person is subject to fears? He has to fight temptations, bad manners and habits, but the result is still the same - death. Not only ordinary people are concerned about this issue, but also pundits have been posing it to themselves for centuries.
Some prove one thing, some another. But in general there is still debate about what the point is. And what should those who found the answer to the question, but then lost the only reason in their life, do?
There are many questions, and also answers
What do we live for? Some people answer this question quite specifically - in order to be closer to the Lord God. Others are sure that there is no point in tormenting this moment at all, since there is no meaning to life. Still others believe that the meaning of life for each of us is children, that is, the continuation of the human race. There is another category that generally “doesn’t care” about such things and doesn’t figure out what the meaning of life is. He lives for himself, has fun, fights obstacles and that’s it!
But psychology experts and scientists argue that this is an individual issue. Each of us has our own, our own meaning. Perhaps it is destined by higher powers, but, one way or another, there are no absolutely identical aspirations and desires. It all depends on what a person is like, and this is a complex that includes character, habits, habits, special qualities, his spiritual and physiological components. And as we know, there are so many characters on Earth. So it turns out that each of the more than 7 billion inhabitants of the planet has its own meaning in life.
Looking at how most of us make plans for the day, week and years, we understand that the meaning lies in work and most cannot imagine life without it. More and more people began to regularly visit churches - Catholic, Orthodox, Buddhist, Islamic, etc. It would seem that everything is normal, but then why is everyone worried?
There is a certain meaning chosen by the “soul” and the body, so be it. But still the problem exists. Some do not have any “clues” that would give a certain reason for existence. Others, having it, at a certain moment lose it and do not know how to continue to live, because the meaning is lost.
The next category cannot feel comfortable and harmonious, since they are not able to hear answers to their fundamental questions. And they, as a rule, concern the universe, existence. Where does our Universe begin and where does it end? Our thinking is designed in such a way that we need to see the beginning and the end.
We have not yet developed to such an extent that our nature has come to terms with the fact that there is neither beginning nor end. How is this so? No logic! That's impossible? Let's imagine the beginning, and what about it? Or the end, and what after it? So, there are really a lot of questions.
But let's start with the main thing that we really can still understand - what is the meaning of human life on earth.
Painful search
Most of the planet's inhabitants still cannot understand why they exist. Why do they wake up early every day, cook breakfast, go to work, have dinner and go to bed? Without an answer to this question, they cannot find peace and tranquility with the world around them. They don't know where they are heading. And it is for this reason, against the backdrop of the emerging emptiness, that people strive to fill it with something. Adverse habits arise: alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, nightlife, frequent changes of sexual partners, etc.
Quite often, beautiful, peaceful people—missionaries—approach us on the street or in underground passages and ask us if we know what the meaning of our lives is? How did our world arise, who was the creator of people, why was all this created? Of course, we usually have nothing to say in response. We don't know why all this was started. And as the conversation continues, people read us passages from the Bible, tell us who God is, how he created the Earth, the first people - Adam and Eve, how they sinned and why such trials were sent to humanity.
We are often presented with books with beautiful covers and stunning design. There are a lot of questions there and each of them has a specific answer. The missionaries know very well that almost every passerby they meet is puzzled by this important point and they immediately go to the rescue - they explain everything down to the comma. Thus, they help fill that very threatening void, so that we do not look for other ways to distract from important and exciting issues.
But wait, if everything were that simple, then no one would worry about the meaning of life, right? Why can't missionaries, who have the acumen of a true and talented advertising agent, still satisfy the interest of the population?
Buddha once said that a person who constantly asks the question about the meaning of life behaves like someone wounded by an arrow, who, instead of pulling it out, continually asks where it came from. Thus, the great Buddha wanted to point out that the question of the “meaning of life” has no meaning. And if you give your life to looking for answers, then it will be lived in vain. It will not bring satisfaction, happiness, but only suffering.
Who is this person
We make a big mistake when looking for answers to our questions about life. Let's think about whether the answer will bring us complete satisfaction? Of course not! Most often, having achieved an answer, people ask new questions. Why do we behave this way?
We understand perfectly well that besides us, there is an endless number of interesting, living objects in the Universe. We are familiar with an insignificant part of what nature has created. And among everything that is familiar to us, we are distinguished by the presence of emotions, intelligence, each of us has our own culture, we have memory. Even the most famous scientists in the world do not know the answer - how and from what the Universe was created.
The maximum that we can know is minuscule; we even see the electromagnetic spectrum in less than 1% of the total range. And, then, there is no guarantee that it is plausible. After all, for many centuries in a row, people were sure that the Earth was a flat disk mounted on the shoulders of three large elephants. And they, in turn, stood on the back of a giant turtle. And nothing, in those days, knowledge of this kind was unique, indicators of a person’s mental abilities.
But at the same time, each of us is arrogantly confident that our imperfect mind is capable of understanding plans on a global, universal scale.
And yet, even if someone manages to find out how it all began, where the river of life flows, and gets acquainted with the answers to other questions, then we cannot say that we have learned something. After all, none of us is able to verify these facts, so we just have to believe!
Why most of us do not want to accept that there are moments that are inaccessible to our minds. This is the problem, our non-acceptance. But it’s enough to agree and stop tormenting yourself with questions, and the meaning of a person’s life will stop disturbing people. Everyone will simply live, enjoy and live with honor until death.
Meaning is found and lost. Many people find that same meaning at a certain moment. But our life is a series of successes, failures, happiness. But unfortunately, grief is present in the lives of most of us. And when someone clings with every fiber of his soul to the found meaning, it may turn out that it disappears. What to do in such cases?
Example - a person sees the reason for his existence in his work, in his labors. Thus, he receives pleasure and feels harmony with the world around him. Thanks to his efforts, he received prosperity, fully provides for those around him, and feels like a successful and accomplished person. But there is an economic shock, which is not uncommon these days. Everything disappears - now there is no position, no workplace, no money.
In the 1930s, the Great Depression occurred in the United States. We read a lot about this in history books. The economic decline was so severe that farm owners were forced to pour milk into the river rather than sell it to people, even for pennies. No one could buy food for themselves, the children were starving. Many rich people who lost their fortunes committed suicide. Judging by statistics, there were more than 13 thousand of them, which indicates the scale of the tragedy in the country. Thus, people who found meaning in their successful business were disappointed and saw no other way out than a bullet to the temple.
It happens, of course, differently. Working day and night, suddenly, at a certain moment, a person realizes that this is not exactly what he dreamed of. That is, he begins to understand that his work, on the contrary, took away years of his life and deprived him of the opportunity to communicate more with loved ones and family. And all the money that he earned and enriched himself did not bring moral satisfaction. That is, for many years a person was in a state of self-deception.
The meaning of life is in children. Yes, at the moment it appears as a companion to almost every person on Earth. For a father, and a mother in particular, there is nothing more valuable than their child. For the sake of the baby, adults are ready to give up everything, give him their last, even their lives. Unfortunately, we have experienced how one of our loved ones, neighbors or acquaintances lost a child. It is simply impossible to look at a mother in a state of grief. She completely loses the meaning of her life, which she saw in her beloved child.
Life story
“Raisa K. was born in 1941, her mother is German by blood, her father is Russian, a communist. When the war began, her father went to the front. Mom, her and her eldest son Volodya went to the village where her distant German relatives lived. So, they remained there until the autumn of 1941. The Germans came and repatriated them to Germany. Little Raechka in her mother’s arms and her brother went through 3 concentration camps.
She was just a baby, a three-year-old girl, when her mother was buried in her last place of stay. As we understand, in the concentration camps death was not a novelty for anyone. But fortunately, their mother’s sister, Rosa, remained with them. This was the case until the end of the war. Then the children from this camp were sent to the Kazakhstan orphanage, where they remained until the end of the war.
Their father began to look for his children. But by this time he was already married to another woman. They took Raya away, the stepmother literally disdained the child, but still, with grief in half, she raised the girl. And Vladimir was immediately assigned to some school and he did not live with his parents.
Years passed, Raechka’s father was sent to Asia, where he held a party position. The stepmother continued to have a negative attitude towards the girl. Apparently for this reason, Raisa immediately agreed to marry an Asian man, hoping that she would find happiness with him. She lived with this man for 19 years and was beaten many times. She tried to leave, but there was nowhere to go, and he found her quickly.
The parents did not touch their daughter's life. He turned out to be cruel, drank a lot and, in the end, it all ended with him killing a man while intoxicated. At that time, Raisa already had five children. Realizing that she couldn’t live like this any longer, and that her husband would simply finish her off with beatings, she decided to run away from him. The two eldest sons themselves persuaded their mother to move further away, to a place where their ill-fated father would not find her.
The guys stayed at home, as one was graduating from college, the other from school with excellent marks. With tears in her eyes, Raya packed her things and went with her three children to her homeland. Her beloved brother Volodya lived there with his wife. They seemed to receive it well, but the daughter-in-law made it clear that there was no place for a woman with a bunch of children next to them. We were looking for an apartment, of course far from the city, everything was cheaper there.
So, Raya got a job at school and raised children. They grew up, our heroine worked at a new construction site in a canteen and, as a woman with many children, she was given an apartment. Everything seemed to be working out, although the last child, her daughter, was often sick. But this too gradually went away. The 90s came, everyone grew up, met, started a family. The eldest son, after serving in the army, went to Asia, where his bride was waiting for him. The second one started working, received a good salary and at the same time was preparing to enter university. The second time he succeeded. He studied with excellent marks and, in addition to his studies, worked as a janitor.
Years passed and he became a successful police officer. He helped the mother with everything and together they raised the younger ones to their “feet.” And so, in the mid-90s, this guy, being very young, dies. It's hard to even write about what happened to Raisa. She did not accept the loss, refused to believe it. They buried the guy, and Raya became more and more strange.
The matter reached a psychiatric clinic, where she spent two months. No, she was thinking normally, it was just a necessary measure. The doctors understood that she needed support, otherwise she would go crazy. Time passed, all the children got married and had children too. Now, Raya has a bunch of not only grandchildren, but great-grandchildren. Almost every year she is pleased with a pleasant event. Not only she, but also other family members never forget about their beloved son and brother. They remember with respect and reverence the man who helped in everything. But life moves on and for Raisa the meaning now lies in grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”
The example suggests that having lost the meaning of life due to the departure of one child, you can find it, albeit not immediately, in other children and grandchildren. Life doesn't stop, that's the main thing. If, after the loss of a beloved child, emptiness sets in and there is no one else, trouble cannot be avoided. Especially if the person is too impressionable and loves his child very much.
Meaning in religion. Believers are sensitive to criticism about their religion. They are ready to forget about the moral principles that their mentors teach them, and will attack with their fists the one who “dare” to say even one “crooked” word about their confession. You shouldn't be surprised or outraged by this. It’s just that for them, faith, religion is the very meaning of life that people are looking for. But if you dig deeper, these people believe so selflessly in their religion out of a feeling of great gratitude. After all, she helped them find and fill the void, and now they don’t have to rack their brains.
And if one of the believers is disappointed in his beliefs, then he loses the ground from under his feet. The straw he was holding onto dissolves and he drowns. That same dangerous gap appears, an emptiness inside, waiting for a person to break down and be disappointed. This is where internal conflict comes into play. In which you just want to “fill up” the resulting hole with alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, promiscuous dating and sexual contacts.
How to solve problems
The main thing is not to get too attached. Yes, we are driven by love and responsibility, but we cannot “dissolve” in our children to such an extent. Someone will object: “Look, try not to get attached to your beloved child. After all, this is the most important thing in our lives.” Yes, we agree, it's hard! But there is still a way out. In addition to children and work, diversify your life and have other interests.
As for faith, the “golden mean” is important here. If you turn into a fanatically religious person, it won’t take long for you to go crazy. After all, no one says that religion, especially Orthodox religion, is bad. In it, people find peace and tranquility, develop strength of spirit, become better, cleaner. But we should not forget that we are all people with our sins and shortcomings. In addition to attending church, prayers, fasting and other obligatory rituals, you should also remember about friends, loved ones, relatives, and work. The main thing is to lead an honest, sincere and decent life.
There is an important economic rule. All successful businessmen resort to it - they never invest all their money in one company, following the clever English proverb “Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket!” At least 3-5 enterprises with different types of business. Of course, applying such a rule in life if the issue concerns family and loved ones would be very cynical.
But here, too, there is a small way out. You need to open up to the whole world, live life to the fullest and understand that everything in the world passes, and this too will pass. No matter how hard it is, you need to look for joy and satisfaction in everything - in nature, friends, family members. The main thing is to save life, and then everything will happen.
Emptiness and meaninglessness. There is a category of people for whom there is no meaning in life at all. They live and understand that no one needs it, brings nothing and has no meaning. So, seemingly normal, calm people suffer from the inside. They look into the future, and there is emptiness, meaninglessness.
A simple example is students who have just graduated from university. They wander around looking for work. And to be honest, they themselves don’t know what to do next. During this period, they have a lot of thoughts and not a single useful one. But as soon as they are led almost by the hand to the enterprise, they begin to feel the meaning of their lives. But it's not just about work. Everything that seems to give meaning to life attracts everyone without exception. But the moment of “awakening” comes, especially for those who devote their lives to work and unimportant things. And the meaning is lost. What to do? It’s simple – don’t invest everything in one “basket”.
How to solve the problem of the meaning of life
We have studied the very touching and difficult story of Raisa. The meaning of her life lay in her beloved children. She survived the death of one of them, the one who was always the main assistant. But thanks to the fact that she had four more children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she was able to survive the pain and loss. That is, to put it roughly, she invested her meaning in life not in one, but in several children (sorry for being cynical).
As we have already understood, everyone has their own reason for living on this planet. But in any case, you can’t, like a horse with blinders, follow only one path and hold on to one thing. And you don’t need to constantly ask yourself the question: “Why am I living?” As soon as you stop torturing yourself, a certain mood will immediately arise that allows you to find harmony and peace. There is no need to bang your head against a “closed door,” that is, try to know what is inaccessible to us. And in general - what difference does it make? Just live, be happy and enjoy every minute of your life.
And also, know that you will have to answer for any actions. The more evil you do, the worse it will be for you. We do not want to convince you of the existence of hell and heaven. No one has ever been able to abolish the boomerang law. Everything bad we do comes back to us. And you don't have to go far for this. There are many examples in which a bad person ends badly. Yes, he may have time to “annoy” someone, but his fate is already predetermined. And judging by this, one can understand that the main meaning of every person’s life is to live life beautifully. So that its existence does not cause problems for other people.