WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..My Class Contribution..
***My class contribution was accounted for on December 13, 2007 when I helped out (along with majority of the class) move furniture into the classroom and assemble pieces as well***
Monday, January 21, 2008
RECONSIDERED [final]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..My Reconsidered..
My perspective on the meaning of life has definitely evolved yet has not completely transformed. Only to a certain extent and in some areas. I think a lot of my original views were further confirmed, while much of my ideas were expanded and broadened to others. I think this is because of the fact that my initial meaning of life was not one that was very specific to begin with. I started with a wide spectrum of possibilities that were relatable to many other ideas. Therefore once I was introduced to other perspectives, it still correlated with my own.
As a class we have explored many perceptions of what people think the meaning of life is. I think I felt as though in the beginning, i knew what the meaning of life was, and had no idea at the same time. We were presented with a number of different ways of looking at this topic, and eventually went further in detail through each perception. More specifically, we studied our own thoughts on our meaning of life, we investigated the question itself, explored the purpose of living through an assortment of religions, as well as thru an artistic and philosophical stance. We were able to find a deep understanding of the viewpoint of each spectrum so much it was as if we were looking through the lens of each type of notion.
From the beginning I felt as though everyone's meaning of life was varied and dependent on their own experiences. I figured that my own meaning of life was to just live and learn, and to be oblivious of the question “WHY?” I felt as though it was not important for me to focus on what the meaning and purpose was of everything that came my way, but actually trusting that it does essentially have a meaning and purpose, even if I wasn’t aware of it. I figured that the meaning of life was to not live by focusing on what for...but knowing that i will soon come to find out. That about my perspective has not changed.
I feel this way for the fact that I see life as, "If you already know what the point of living is, then there is no real point in living". I say this because I consider life to be the journey we take to figure out life as we live. If I were to have already established that before my life was complete, what would I have left to strive for? I think that my main idea on the meaning of life is, is not actually falling into any specific category, and is not actually about ANYTHING. After all of the possibilities we searched through, and all the aspects we studied, I still believe that life is about experience, change, and creation, further than that too. I’ve but I have come to understand that one must deal with the “natural” situations that may come forth in a persons life, and yet still remain self-attainable. The fact that I must live my life with ME controlling ME and no person and no situation doing so. Throughout this unit, the idea that I mustn’t let any circumstance define me has been further confirmed as time passed.
My views on what other people think about the meaning of life, and why makes much more sense to me. I’ve come to comprehend that there are varied ways to view the question itself, and I’ve recognized what the main reason for controversy is when dealing with what is the meaning of life. On the attempt to answer the question throughout the past few months my entire perspective on live has completely been enhanced.
Through the articles we read from the perspectives of the three philosophers has broadened my aspect drastically. The fact that people see the actual question differently, it explained a lot for me to see why their meaning behind life is different from others, besides the fact that they have lived different lives (like my original thoughts). As far as my views on religion, this class has brought me to the absolute point of confusion! I started off being a believer in the Catholic religion, and although I was not particularly religious, as in going to church weekly etc. I was a strong believer. At this point in my life I do not know what to believe! I now just take life for what it is and live by what is brought in front of me.
As i write this, i feel like my views are expanded so much in such a way that i feel all over the place, which would seem like a negative change, yet I find it to be extremely helpful. The fact that i kind of no longer know exactly what to think is a sign of my outlook on things becoming more open-minded to all the possibilities of the meaning of life. My meaning of life is not exact, and I still have not identified what my reasoning is for being on this earth, but I am completely fine with that. I don’t find any need to be aware of why we are here, living a certain way, the fact that we are living is a satisfying enough. The deeper I focused in on the significance of life as the days have gone by, the more scattered my thoughts had/have gotten. My meaning of life is to just live. life is about experiences and is about whatever you want it to be about.
..My Reconsidered..
My perspective on the meaning of life has definitely evolved yet has not completely transformed. Only to a certain extent and in some areas. I think a lot of my original views were further confirmed, while much of my ideas were expanded and broadened to others. I think this is because of the fact that my initial meaning of life was not one that was very specific to begin with. I started with a wide spectrum of possibilities that were relatable to many other ideas. Therefore once I was introduced to other perspectives, it still correlated with my own.
As a class we have explored many perceptions of what people think the meaning of life is. I think I felt as though in the beginning, i knew what the meaning of life was, and had no idea at the same time. We were presented with a number of different ways of looking at this topic, and eventually went further in detail through each perception. More specifically, we studied our own thoughts on our meaning of life, we investigated the question itself, explored the purpose of living through an assortment of religions, as well as thru an artistic and philosophical stance. We were able to find a deep understanding of the viewpoint of each spectrum so much it was as if we were looking through the lens of each type of notion.
From the beginning I felt as though everyone's meaning of life was varied and dependent on their own experiences. I figured that my own meaning of life was to just live and learn, and to be oblivious of the question “WHY?” I felt as though it was not important for me to focus on what the meaning and purpose was of everything that came my way, but actually trusting that it does essentially have a meaning and purpose, even if I wasn’t aware of it. I figured that the meaning of life was to not live by focusing on what for...but knowing that i will soon come to find out. That about my perspective has not changed.
I feel this way for the fact that I see life as, "If you already know what the point of living is, then there is no real point in living". I say this because I consider life to be the journey we take to figure out life as we live. If I were to have already established that before my life was complete, what would I have left to strive for? I think that my main idea on the meaning of life is, is not actually falling into any specific category, and is not actually about ANYTHING. After all of the possibilities we searched through, and all the aspects we studied, I still believe that life is about experience, change, and creation, further than that too. I’ve but I have come to understand that one must deal with the “natural” situations that may come forth in a persons life, and yet still remain self-attainable. The fact that I must live my life with ME controlling ME and no person and no situation doing so. Throughout this unit, the idea that I mustn’t let any circumstance define me has been further confirmed as time passed.
My views on what other people think about the meaning of life, and why makes much more sense to me. I’ve come to comprehend that there are varied ways to view the question itself, and I’ve recognized what the main reason for controversy is when dealing with what is the meaning of life. On the attempt to answer the question throughout the past few months my entire perspective on live has completely been enhanced.
Through the articles we read from the perspectives of the three philosophers has broadened my aspect drastically. The fact that people see the actual question differently, it explained a lot for me to see why their meaning behind life is different from others, besides the fact that they have lived different lives (like my original thoughts). As far as my views on religion, this class has brought me to the absolute point of confusion! I started off being a believer in the Catholic religion, and although I was not particularly religious, as in going to church weekly etc. I was a strong believer. At this point in my life I do not know what to believe! I now just take life for what it is and live by what is brought in front of me.
As i write this, i feel like my views are expanded so much in such a way that i feel all over the place, which would seem like a negative change, yet I find it to be extremely helpful. The fact that i kind of no longer know exactly what to think is a sign of my outlook on things becoming more open-minded to all the possibilities of the meaning of life. My meaning of life is not exact, and I still have not identified what my reasoning is for being on this earth, but I am completely fine with that. I don’t find any need to be aware of why we are here, living a certain way, the fact that we are living is a satisfying enough. The deeper I focused in on the significance of life as the days have gone by, the more scattered my thoughts had/have gotten. My meaning of life is to just live. life is about experiences and is about whatever you want it to be about.
RECONSIDERED [draft]
My persepective on the meaning of life has definitly changed. Yet not completely, and only to a certain extent and in some areas. I think I felt as though in the beginnning, i knew what the meaning of life was, and had no idea at the same time. I felt as though everyone's MOL was varied and dependent on their own experiences. I thought that my own meaning of life was to just live and learn. I felt as though it was not important for me to focus on what the meaning and purpose was of everything that came my way, but trusting that it does acutally have a meaning and purpose was fine. I figured that the meaning of life was to not live by focusing on what for...but knowing that i will soon come to find out. That about my persepective has not changed.
I feel this way for the fact that i see it as, "if you already know what the point of living is, then there is no real point in living". I think that my main idea on the meaning of life is, is not actually falling into any specific category, and is not actually about ANYTHING. I do not have a meaning, but i have reasoning behind why I don't. What has however changed, is a lot. My views on what other people think on the MOL and why makes much more sense to me. The varied ways to view the question itself, and to recognize that that is a main reason for controversy within the question has definitly enhanced my perspective.
Through the articles we read from the perspectives of the 3 philosophers has broadened my aspect very much so. The fact that people see the actual question differently, it explained a lot for me to see why their meaning behind life is different from others, besides the fact that they have lived different lives (like my original thoughts).
As i write this, i feel like my views are expanded so much in such a way that i feel all over the place...which is good I think. The fact that i kind of no longer know exactly what to think is a sign of my views becomin more open-minded to all the possibilities of the MOL. I don't really know what to think anymore. My meaning of life is definitly undecided and even unknown, but i'm not exactly knowing what my reason here is for. I think that the deeper i get into the MOL the more scattered my thoughts will get.
I feel this way for the fact that i see it as, "if you already know what the point of living is, then there is no real point in living". I think that my main idea on the meaning of life is, is not actually falling into any specific category, and is not actually about ANYTHING. I do not have a meaning, but i have reasoning behind why I don't. What has however changed, is a lot. My views on what other people think on the MOL and why makes much more sense to me. The varied ways to view the question itself, and to recognize that that is a main reason for controversy within the question has definitly enhanced my perspective.
Through the articles we read from the perspectives of the 3 philosophers has broadened my aspect very much so. The fact that people see the actual question differently, it explained a lot for me to see why their meaning behind life is different from others, besides the fact that they have lived different lives (like my original thoughts).
As i write this, i feel like my views are expanded so much in such a way that i feel all over the place...which is good I think. The fact that i kind of no longer know exactly what to think is a sign of my views becomin more open-minded to all the possibilities of the MOL. I don't really know what to think anymore. My meaning of life is definitly undecided and even unknown, but i'm not exactly knowing what my reason here is for. I think that the deeper i get into the MOL the more scattered my thoughts will get.
ARTISTIC PERSPECTIVE [final]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Artistic Perspective..
Art surrounds each and every one of us everyday whether we realize it or not and many are very oblivious to the fact that we are all affected by it one way or another. Going by my personal definition of art, I consider it to be any type or form of expressing something. I think of it to bring forth a certain emotion or thought in the viewer’s head. Art is a skill or display of meaning and/or interpretation. It includes ones opinion and inner voice, without necessarily outright saying it, and makes one think broader and forces one to be opened up to new and expanded possibilities.
Following such a definition, I’ve come to the conclusion that this class is a form of art. “What is the meaning of life” course is one that I see is a technique to broaden my views and causes me to see things in a different spectrum, just like any other piece of art would. Whether it be the typical piece of are such as a painting, or a book, movie, dance, song, poem, architecture and so on, if whatever it is has a certain impact over you in a certain aberrant approach, I would consider it art. As far as this course goes, I am able to walk into this class almost everyday and I am able to see from a different outlook from each and every visit. My views are expanded to all these varied thoughts and possibilities much like it would if I were listening to some distinctive piece of poetry.
Aside from this class as a piece of art, we have looked at a wide assortment of the diverse viewpoints towards the meaning of life. Being that we have come to the conclusion that art has its way of expressing meaning without technically defining it, we came to understand that art may be a very useful way of helping us come closer to our awareness of the key to life. Much like how it seems that words cannot thoroughly define our purpose of living, we have already established that art does not take any actual words to delimit a message, so why wouldn’t art be able to give us a deeper meaning of life without the use of a typical description. It might be the exact and possibly only way to identify our significance to life.
While reviewing the many possibilities of an artistic piece to focus on, I’ve decided to compare how a story written by Stephen King (also made into a film), named “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, a short story named, “Jump Shots” written by Robert James Waller, as well as a concise movie piece called “Ready”. Each of those examples portrays a different yet relatable way to live and look at life. All pieces gives the viewer/reader diverse way to view life and how to deal with it in a perhaps out of the ordinary, remarkable way. In the first artistic model, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, Stephen King introduces the reader to the idea that life is about not letting life define you. King makes it clear that life is what you make it, although we don’t have complete control and choice over all oncoming circumstances, and its about making the best out of what is put in front of you. Stephen King uses a number of different techniques to emphasize such meanings, and brings about alternative questions of the meanings of life. The questions, “Is there a larger significance (to life)?”, and “How should we live” are recognized and the answers are obscurely rejoined. The main character, Andy Defresne, has experienced an overload of struggle and just pain and suffering all physically, mentally, and emotionally, and those are things he had no choice in. The fact that he’d been sentenced to life in prison over a crime that was not entirely proven to be under his hands, and getting beat and raped in jail etc. were all “natural” struggles and problems that were obviously not selective and he could not help but to deal with it in whichever way he could. Yet what I personally got out of this story, is that one cannot allow life’s uncontrollable occurrences define and characterize them as a person. One cannot have power over what life has been given to them, and can’t even completely control what happens with it, yet throughout this piece, it was quite evident that we has humans must come to an understanding of that and must make the best out of what we comes our way no matter what. It is our job to survive through any situation, learn and grow from it even if its difficult. Defresne experienced a lot of hard times and tons of torment and misery, yet he still managed to come out and fight his way through it, making sure that he defines himself and not the situation.
Such a novel/movie, similar to the short story we read in class, “Jump Shot”. With a completely different plot, and not nearly as gloomy, the message it conveyed was just as up to par. It is the story of a boy’s desire to play basketball and how it transformed his life. This story shows the process in which life experiences get on the verge to take over a person yet Waller does not let the situation define him. He followed through with doing what he genuinely wants even if it seems absurd, “Bored with school and small-town life at thirteen, I have decided to become a basketball player. Absurd. Five feet two inches tall, 110 pounds”. With the author explaining his life as this small, frail, want-to-be basketball star with dreams larger than his body, as a youngster, he goes on to his mid life and how his almost fairytale dreams are actually making his reality. Waller spends his life striving to complete his one main goal, that made him happy, until he suddenly doesn’t find the same joy out of his objective as he used to. All the way up to taking his basketball career in college, piece by piece, he slowly got worn out of his desire for his love of basketball.
He’d started to slowly but surely loose his own essence of what he really wanted. Basketball had shaped his live and was beginning to generate what was to come for him, rather than himself deciding that. As seen in the story, his talent drove the people who surrounded him to end up being more as fiend for young Waller to be playing basketball then Waller himself. That is made clear when speaking of his father, he’d made the “All-North Central Conference first team”, Waller states, “he is please, and I am pleased for him. By the end of the story, it was clear that he had lost his love for basketball and found comfort in something new, which was to become a famous writer instead. This story sent out the message that live should be lived either balanced or even perhaps rather unbalanced. Either way, don’t force it. One should spend their life focused on what they love doing, whether or not the desire for it will eventually fade or strength is unimportant, but one should always go for it. There’s nothing to lose. However, does that mean that life is also about the strive to find what makes one happy? It seems that Waller found a distinct passion in basketball, and he was not able to pinpoint what exactly it was about it that gave him this great sensation out of it, but it seems that when he reached his limit, and he actually understood why, at that point his infatuation all just kind of stopped for him. I could compare this to my own personal theory that once one determines the meaning to life, they would not get the same affection for it. There would not be a point to living if you’d already established what the point was.
In the peculiar short film called “Ready”, this significant movie is focused around the natural, uncontrollable idea of death. Death is the one thing that no one can in anyway control and can always bank on happened. Dying is something no one can in any way work around and in this film a woman believes that she is aware of the day she will die. She spent the last times of her life with a plan, and she lived each day trying to control what would happen with each hour until her time was up. She had a timer on her life, and she figured instead of aiming to live life to its absolute fullest (whatever that may be), she decided to live as if there was nothing she could do other than following the routine of her life. She decided to live out her life the way one would typically think they were supposed to. By living under certain rules, demonstrating certain manners, etc. rather than living the way she probably truly wanted to. This film showed us the reactions of an individual and the way one would live if they were given a deadline on their lifeline, and somewhat of an ultimatum. This piece also showed that life is unexpected and there is always going to be a sense of surprise.
All three of those artistic pieces demonstrated the same message, yet in very uncommon ways. The fact that one must make the best out of each situation they are given, without having a choice over what exactly they are handed. The way each manages the unmanageable circumstances is how we should live our lives according to these pieces of art.
..Artistic Perspective..
Art surrounds each and every one of us everyday whether we realize it or not and many are very oblivious to the fact that we are all affected by it one way or another. Going by my personal definition of art, I consider it to be any type or form of expressing something. I think of it to bring forth a certain emotion or thought in the viewer’s head. Art is a skill or display of meaning and/or interpretation. It includes ones opinion and inner voice, without necessarily outright saying it, and makes one think broader and forces one to be opened up to new and expanded possibilities.
Following such a definition, I’ve come to the conclusion that this class is a form of art. “What is the meaning of life” course is one that I see is a technique to broaden my views and causes me to see things in a different spectrum, just like any other piece of art would. Whether it be the typical piece of are such as a painting, or a book, movie, dance, song, poem, architecture and so on, if whatever it is has a certain impact over you in a certain aberrant approach, I would consider it art. As far as this course goes, I am able to walk into this class almost everyday and I am able to see from a different outlook from each and every visit. My views are expanded to all these varied thoughts and possibilities much like it would if I were listening to some distinctive piece of poetry.
Aside from this class as a piece of art, we have looked at a wide assortment of the diverse viewpoints towards the meaning of life. Being that we have come to the conclusion that art has its way of expressing meaning without technically defining it, we came to understand that art may be a very useful way of helping us come closer to our awareness of the key to life. Much like how it seems that words cannot thoroughly define our purpose of living, we have already established that art does not take any actual words to delimit a message, so why wouldn’t art be able to give us a deeper meaning of life without the use of a typical description. It might be the exact and possibly only way to identify our significance to life.
While reviewing the many possibilities of an artistic piece to focus on, I’ve decided to compare how a story written by Stephen King (also made into a film), named “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, a short story named, “Jump Shots” written by Robert James Waller, as well as a concise movie piece called “Ready”. Each of those examples portrays a different yet relatable way to live and look at life. All pieces gives the viewer/reader diverse way to view life and how to deal with it in a perhaps out of the ordinary, remarkable way. In the first artistic model, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, Stephen King introduces the reader to the idea that life is about not letting life define you. King makes it clear that life is what you make it, although we don’t have complete control and choice over all oncoming circumstances, and its about making the best out of what is put in front of you. Stephen King uses a number of different techniques to emphasize such meanings, and brings about alternative questions of the meanings of life. The questions, “Is there a larger significance (to life)?”, and “How should we live” are recognized and the answers are obscurely rejoined. The main character, Andy Defresne, has experienced an overload of struggle and just pain and suffering all physically, mentally, and emotionally, and those are things he had no choice in. The fact that he’d been sentenced to life in prison over a crime that was not entirely proven to be under his hands, and getting beat and raped in jail etc. were all “natural” struggles and problems that were obviously not selective and he could not help but to deal with it in whichever way he could. Yet what I personally got out of this story, is that one cannot allow life’s uncontrollable occurrences define and characterize them as a person. One cannot have power over what life has been given to them, and can’t even completely control what happens with it, yet throughout this piece, it was quite evident that we has humans must come to an understanding of that and must make the best out of what we comes our way no matter what. It is our job to survive through any situation, learn and grow from it even if its difficult. Defresne experienced a lot of hard times and tons of torment and misery, yet he still managed to come out and fight his way through it, making sure that he defines himself and not the situation.
Such a novel/movie, similar to the short story we read in class, “Jump Shot”. With a completely different plot, and not nearly as gloomy, the message it conveyed was just as up to par. It is the story of a boy’s desire to play basketball and how it transformed his life. This story shows the process in which life experiences get on the verge to take over a person yet Waller does not let the situation define him. He followed through with doing what he genuinely wants even if it seems absurd, “Bored with school and small-town life at thirteen, I have decided to become a basketball player. Absurd. Five feet two inches tall, 110 pounds”. With the author explaining his life as this small, frail, want-to-be basketball star with dreams larger than his body, as a youngster, he goes on to his mid life and how his almost fairytale dreams are actually making his reality. Waller spends his life striving to complete his one main goal, that made him happy, until he suddenly doesn’t find the same joy out of his objective as he used to. All the way up to taking his basketball career in college, piece by piece, he slowly got worn out of his desire for his love of basketball.
He’d started to slowly but surely loose his own essence of what he really wanted. Basketball had shaped his live and was beginning to generate what was to come for him, rather than himself deciding that. As seen in the story, his talent drove the people who surrounded him to end up being more as fiend for young Waller to be playing basketball then Waller himself. That is made clear when speaking of his father, he’d made the “All-North Central Conference first team”, Waller states, “he is please, and I am pleased for him. By the end of the story, it was clear that he had lost his love for basketball and found comfort in something new, which was to become a famous writer instead. This story sent out the message that live should be lived either balanced or even perhaps rather unbalanced. Either way, don’t force it. One should spend their life focused on what they love doing, whether or not the desire for it will eventually fade or strength is unimportant, but one should always go for it. There’s nothing to lose. However, does that mean that life is also about the strive to find what makes one happy? It seems that Waller found a distinct passion in basketball, and he was not able to pinpoint what exactly it was about it that gave him this great sensation out of it, but it seems that when he reached his limit, and he actually understood why, at that point his infatuation all just kind of stopped for him. I could compare this to my own personal theory that once one determines the meaning to life, they would not get the same affection for it. There would not be a point to living if you’d already established what the point was.
In the peculiar short film called “Ready”, this significant movie is focused around the natural, uncontrollable idea of death. Death is the one thing that no one can in anyway control and can always bank on happened. Dying is something no one can in any way work around and in this film a woman believes that she is aware of the day she will die. She spent the last times of her life with a plan, and she lived each day trying to control what would happen with each hour until her time was up. She had a timer on her life, and she figured instead of aiming to live life to its absolute fullest (whatever that may be), she decided to live as if there was nothing she could do other than following the routine of her life. She decided to live out her life the way one would typically think they were supposed to. By living under certain rules, demonstrating certain manners, etc. rather than living the way she probably truly wanted to. This film showed us the reactions of an individual and the way one would live if they were given a deadline on their lifeline, and somewhat of an ultimatum. This piece also showed that life is unexpected and there is always going to be a sense of surprise.
All three of those artistic pieces demonstrated the same message, yet in very uncommon ways. The fact that one must make the best out of each situation they are given, without having a choice over what exactly they are handed. The way each manages the unmanageable circumstances is how we should live our lives according to these pieces of art.
ARTISTIC PERSPECTIVE [draft 2]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Artistic Perspective..
Art surrounds each and every one of us everyday whether we realize it or not and many are very oblivious to the fact that we are all affected by it one way or another. Going by my personal definition of art, I consider it to be any type or form of expressing something. I think of it to bring forth a certain emotion or thought in the viewer’s head. Art is a skill or display of meaning and/or interpretation. It includes ones opinion and inner voice, without necessarily outright saying it, and makes one think broader and forces one to be opened up to new and expanded possibilities.
Following such a definition, I’ve come to the conclusion that this class is a form of art. “What is the meaning of life” course is one that I see is a technique to broaden my views and causes me to see things in a different spectrum, just like any other piece of art would. Whether it be the typical piece of are such as a painting, or a book, movie, dance, song, poem, architecture and so on, if whatever it is has a certain impact over you in a certain aberrant approach, I would consider it art. As far as this course goes, I am able to walk into this class almost everyday and I am able to see from a different outlook from each and every visit. My views are expanded to all these varied thoughts and possibilities much like it would if I were listening to some distinctive piece of poetry.
Aside from this class as a piece of art, we have looked at a wide assortment of the diverse viewpoints towards the meaning of life. Being that we have come to the conclusion that art has its way of expressing meaning without technically defining it, we came to understand that art may be a very useful way of helping us come closer to our awareness of the key to life. Much like how it seems that words cannot thoroughly define our purpose of living, we have already established that art does not take any actual words to delimit a message, so why wouldn’t art be able to give us a deeper meaning of life without the use of a typical description. It might be the exact and possibly only way to identify our significance to life.
While reviewing the many possibilities of an artistic piece to focus on, I’ve decided to compare how a story written by Stephen King (also made into a film), named “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, a short story named, “Jump Shots” written by Robert James Waller, as well as a concise movie piece called “Ready”. Each of those examples portrays a different yet relatable way to live and look at life. All pieces gives the viewer/reader diverse way to view life and how to deal with it in a perhaps out of the ordinary, remarkable way. In the first artistic model, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, Stephen King introduces the reader to the idea that life is about not letting life define you. King makes it clear that life is what you make it, although we don’t have complete control and choice over all oncoming circumstances, and its about making the best out of what is put in front of you. Stephen King uses a number of different techniques to emphasize such meanings, and brings about alternative questions of the meanings of life. The questions, “Is there a larger significance (to life)?”, and “How should we live” are recognized and the answers are obscurely rejoined. The main character, Andy Defresne, has experienced an overload of struggle and just pain and suffering all physically, mentally, and emotionally, and those are things he had no choice in. The fact that he’d been sentenced to life in prison over a crime that was not entirely proven to be under his hands, and getting beat and raped in jail etc. were all “natural” struggles and problems that were obviously not selective and he could not help but to deal with it in whichever way he could. Yet what I personally got out of this story, is that one cannot allow life’s uncontrollable occurrences define and characterize them as a person. One cannot have power over what life has been given to them, and can’t even completely control what happens with it, yet throughout this piece, it was quite evident that we has humans must come to an understanding of that and must make the best out of what we comes our way no matter what. It is our job to survive through any situation, learn and grow from it even if its difficult. Defresne experienced a lot of hard times and tons of torment and misery, yet he still managed to come out and fight his way through it, making sure that he defines himself and not the situation.
Such a novel/movie, similar to the short story we read in class, “Jump Shot”. With a completely different plot, and not nearly as gloomy, the message it conveyed was just as up to par. It is the story of a boy’s desire to play basketball and how it transformed his life. This story shows the process in which life experiences get on the verge to take over a person. With the author explaining his life as this small, frail, want-to-be basketball star with dreams larger than his body, as a youngster, he goes on to his mid life and how his almost fairytale dreams are actually making his reality. Waller spends his life striving to complete his one main goal, that made him happy, until he suddenly doesn’t find the same joy out of his objective as he used to. All the way up to taking his basketball career in college, piece by piece, he slowly got worn out of his desire for his love of basketball. Basketball had shaped his live and was beginning to generate what was to come for him, rather than himself deciding that. However, does that mean that live is also about the strive to find what makes one happy?
In the peculiar short film called “Ready”, this significant movie is focused around the natural, uncontrollable idea of death. Death is the one thing that no one can in anyway control and can always bank on happened. Dying is something no one can in any way work around and in this film a woman believes that she is aware of the day she will die. She spent the last times of her life with a plan, and she lived each day trying to control what would happen with each hour until her time was up. She had a timer on her life, and she figured instead of aiming to live life to its absolute fullest (whatever that may be), she decided to live as if there was nothing she could do other than following the routine of her life.
All three of those artistic pieces demonstrated the same message, yet in very uncommon ways. The fact that one must make the best out of each situation they are given, without having a choice over what exactly they are handed. The way each manages the unmanageable circumstances is how we should live our lives according to these pieces of art.
..Artistic Perspective..
Art surrounds each and every one of us everyday whether we realize it or not and many are very oblivious to the fact that we are all affected by it one way or another. Going by my personal definition of art, I consider it to be any type or form of expressing something. I think of it to bring forth a certain emotion or thought in the viewer’s head. Art is a skill or display of meaning and/or interpretation. It includes ones opinion and inner voice, without necessarily outright saying it, and makes one think broader and forces one to be opened up to new and expanded possibilities.
Following such a definition, I’ve come to the conclusion that this class is a form of art. “What is the meaning of life” course is one that I see is a technique to broaden my views and causes me to see things in a different spectrum, just like any other piece of art would. Whether it be the typical piece of are such as a painting, or a book, movie, dance, song, poem, architecture and so on, if whatever it is has a certain impact over you in a certain aberrant approach, I would consider it art. As far as this course goes, I am able to walk into this class almost everyday and I am able to see from a different outlook from each and every visit. My views are expanded to all these varied thoughts and possibilities much like it would if I were listening to some distinctive piece of poetry.
Aside from this class as a piece of art, we have looked at a wide assortment of the diverse viewpoints towards the meaning of life. Being that we have come to the conclusion that art has its way of expressing meaning without technically defining it, we came to understand that art may be a very useful way of helping us come closer to our awareness of the key to life. Much like how it seems that words cannot thoroughly define our purpose of living, we have already established that art does not take any actual words to delimit a message, so why wouldn’t art be able to give us a deeper meaning of life without the use of a typical description. It might be the exact and possibly only way to identify our significance to life.
While reviewing the many possibilities of an artistic piece to focus on, I’ve decided to compare how a story written by Stephen King (also made into a film), named “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, a short story named, “Jump Shots” written by Robert James Waller, as well as a concise movie piece called “Ready”. Each of those examples portrays a different yet relatable way to live and look at life. All pieces gives the viewer/reader diverse way to view life and how to deal with it in a perhaps out of the ordinary, remarkable way. In the first artistic model, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”, Stephen King introduces the reader to the idea that life is about not letting life define you. King makes it clear that life is what you make it, although we don’t have complete control and choice over all oncoming circumstances, and its about making the best out of what is put in front of you. Stephen King uses a number of different techniques to emphasize such meanings, and brings about alternative questions of the meanings of life. The questions, “Is there a larger significance (to life)?”, and “How should we live” are recognized and the answers are obscurely rejoined. The main character, Andy Defresne, has experienced an overload of struggle and just pain and suffering all physically, mentally, and emotionally, and those are things he had no choice in. The fact that he’d been sentenced to life in prison over a crime that was not entirely proven to be under his hands, and getting beat and raped in jail etc. were all “natural” struggles and problems that were obviously not selective and he could not help but to deal with it in whichever way he could. Yet what I personally got out of this story, is that one cannot allow life’s uncontrollable occurrences define and characterize them as a person. One cannot have power over what life has been given to them, and can’t even completely control what happens with it, yet throughout this piece, it was quite evident that we has humans must come to an understanding of that and must make the best out of what we comes our way no matter what. It is our job to survive through any situation, learn and grow from it even if its difficult. Defresne experienced a lot of hard times and tons of torment and misery, yet he still managed to come out and fight his way through it, making sure that he defines himself and not the situation.
Such a novel/movie, similar to the short story we read in class, “Jump Shot”. With a completely different plot, and not nearly as gloomy, the message it conveyed was just as up to par. It is the story of a boy’s desire to play basketball and how it transformed his life. This story shows the process in which life experiences get on the verge to take over a person. With the author explaining his life as this small, frail, want-to-be basketball star with dreams larger than his body, as a youngster, he goes on to his mid life and how his almost fairytale dreams are actually making his reality. Waller spends his life striving to complete his one main goal, that made him happy, until he suddenly doesn’t find the same joy out of his objective as he used to. All the way up to taking his basketball career in college, piece by piece, he slowly got worn out of his desire for his love of basketball. Basketball had shaped his live and was beginning to generate what was to come for him, rather than himself deciding that. However, does that mean that live is also about the strive to find what makes one happy?
In the peculiar short film called “Ready”, this significant movie is focused around the natural, uncontrollable idea of death. Death is the one thing that no one can in anyway control and can always bank on happened. Dying is something no one can in any way work around and in this film a woman believes that she is aware of the day she will die. She spent the last times of her life with a plan, and she lived each day trying to control what would happen with each hour until her time was up. She had a timer on her life, and she figured instead of aiming to live life to its absolute fullest (whatever that may be), she decided to live as if there was nothing she could do other than following the routine of her life.
All three of those artistic pieces demonstrated the same message, yet in very uncommon ways. The fact that one must make the best out of each situation they are given, without having a choice over what exactly they are handed. The way each manages the unmanageable circumstances is how we should live our lives according to these pieces of art.
ARTISTIC PERSPECTIVE [draft]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Artistic Perspective..
Art surrounds us everyday and each person is somewhat blinded from it. By my personal definition of art, i consider it to be any type of formofexpressing something. it is a skill or display of meaning and/or interpretation. in includes ones opinion and inner voice without necessarily outright saying it,and makes one think broader and forces one to be opened up to new and expanded possibilities.
i've come to the idea that i think this class is a form of art. I am ableto walk into this class almost everday and i'm able to pull out a number of different aspects from each and every visit. especially whengoin by our definition, although it clearly may not be typical, i feel lt does fit in. my mind is expanded to all these varied thoughts and possibilities much likeit would if i were watching some sort of dance. whether it would be a modern dance piece or aficam dance etc. (those in particular i feel convey mch more andintal deeper messages) i'd be able
..Artistic Perspective..
Art surrounds us everyday and each person is somewhat blinded from it. By my personal definition of art, i consider it to be any type of formofexpressing something. it is a skill or display of meaning and/or interpretation. in includes ones opinion and inner voice without necessarily outright saying it,and makes one think broader and forces one to be opened up to new and expanded possibilities.
i've come to the idea that i think this class is a form of art. I am ableto walk into this class almost everday and i'm able to pull out a number of different aspects from each and every visit. especially whengoin by our definition, although it clearly may not be typical, i feel lt does fit in. my mind is expanded to all these varied thoughts and possibilities much likeit would if i were watching some sort of dance. whether it would be a modern dance piece or aficam dance etc. (those in particular i feel convey mch more andintal deeper messages) i'd be able
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE [final]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Philosophical Perspective..
(YET TO POST)
..Philosophical Perspective..
(YET TO POST)
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE [draft]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Philosophical Perspective..
(YET TO POST)
..Philosophical Perspective..
(YET TO POST)
RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE [draft 2]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Religious Perspective..
OUTLINE
I.INTRO
II.MY BRIEF RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE
III.HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAMIC VIEWS (quote koran)
IV.ISLAMIC WOMAN GUEST SPEAKER (quote)
V.FRIEND INTERVIEW PERSPECTIVE
VI.HOW IDEAS CONFIRM OR CONTRADICT WITH EACHOTHER
VII.COMPARE WITH OTHER RELIGIONS
VIII.CONCLUDE
--HOW IT CCOMPARES TO MY OWN PERSPECTIVE & CHANGED IT?
--RELIGIONS IN GENERAL--
..Religious Perspective..
OUTLINE
I.INTRO
II.MY BRIEF RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE
III.HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAMIC VIEWS (quote koran)
IV.ISLAMIC WOMAN GUEST SPEAKER (quote)
V.FRIEND INTERVIEW PERSPECTIVE
VI.HOW IDEAS CONFIRM OR CONTRADICT WITH EACHOTHER
VII.COMPARE WITH OTHER RELIGIONS
VIII.CONCLUDE
--HOW IT CCOMPARES TO MY OWN PERSPECTIVE & CHANGED IT?
--RELIGIONS IN GENERAL--
RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVE [draft]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Religious Perspective..
Religion, the easiest way for one to come to terms with why they are living on this planet. The main reason people depend on a set of beliefs to live their life by, is because it gives them reasoning for what life is all about and how they should live it for that individual believer. Every single religion no matter what, relates with eachother for the face that all of them in some way or form has its purpose to supply the believer with an answer. An answer to something that could not have much of any logical answer to man, which is why one believes in a "higher power". All in all, religion itself, generallly speaking is a set of beliefs, and ethics that guide a person to live their life a certain way. Religion gives an explanation for what would be the unexplainable, and is extremely "popular" to majority of humankind in diverse ways.
Religion is played as the cornerstone for life. In Catholicism, a popular religion in which i have decided to focus on, gives its believers an answer to the way they should live their life, and provides them with the belief of what will even happen after life ends. Catholicism falls under the Christian views, and in its own branches off to the similar ideas of many other religions such as Judaism and Islamic views etc. Catholocism provides their spiritual belief for afterlife, and gives a guikdeline for purpose, structure, and gives comfort that pertain to the particular belief in God.
RABBI-PHILLIP ROTHMAN:
PRIEST-FATHER LAWRENCE
NOTES::ADD INTO THE ESSAY
-Jesus Christ is what life is all about:sacrifice, being with him, love, unity. Closest part of God to us. Lived here through the son of God.
-Crucifix:reminds of suffering and it is not only with one Jesus.
-MOL:to do something about the sorrow, suffering & pain that exists in the world. being there for eachother. about emptying oneself of any selfishness so that one is generous.
-the answer to suffering is to ease it.
-no answers for life, other than ressurection and afterlife, which is what Jesus has been through.
-no purpose and meaning leaves one's life scattered.
-with giving you will recieve. SACRIFICE. give thanks. be thankful
-MOL:being the best christian one can be. acknowlegding one IS a sinner. the need of others to help to learn and grow. be open. allow God to work through people. Growing and change, day by day. the fact that he can communicate to us adds to the MOL.
-listen/read the word of God & allow it to challenge him to be better and reach out
-have a center of meaning. experiences of life changes it slightly, not completely
-GOD is LOVE
-having a responsibility to the other. comittment to love (for God)
-do things even when you don't feel like it.
-integrate what we recieve from judaism...(foundation for which christianity/catholocism is built)..it is built on it, yet more steps further because there are MORE living. Christ-like lives:follower of Jesus Christ...Christ is the center. (that is the uniqueness of catholocism)
..Religious Perspective..
Religion, the easiest way for one to come to terms with why they are living on this planet. The main reason people depend on a set of beliefs to live their life by, is because it gives them reasoning for what life is all about and how they should live it for that individual believer. Every single religion no matter what, relates with eachother for the face that all of them in some way or form has its purpose to supply the believer with an answer. An answer to something that could not have much of any logical answer to man, which is why one believes in a "higher power". All in all, religion itself, generallly speaking is a set of beliefs, and ethics that guide a person to live their life a certain way. Religion gives an explanation for what would be the unexplainable, and is extremely "popular" to majority of humankind in diverse ways.
Religion is played as the cornerstone for life. In Catholicism, a popular religion in which i have decided to focus on, gives its believers an answer to the way they should live their life, and provides them with the belief of what will even happen after life ends. Catholicism falls under the Christian views, and in its own branches off to the similar ideas of many other religions such as Judaism and Islamic views etc. Catholocism provides their spiritual belief for afterlife, and gives a guikdeline for purpose, structure, and gives comfort that pertain to the particular belief in God.
RABBI-PHILLIP ROTHMAN:
PRIEST-FATHER LAWRENCE
NOTES::ADD INTO THE ESSAY
-Jesus Christ is what life is all about:sacrifice, being with him, love, unity. Closest part of God to us. Lived here through the son of God.
-Crucifix:reminds of suffering and it is not only with one Jesus.
-MOL:to do something about the sorrow, suffering & pain that exists in the world. being there for eachother. about emptying oneself of any selfishness so that one is generous.
-the answer to suffering is to ease it.
-no answers for life, other than ressurection and afterlife, which is what Jesus has been through.
-no purpose and meaning leaves one's life scattered.
-with giving you will recieve. SACRIFICE. give thanks. be thankful
-MOL:being the best christian one can be. acknowlegding one IS a sinner. the need of others to help to learn and grow. be open. allow God to work through people. Growing and change, day by day. the fact that he can communicate to us adds to the MOL.
-listen/read the word of God & allow it to challenge him to be better and reach out
-have a center of meaning. experiences of life changes it slightly, not completely
-GOD is LOVE
-having a responsibility to the other. comittment to love (for God)
-do things even when you don't feel like it.
-integrate what we recieve from judaism...(foundation for which christianity/catholocism is built)..it is built on it, yet more steps further because there are MORE living. Christ-like lives:follower of Jesus Christ...Christ is the center. (that is the uniqueness of catholocism)
WTHDTQEM [final]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?..WTHDTQEM?..
What is life all about? What is the true purpose of living? How can we live meaningfully? Is that even possible? What is the meaning of life? These are all questions that are just screaming out for complete controversy. Every single human being lives different lives every single day and will all have different answers for that question. Yet does one ever stop to think about the question itself? Does this question alone even make sense? How can one have an answer to a question that they do not understand? Maybe that’s our problem! We have come to understand that we must identify the question before we can identify the answer to it. Many people interpret the meaning of this question very differently from each other, which is why it has become so difficult for determining an answer, and a main reason for why there is so much controversy towards answering it in the first place. Every single human being lives different lives every single day and will all have different answers for that question. Yet does one ever stop to think about the question itself? Does this question alone even make sense? How can one have an answer to a question that they do not understand? There needs to be a certain understanding of the question before we can identify the answer to it.
Many philosophers have written on the idea of life, and have questioned the question, depicted it apart, bringing about each possible point of view of the question, so that when it comes to manufacturing an actual answer, it would make much more sense for more people to relate. Through grasping the varied interpretations of the question of life, one would hope to absorb each of the several aspects of it. Each view of the question will leave a stronger comprehension towards coming to terms with creating an actual answer that will suit us as a whole, rather than individually. Philosopher Irving Singer has brought us closer to our own definition of the question in his unique article, “What is the Meaning of Life?” Singer’s distinct way of recognizing the question was to split the actual question into two concrete ways of viewing it. He recognized that a reason for such controversy and contradiction on answering the question, is that there are two completely different levels of looking at it with two completely different intensities. Either in a more general and universal aspect, compared to specifically to one’s personal and private life. Throughout the article, Singer builds the wall between the two distinct fractions of the question. Singer states, “We long to know the secrets of the universe and what it means, in itself, apart from human interests. At the same time, however, we seek a meaningful way to live our lives, whether or not we can find a separate meaning in the cosmos…” where he then announces that answering the question would be much simpler if we’d just emphasized such difference and took each under some consideration.
Irving Singer makes it clear that people seem to be striving to find the meaning of life for them almost everyday of their life unintentionally, yet when it comes a time where they may be bombarded with actually being asked, “what is the meaning of life?”, almost immediately they are baffled because of the many different ways you can think of the question. Is it finding the meaning of life in its entirety, or for one as an individual?
Irving also questions whether or not one can even find or suddenly discover the meaning to life, or if it is something one creates and generates as they go along and make their journey through life. Irving distinguishes what makes the question so difficult for someone to answer, and shows that by the struggle to just simply answer the question, it in fact is not simply done at all. It actually just brings about other challenging, mind blowing questions alongside with the initial one, What is the meaning of life?
Philosopher John Wisdom also provides the reader with an alternate way of looking at the question. Wisdom introduces the idea that some people believe that the question may just all in all be completely senseless and irrational. He goes deep into clarifying why people believe so, and demonstrates the difference between interpreting the question by what life actually is, compared to what life gives, leads to, or is caused by. Wisdom broadens our minds with a number of examples to compare the logical and rational question, “What is the meaning of life?” with other questions that essentially are nonsensical, such as, “What supports all things?” and “What is bigger than the largest thing in the world?” Many people categorize all three of those questions to be very much illogical and ridiculous, however, it is made clear that the question of life is not at all absurd even if it sometimes seems so.
Much like John Wisdom, Joseph Ellin also acknowledges the fact that some people think of the question as meaningless and absurd and there is no answer to that question. However Ellin explores the idea that there are people in this world who are blinded to believe something so, for the simple fact that when you view the question, What is the meaning of life?, there is no legitimate reason that could prove that this question is senseless with the exception of the thought that there is no answer. However, is there really no answer, or is it that no one knows the answer? Just because a solution is difficult to solve, and may seem impossible, it does not mean that the solution does not exist. When one literally depicts apart the question, each and every word that makes up the question beholds a distinctive meaning much like all the other questions produced in the universe.
While Ellin finds ways of discovering why the question in fact makes complete sense, he seems to struggle to do so because while he tries to make a definite meaning out of the question by referring to the representations of each word used in the question, when looking at it as a whole, life in fact does not represent anything, it just simply is. Ellin compares the meaning of the question with the example of the word, “dog”. When one hears the word dog, there is an immediate visual representation (of a dog) for the word, which gives the word its meaning. Also when dealing with “dog”, one can make connections from that one word to another, which gives it its definition from that as well. To describe the definition of a word, is to express it with other words, making connections with other things, branching off from one meaning to another, which ends up being the way to define the meaning of anything. However, how can one define life to its meaning? What relationship does the meaning of life have with other words or things that could possibly fabricate a definition, the same way “dog” associates with other words and things that produces a definition? Being that one cannot create a range of valid and all around convincing answers to the question, that naturally leaves one to consider the question to be senseless and invalid.
When people search for the meaning of life they automatically compare their own lives to the question, and relates the answer with their personal experience. Yet is that really a good enough definition of life to the rest of the world? Ellin compares the natural instincts of people when answering “What is the meaning of life” to a normal activity like playing sports. When playing any game or any sport, there is a point to it, which gives it its purpose to play it in the first place. On a sports team there are a number of players who all have similar intentions to fulfill the objective of the game. However, what if there was a foreigner watching the game, and had no idea what was going on. What if he were watching the game from the bleachers trying to understand the rationale of the it yet couldn’t. Because that person does not understand the purpose and object of the game, does that mean there is no purpose and object of the game? No. It just simply means that that person does not quite understand it…yet. Compare the game that was being played on the field, to life, and us humans as that one foreigner. Just because we don’t reasonably know the reason and purpose we live, does not mean it has no meaning.
Life is like sitting down and watch a movie, yet you were late, and only caught middle of movie. You are oblivious to what happened in the movie before you sat down to watch it, therefore, during that time you do not know what is going to happen in the end, and you have not found any real profundity to the reason everything is happening at that time, yet there is still a “big picture”, and Joseph Ellin emphasizes that.
In trying to answer such a question, many say it does not make any sense, for the simple fact that one cannot actually come up with any type of legitimate answer for it, especially without going through a series of staggering and self-contradicting thoughts. When it comes to the real groundless questions, much like, “what supports all things?“ they are in fact all meaningless. Those questions are what show us that within every question, there is just another question, and that there is questioning behind everything. However, not to mistaken those real senseless questions with “what is the meaning of life”. In struggling to answer that question, it is not that it has no meaning behind it, it is just that one cannot completely comprehend enough to create a totally satisfying and conclusive answer. Being that no one has yet been able to say, “the meaning of life is…”, many immediately reject it as ever having a meaning and sense to it in the first place, although it has complete potential. What is it about this question that seems so ridiculous? Is it just that words cannot describe? If so, what can?
What is life all about? What is the true purpose of living? How can we live meaningfully? Is that even possible? What is the meaning of life? These are all questions that are just screaming out for complete controversy. Every single human being lives different lives every single day and will all have different answers for that question. Yet does one ever stop to think about the question itself? Does this question alone even make sense? How can one have an answer to a question that they do not understand? Maybe that’s our problem! We have come to understand that we must identify the question before we can identify the answer to it. Many people interpret the meaning of this question very differently from each other, which is why it has become so difficult for determining an answer, and a main reason for why there is so much controversy towards answering it in the first place. Every single human being lives different lives every single day and will all have different answers for that question. Yet does one ever stop to think about the question itself? Does this question alone even make sense? How can one have an answer to a question that they do not understand? There needs to be a certain understanding of the question before we can identify the answer to it.
Many philosophers have written on the idea of life, and have questioned the question, depicted it apart, bringing about each possible point of view of the question, so that when it comes to manufacturing an actual answer, it would make much more sense for more people to relate. Through grasping the varied interpretations of the question of life, one would hope to absorb each of the several aspects of it. Each view of the question will leave a stronger comprehension towards coming to terms with creating an actual answer that will suit us as a whole, rather than individually. Philosopher Irving Singer has brought us closer to our own definition of the question in his unique article, “What is the Meaning of Life?” Singer’s distinct way of recognizing the question was to split the actual question into two concrete ways of viewing it. He recognized that a reason for such controversy and contradiction on answering the question, is that there are two completely different levels of looking at it with two completely different intensities. Either in a more general and universal aspect, compared to specifically to one’s personal and private life. Throughout the article, Singer builds the wall between the two distinct fractions of the question. Singer states, “We long to know the secrets of the universe and what it means, in itself, apart from human interests. At the same time, however, we seek a meaningful way to live our lives, whether or not we can find a separate meaning in the cosmos…” where he then announces that answering the question would be much simpler if we’d just emphasized such difference and took each under some consideration.
Irving Singer makes it clear that people seem to be striving to find the meaning of life for them almost everyday of their life unintentionally, yet when it comes a time where they may be bombarded with actually being asked, “what is the meaning of life?”, almost immediately they are baffled because of the many different ways you can think of the question. Is it finding the meaning of life in its entirety, or for one as an individual?
Irving also questions whether or not one can even find or suddenly discover the meaning to life, or if it is something one creates and generates as they go along and make their journey through life. Irving distinguishes what makes the question so difficult for someone to answer, and shows that by the struggle to just simply answer the question, it in fact is not simply done at all. It actually just brings about other challenging, mind blowing questions alongside with the initial one, What is the meaning of life?
Philosopher John Wisdom also provides the reader with an alternate way of looking at the question. Wisdom introduces the idea that some people believe that the question may just all in all be completely senseless and irrational. He goes deep into clarifying why people believe so, and demonstrates the difference between interpreting the question by what life actually is, compared to what life gives, leads to, or is caused by. Wisdom broadens our minds with a number of examples to compare the logical and rational question, “What is the meaning of life?” with other questions that essentially are nonsensical, such as, “What supports all things?” and “What is bigger than the largest thing in the world?” Many people categorize all three of those questions to be very much illogical and ridiculous, however, it is made clear that the question of life is not at all absurd even if it sometimes seems so.
Much like John Wisdom, Joseph Ellin also acknowledges the fact that some people think of the question as meaningless and absurd and there is no answer to that question. However Ellin explores the idea that there are people in this world who are blinded to believe something so, for the simple fact that when you view the question, What is the meaning of life?, there is no legitimate reason that could prove that this question is senseless with the exception of the thought that there is no answer. However, is there really no answer, or is it that no one knows the answer? Just because a solution is difficult to solve, and may seem impossible, it does not mean that the solution does not exist. When one literally depicts apart the question, each and every word that makes up the question beholds a distinctive meaning much like all the other questions produced in the universe.
While Ellin finds ways of discovering why the question in fact makes complete sense, he seems to struggle to do so because while he tries to make a definite meaning out of the question by referring to the representations of each word used in the question, when looking at it as a whole, life in fact does not represent anything, it just simply is. Ellin compares the meaning of the question with the example of the word, “dog”. When one hears the word dog, there is an immediate visual representation (of a dog) for the word, which gives the word its meaning. Also when dealing with “dog”, one can make connections from that one word to another, which gives it its definition from that as well. To describe the definition of a word, is to express it with other words, making connections with other things, branching off from one meaning to another, which ends up being the way to define the meaning of anything. However, how can one define life to its meaning? What relationship does the meaning of life have with other words or things that could possibly fabricate a definition, the same way “dog” associates with other words and things that produces a definition? Being that one cannot create a range of valid and all around convincing answers to the question, that naturally leaves one to consider the question to be senseless and invalid.
When people search for the meaning of life they automatically compare their own lives to the question, and relates the answer with their personal experience. Yet is that really a good enough definition of life to the rest of the world? Ellin compares the natural instincts of people when answering “What is the meaning of life” to a normal activity like playing sports. When playing any game or any sport, there is a point to it, which gives it its purpose to play it in the first place. On a sports team there are a number of players who all have similar intentions to fulfill the objective of the game. However, what if there was a foreigner watching the game, and had no idea what was going on. What if he were watching the game from the bleachers trying to understand the rationale of the it yet couldn’t. Because that person does not understand the purpose and object of the game, does that mean there is no purpose and object of the game? No. It just simply means that that person does not quite understand it…yet. Compare the game that was being played on the field, to life, and us humans as that one foreigner. Just because we don’t reasonably know the reason and purpose we live, does not mean it has no meaning.
Life is like sitting down and watch a movie, yet you were late, and only caught middle of movie. You are oblivious to what happened in the movie before you sat down to watch it, therefore, during that time you do not know what is going to happen in the end, and you have not found any real profundity to the reason everything is happening at that time, yet there is still a “big picture”, and Joseph Ellin emphasizes that.
In trying to answer such a question, many say it does not make any sense, for the simple fact that one cannot actually come up with any type of legitimate answer for it, especially without going through a series of staggering and self-contradicting thoughts. When it comes to the real groundless questions, much like, “what supports all things?“ they are in fact all meaningless. Those questions are what show us that within every question, there is just another question, and that there is questioning behind everything. However, not to mistaken those real senseless questions with “what is the meaning of life”. In struggling to answer that question, it is not that it has no meaning behind it, it is just that one cannot completely comprehend enough to create a totally satisfying and conclusive answer. Being that no one has yet been able to say, “the meaning of life is…”, many immediately reject it as ever having a meaning and sense to it in the first place, although it has complete potential. What is it about this question that seems so ridiculous? Is it just that words cannot describe? If so, what can?
WTHDTQEM [draft 2]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..WTHDTQEM..
What is the meaning of life? This is a question that is just screaming out for complete controversy. Every single human being lives different lives every single day and will all have different answers for that question. Yet does one ever stop to think about the question itself? Does this question alone even make sense? How can one have an answer to a question that they do not understand? Maybe that’s our problem! We have come to understand that we must identify the question before we can identify the answer to it. Many people interpret the meaning of the question very differently from each other, and for that reason, as a class, we now understand why it has become so difficult for determining an answer to our question. We have taken three articles from three philosophers and depicted each apart to get deep into the message they are all trying to convey. From this, we have come to some comprehension of the varied interpretations of the question , “What is the meaning of life?” With this, we hope to absorb each of the several aspects of the question that Philosopher Irving Singer, John Wisdom, and Joseph Ellin have introduced us to. This will possibly leave us closer to our own definition of the question of life, then perhaps life itself.
John Singer’s composition was the first of the three we read. Singer’s unique way of coming to terms with the question “What is the meaning of life” was to split the actual question into two concrete ways of viewing it. He recognized that a reason for such controversy and contradiction on answering the question, is that there are two completely different levels of looking at it. Either in a more general aspect or specifically to one’s personal life. One may identify the meaning of life with their private life, while others may see it on a more universal aspect. Throughout the article, Singer builds the wall between the two distinct fractions of the question. Singer states, “We long to know the secrets of the universe and what it means, in itself, apart from human interests. At the same time, however, we seek a meaningful way to live our lives, whether or not we can find a separate meaning in the cosmos…” where he then announces that answering the question would be much simpler if we’d just emphasized such difference and took each under some consideration.
Irving Singer makes it clear that people seem to be striving to find the meaning of life for them. However, is it finding the meaning of life in its entirety, or for one as an individual? He also questions whether or not one can even find or suddenly discover the meaning to life, or if it’s something one creates and generates as they go along and make their journey through life. Irving distinguishes what makes the question so difficult for someone to answer, and shows that by the struggle to just simply answer the question, it is in fact not simply done at all. It actually just brings about other challenging and mind blowing questions alongside with the initial one, What is the meaning of life?
Philosopher John Wisdom wrote on the meaning of life as well, and provides the reader with the idea that some people believe the question may all in all just be completely senseless. He goes deep into clarifying why people believe so, and demonstrates the difference between interpreting the question by what life actually is, compared to what life gives, leads to, or is caused by. Wisdom broadens our minds with a number of examples to compare the rational question, “What is the meaning of life?” with other nonsensical questions such as, “What supports all things?” and “What is bigger than the largest thing in the world?” Many people categorize all three of those questions to be very much illogical and ridiculous, however, it is made clear that the question of life is not at all absurd even if it sometimes seems so.
In trying to answer such a question, many say it does not make any sense, for the simple fact that one cannot actually come up with any type of legitimate answer for it, especially without going through a series of staggering and self-contradictory thoughts. When it comes to the real groundless questions, much like, “what supports all things?“ they are in fact all meaningless. Those questions are what show us that within every question, there is just another question, and that there is questioning behind everything. However, not to mistaken those with “what is the meaning of life”. In struggling to answer that question, it is not that it has no meaning behind it, it is just that one cannot completely comprehend enough to create a totally satisfying and conclusive answer. Being that no one has yet been able to say, “the meaning of life is…”, many immediately reject it as ever having a meaning and sense to it in the first place, although it has complete potential, but the problems is, words just cannot describe.
About all types of stuff..
learning through changes.
Not put here to worship someone
The question is pointless…if you know the point in living…what’s the point in living.
..WTHDTQEM..
What is the meaning of life? This is a question that is just screaming out for complete controversy. Every single human being lives different lives every single day and will all have different answers for that question. Yet does one ever stop to think about the question itself? Does this question alone even make sense? How can one have an answer to a question that they do not understand? Maybe that’s our problem! We have come to understand that we must identify the question before we can identify the answer to it. Many people interpret the meaning of the question very differently from each other, and for that reason, as a class, we now understand why it has become so difficult for determining an answer to our question. We have taken three articles from three philosophers and depicted each apart to get deep into the message they are all trying to convey. From this, we have come to some comprehension of the varied interpretations of the question , “What is the meaning of life?” With this, we hope to absorb each of the several aspects of the question that Philosopher Irving Singer, John Wisdom, and Joseph Ellin have introduced us to. This will possibly leave us closer to our own definition of the question of life, then perhaps life itself.
John Singer’s composition was the first of the three we read. Singer’s unique way of coming to terms with the question “What is the meaning of life” was to split the actual question into two concrete ways of viewing it. He recognized that a reason for such controversy and contradiction on answering the question, is that there are two completely different levels of looking at it. Either in a more general aspect or specifically to one’s personal life. One may identify the meaning of life with their private life, while others may see it on a more universal aspect. Throughout the article, Singer builds the wall between the two distinct fractions of the question. Singer states, “We long to know the secrets of the universe and what it means, in itself, apart from human interests. At the same time, however, we seek a meaningful way to live our lives, whether or not we can find a separate meaning in the cosmos…” where he then announces that answering the question would be much simpler if we’d just emphasized such difference and took each under some consideration.
Irving Singer makes it clear that people seem to be striving to find the meaning of life for them. However, is it finding the meaning of life in its entirety, or for one as an individual? He also questions whether or not one can even find or suddenly discover the meaning to life, or if it’s something one creates and generates as they go along and make their journey through life. Irving distinguishes what makes the question so difficult for someone to answer, and shows that by the struggle to just simply answer the question, it is in fact not simply done at all. It actually just brings about other challenging and mind blowing questions alongside with the initial one, What is the meaning of life?
Philosopher John Wisdom wrote on the meaning of life as well, and provides the reader with the idea that some people believe the question may all in all just be completely senseless. He goes deep into clarifying why people believe so, and demonstrates the difference between interpreting the question by what life actually is, compared to what life gives, leads to, or is caused by. Wisdom broadens our minds with a number of examples to compare the rational question, “What is the meaning of life?” with other nonsensical questions such as, “What supports all things?” and “What is bigger than the largest thing in the world?” Many people categorize all three of those questions to be very much illogical and ridiculous, however, it is made clear that the question of life is not at all absurd even if it sometimes seems so.
In trying to answer such a question, many say it does not make any sense, for the simple fact that one cannot actually come up with any type of legitimate answer for it, especially without going through a series of staggering and self-contradictory thoughts. When it comes to the real groundless questions, much like, “what supports all things?“ they are in fact all meaningless. Those questions are what show us that within every question, there is just another question, and that there is questioning behind everything. However, not to mistaken those with “what is the meaning of life”. In struggling to answer that question, it is not that it has no meaning behind it, it is just that one cannot completely comprehend enough to create a totally satisfying and conclusive answer. Being that no one has yet been able to say, “the meaning of life is…”, many immediately reject it as ever having a meaning and sense to it in the first place, although it has complete potential, but the problems is, words just cannot describe.
About all types of stuff..
learning through changes.
Not put here to worship someone
The question is pointless…if you know the point in living…what’s the point in living.
WTHDTQEM [draft]
What the hell does this question even mean?
What is the meaning of life? This is a question that is just screaming out for complete controversy. Every single human being lives different lives every single day and will all have different answers for that question. Yet does one ever stop to think about the question itself? Does this question alone even make sense? How can one have an answer to a question that they do not understand? Maybe that’s our problem! We have come to understand that we must identify the question before we can identify the answer to it. Many people interpret the meaning of the question very differently from each other, and for that reason, as a class, we now understand why it has become so difficult for determining an answer to our question. We have taken three articles from three philosophers and depicted each apart to get deep into the message they are all trying to convey. From this, we have come to some comprehension of the varied interpretations of the question , “What is the meaning of life?” With this, we hope to absorb each of the several aspects of the question that Philosopher Irving Singer, John Wisdom, and Joseph Ellin have introduced us to. This will possibly leave us closer to our own definition of the question of life, then perhaps life itself.
John Singer’s composition was the first of the three we read. Singer’s unique way of coming to terms with the question “What is the meaning of life” was to split the actual question into two concrete ways of viewing it. He recognized that a reason for such controversy and contradiction on answering the question, is that there are two completely different levels of looking at it. Either in a more general aspect or specifically to one’s personal life. One may identify the meaning of life with their private life, while others may see it on a more universal aspect. Throughout the article, Singer builds the wall between the two distinct fractions of the question. Singer states, “We long to know the secrets of the universe and what it means, in itself, apart from human interests. At the same time, however, we seek a meaningful way to live our lives, whether or not we can find a separate meaning in the cosmos…” where he then announces that answering the question would be much simpler if we’d just emphasized such difference and took each under some consideration.
Irving Singer makes it clear that people seem to be striving to find the meaning of life for them. However, is it finding the meaning of life in its entirety, or for one as an individual? He also questions whether or not one can even find or suddenly discover the meaning to life, or if it’s something one creates and generates as they go along and make their journey through life. Irving distinguishes what makes the question so difficult for someone to answer, and shows that by the struggle to just simply answer the question, it is in fact not simply done at all. It actually just brings about other challenging and mind blowing questions alongside with the initial one, What is the meaning of life?
Philosopher John Wisdom wrote on the meaning of life as well, and provides the reader with the idea that some people believe the question may all in all just be completely senseless. He goes deep into clarifying why people believe so, and demonstrates the difference between interpreting the question by what life actually is, compared to what life gives, leads to, or is caused by. Wisdom broadens our minds with a number of examples to compare the rational question, “What is the meaning of life?” with other nonsensical questions such as, “What supports all things?” and “What is bigger than the largest thing in the world?” Many people categorize all three of those questions to be very much illogical and ridiculous, however, it is made clear that the question of life is not at all absurd even if it sometimes seems so.
In trying to answer such a question, many say it does not make any sense, for the simple fact that one cannot actually come up with any type of legitimate answer for it, especially without going through a series of staggering and self-contradictory thoughts. When it comes to the real groundless questions, much like, “what supports all things?“ they are in fact all meaningless. Those questions are what show us that within every question, there is just another question, and that there is questioning behind everything. However, not to mistaken those with “what is the meaning of life”. In struggling to answer that question, it is not that it has no meaning behind it, it is just that one cannot completely comprehend enough to create a totally satisfying and conclusive answer. Being that no one has yet been able to say, “the meaning of life is…”, many immediately reject it as ever having a meaning and sense to it in the first place, although it has complete potential, but the problems is, words just cannot describe.
What is the meaning of life? This is a question that is just screaming out for complete controversy. Every single human being lives different lives every single day and will all have different answers for that question. Yet does one ever stop to think about the question itself? Does this question alone even make sense? How can one have an answer to a question that they do not understand? Maybe that’s our problem! We have come to understand that we must identify the question before we can identify the answer to it. Many people interpret the meaning of the question very differently from each other, and for that reason, as a class, we now understand why it has become so difficult for determining an answer to our question. We have taken three articles from three philosophers and depicted each apart to get deep into the message they are all trying to convey. From this, we have come to some comprehension of the varied interpretations of the question , “What is the meaning of life?” With this, we hope to absorb each of the several aspects of the question that Philosopher Irving Singer, John Wisdom, and Joseph Ellin have introduced us to. This will possibly leave us closer to our own definition of the question of life, then perhaps life itself.
John Singer’s composition was the first of the three we read. Singer’s unique way of coming to terms with the question “What is the meaning of life” was to split the actual question into two concrete ways of viewing it. He recognized that a reason for such controversy and contradiction on answering the question, is that there are two completely different levels of looking at it. Either in a more general aspect or specifically to one’s personal life. One may identify the meaning of life with their private life, while others may see it on a more universal aspect. Throughout the article, Singer builds the wall between the two distinct fractions of the question. Singer states, “We long to know the secrets of the universe and what it means, in itself, apart from human interests. At the same time, however, we seek a meaningful way to live our lives, whether or not we can find a separate meaning in the cosmos…” where he then announces that answering the question would be much simpler if we’d just emphasized such difference and took each under some consideration.
Irving Singer makes it clear that people seem to be striving to find the meaning of life for them. However, is it finding the meaning of life in its entirety, or for one as an individual? He also questions whether or not one can even find or suddenly discover the meaning to life, or if it’s something one creates and generates as they go along and make their journey through life. Irving distinguishes what makes the question so difficult for someone to answer, and shows that by the struggle to just simply answer the question, it is in fact not simply done at all. It actually just brings about other challenging and mind blowing questions alongside with the initial one, What is the meaning of life?
Philosopher John Wisdom wrote on the meaning of life as well, and provides the reader with the idea that some people believe the question may all in all just be completely senseless. He goes deep into clarifying why people believe so, and demonstrates the difference between interpreting the question by what life actually is, compared to what life gives, leads to, or is caused by. Wisdom broadens our minds with a number of examples to compare the rational question, “What is the meaning of life?” with other nonsensical questions such as, “What supports all things?” and “What is bigger than the largest thing in the world?” Many people categorize all three of those questions to be very much illogical and ridiculous, however, it is made clear that the question of life is not at all absurd even if it sometimes seems so.
In trying to answer such a question, many say it does not make any sense, for the simple fact that one cannot actually come up with any type of legitimate answer for it, especially without going through a series of staggering and self-contradictory thoughts. When it comes to the real groundless questions, much like, “what supports all things?“ they are in fact all meaningless. Those questions are what show us that within every question, there is just another question, and that there is questioning behind everything. However, not to mistaken those with “what is the meaning of life”. In struggling to answer that question, it is not that it has no meaning behind it, it is just that one cannot completely comprehend enough to create a totally satisfying and conclusive answer. Being that no one has yet been able to say, “the meaning of life is…”, many immediately reject it as ever having a meaning and sense to it in the first place, although it has complete potential, but the problems is, words just cannot describe.
OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVE [final]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Other People's Perspective..
While on the search to identify my own personal meaning of life, I must be able to open my mind, and take other people’s opinions of life into consideration. The meaning of life that I plan to soon come to terms with, shall be one that other’s can relate to as well. I plan to feed off of many people’s ideas and depict each thought thoroughly to create my own. I have made an effort to consult three family members of mine as well as a few friends, and with that my school mates throughout my school were all given surveys we, as a class have created.
I sat down with my mother, Alicia, and asked her what her meaning of life was. She seemed startled by the question at first, being that it’s not typically something one would probably ask a person. After taking a few moments to gather her thoughts, she finally brought herself to say that life is about love. Interesting enough, my mother came to the conclusion that life was all about building relationships with people and creating certain connections with them. “Life is about finding people who are compatible with you. Someone with whom you can enjoy their company, and relate with one another” she stated, and continued to say that life is basically about not being alone. My mother, is a single, divorced woman, and considering such, I pondered upon the thought that it seemed that to my mother, life was all about finding a true love and bond between a person (or people). I found that quite appealing.
After consulting each stance my mother took when unraveling her thoughts about her own personal meaning, I have questioned whether or not I personally thought it was up to par with my own possible meaning, and if it can relate on a universal aspect as well. At some instance, I hesitated to believe that one’s own, personal life is based on building relationships with other people. I could not understand how the connection between myself and the others around me could make up my own life’s meaning. I questioned, if that means that an individual’s purpose to life is essentially dependent upon other people?
Other than my mother, I interviewed my twin sister as well. Someone who I can relate to on many different levels, who of coarse is the same age, and has dealt with the same experiences in many instances of myself. I thought it’d be interesting to see her aspect on life, for someone that is closely allied with me. Angelina’s many thoughts were briefly brought up alongside her strong opinion towards the ways of the society we live. She focused on the fact that she believed the key to life is the pursuit of happiness. I of coarse found this idea absurd for the simple reasoning that I don’t think one’s entire life should be based on trying to be happy. With my own opinion in the back of my mind, I shot out questions in which would possibly curve her ideas and make her reconsider her idea of life being about the strive for happiness. To my surprise she seemed full aware of the fact that although constant happiness is virtually unachievable, it did not stop her from believing that is the point of life. Angelina brought up the burden the society places upon people, as well as religions, and stated, “people are forced to practically live as robots”. She continued to explain how the society controls when and how someone is happy, sad, mad etc. Yet with all those typically contradicting ideas understood, her idea of happiness being the meaning of life still remained. Angelina’s view on the meaning of life is to find happiness within oneself, despite the burdens, issues, and cultures one is naturally surrounded by.
Other than the three interviews I’ve conducted, on my search to find my own meaning of life, it was only necessary that as a class, set out to find other people’s perceptions as well. Our class decided to create small survey’s and hand them out to each student within our entire school, including grades 6-12. We separated each grades’ answers, with the exception of 11th and 12th grade, and categorized the two into the senior institute. I happened to be one that not only analyzed each survey and classified each answer, but I was assigned to actually give out the surveys to a number of classes within my own 11th grade. I was able to witness first hand what it was like for my fellow students to answer these questions. Watching each class as a whole take the time to sit down and answer the given questions with what was supposed to be with genuine thought and truth, when each person received the survey, I’d noticed many similar reactions came across groups of people. The types of questions on the survey included: “What is most important in your life right now?”, “What tends to reoccur in your life, and what would you do to change it?”, and “how does the society put boundaries over your definition of the meaning of life” etc.. By appearances, I noticed that many students had just written the first thing that entered their mind. Many seemed to have found a certain comfort in relying on the archetypal “slogan” answers to replace their meaning of life. Catch phrases, and answers that just may sound like a typically good response, appeared to be very popular throughout examining answers.
Through my analysis of the data we collected for my own assigned question, “What tends to re-occur in your life, good or bad? What would you do to change it”, my partner and I had to group each answer and organize it in a way that can be statistical. Being that the question was open ended, and was not multiple choice, it was difficult to sort out all the broad spectrum of answers we received. Having to categorize such varied answers ended up put a certain constraint around my interpretations of each answer. Being that we had to arrange each answer and classify them as a group, there was a limit put on my analysis of each answer, and had in my opinion taken away from each individual. The responses ended up not being not at all specific to each person, but collective instead, which I believe eliminated some of the true meaning and depth behind each persons answers.
With dealing with the question “What is most important to you”, I found that the responses from the senior institute were most peculiar. The 11th and 12th graders, above all the other grades were the most frequent to either answer it or leave it blank. While all the other grades may have simply answered with an “I don’t know” the senior institute had the highest ratio of those who just decided to not answer it at all. From this I get the sense that it seems the older one is, the more comfortable one is with either having their specific answer or just not having one at all. From this I feel that with age, people tend to either direct themselves in the “black” or “white” zone answer, there’s not really much space for any grey areas.
Based off answers to the same question, but with the entire school, we received the most answers (52%) of those saying that finding happiness is the most important thing in their lives. Along with that, we found that the senior institute were the least to say that they cared about finding happiness as opposed to other grades. I find this exceptionally understandable, for the simple fact that with a growing age, comes a rising amount of experience with things. Seniors and juniors have in one way or another experienced more in their life than those younger, because they have lived more years. Older teen have mostly come to realize that life is going to bring struggle and hard times, and one’s happiness isn’t always going to be the key factor to focus on when other things have come their way contradicting that.
While assembling all this information up as a whole, my definition of the meaning of life has further been expanded. I’ve come to understand that many are just plainly uncomfortable answering such a question, while others bluntly have no clue, and few actually have answered with what they think is a clear and complete answer. Majority seem to much rather shrug off an answer as opposed to sitting down and forming some kind of suitable answer. However, I feel that I can take just as much out of an answer with thoughtless reactions, than I can with the attentive answers. I feel as if the nonchalance for an answer just demonstrates the fact that one is very unsure. And uncertainty and hesitation is a much better answer than none at all! The contrast of views of people of varied ages, experiences, backgrounds etc. leads me to believe that with the overlapping answers, maybe there is a meaning of life that can appropriately fit each and every one of us.
..Other People's Perspective..
While on the search to identify my own personal meaning of life, I must be able to open my mind, and take other people’s opinions of life into consideration. The meaning of life that I plan to soon come to terms with, shall be one that other’s can relate to as well. I plan to feed off of many people’s ideas and depict each thought thoroughly to create my own. I have made an effort to consult three family members of mine as well as a few friends, and with that my school mates throughout my school were all given surveys we, as a class have created.
I sat down with my mother, Alicia, and asked her what her meaning of life was. She seemed startled by the question at first, being that it’s not typically something one would probably ask a person. After taking a few moments to gather her thoughts, she finally brought herself to say that life is about love. Interesting enough, my mother came to the conclusion that life was all about building relationships with people and creating certain connections with them. “Life is about finding people who are compatible with you. Someone with whom you can enjoy their company, and relate with one another” she stated, and continued to say that life is basically about not being alone. My mother, is a single, divorced woman, and considering such, I pondered upon the thought that it seemed that to my mother, life was all about finding a true love and bond between a person (or people). I found that quite appealing.
After consulting each stance my mother took when unraveling her thoughts about her own personal meaning, I have questioned whether or not I personally thought it was up to par with my own possible meaning, and if it can relate on a universal aspect as well. At some instance, I hesitated to believe that one’s own, personal life is based on building relationships with other people. I could not understand how the connection between myself and the others around me could make up my own life’s meaning. I questioned, if that means that an individual’s purpose to life is essentially dependent upon other people?
Other than my mother, I interviewed my twin sister as well. Someone who I can relate to on many different levels, who of coarse is the same age, and has dealt with the same experiences in many instances of myself. I thought it’d be interesting to see her aspect on life, for someone that is closely allied with me. Angelina’s many thoughts were briefly brought up alongside her strong opinion towards the ways of the society we live. She focused on the fact that she believed the key to life is the pursuit of happiness. I of coarse found this idea absurd for the simple reasoning that I don’t think one’s entire life should be based on trying to be happy. With my own opinion in the back of my mind, I shot out questions in which would possibly curve her ideas and make her reconsider her idea of life being about the strive for happiness. To my surprise she seemed full aware of the fact that although constant happiness is virtually unachievable, it did not stop her from believing that is the point of life. Angelina brought up the burden the society places upon people, as well as religions, and stated, “people are forced to practically live as robots”. She continued to explain how the society controls when and how someone is happy, sad, mad etc. Yet with all those typically contradicting ideas understood, her idea of happiness being the meaning of life still remained. Angelina’s view on the meaning of life is to find happiness within oneself, despite the burdens, issues, and cultures one is naturally surrounded by.
Other than the three interviews I’ve conducted, on my search to find my own meaning of life, it was only necessary that as a class, set out to find other people’s perceptions as well. Our class decided to create small survey’s and hand them out to each student within our entire school, including grades 6-12. We separated each grades’ answers, with the exception of 11th and 12th grade, and categorized the two into the senior institute. I happened to be one that not only analyzed each survey and classified each answer, but I was assigned to actually give out the surveys to a number of classes within my own 11th grade. I was able to witness first hand what it was like for my fellow students to answer these questions. Watching each class as a whole take the time to sit down and answer the given questions with what was supposed to be with genuine thought and truth, when each person received the survey, I’d noticed many similar reactions came across groups of people. The types of questions on the survey included: “What is most important in your life right now?”, “What tends to reoccur in your life, and what would you do to change it?”, and “how does the society put boundaries over your definition of the meaning of life” etc.. By appearances, I noticed that many students had just written the first thing that entered their mind. Many seemed to have found a certain comfort in relying on the archetypal “slogan” answers to replace their meaning of life. Catch phrases, and answers that just may sound like a typically good response, appeared to be very popular throughout examining answers.
Through my analysis of the data we collected for my own assigned question, “What tends to re-occur in your life, good or bad? What would you do to change it”, my partner and I had to group each answer and organize it in a way that can be statistical. Being that the question was open ended, and was not multiple choice, it was difficult to sort out all the broad spectrum of answers we received. Having to categorize such varied answers ended up put a certain constraint around my interpretations of each answer. Being that we had to arrange each answer and classify them as a group, there was a limit put on my analysis of each answer, and had in my opinion taken away from each individual. The responses ended up not being not at all specific to each person, but collective instead, which I believe eliminated some of the true meaning and depth behind each persons answers.
With dealing with the question “What is most important to you”, I found that the responses from the senior institute were most peculiar. The 11th and 12th graders, above all the other grades were the most frequent to either answer it or leave it blank. While all the other grades may have simply answered with an “I don’t know” the senior institute had the highest ratio of those who just decided to not answer it at all. From this I get the sense that it seems the older one is, the more comfortable one is with either having their specific answer or just not having one at all. From this I feel that with age, people tend to either direct themselves in the “black” or “white” zone answer, there’s not really much space for any grey areas.
Based off answers to the same question, but with the entire school, we received the most answers (52%) of those saying that finding happiness is the most important thing in their lives. Along with that, we found that the senior institute were the least to say that they cared about finding happiness as opposed to other grades. I find this exceptionally understandable, for the simple fact that with a growing age, comes a rising amount of experience with things. Seniors and juniors have in one way or another experienced more in their life than those younger, because they have lived more years. Older teen have mostly come to realize that life is going to bring struggle and hard times, and one’s happiness isn’t always going to be the key factor to focus on when other things have come their way contradicting that.
While assembling all this information up as a whole, my definition of the meaning of life has further been expanded. I’ve come to understand that many are just plainly uncomfortable answering such a question, while others bluntly have no clue, and few actually have answered with what they think is a clear and complete answer. Majority seem to much rather shrug off an answer as opposed to sitting down and forming some kind of suitable answer. However, I feel that I can take just as much out of an answer with thoughtless reactions, than I can with the attentive answers. I feel as if the nonchalance for an answer just demonstrates the fact that one is very unsure. And uncertainty and hesitation is a much better answer than none at all! The contrast of views of people of varied ages, experiences, backgrounds etc. leads me to believe that with the overlapping answers, maybe there is a meaning of life that can appropriately fit each and every one of us.
OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVE [draft 2]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Other People's Perspective..
While on the search to identify my own personal meaning of life, I must be able to open my mind, and take other people’s opinions of life into thought. The meaning of life that I plan to find out, should be one that other’s can relate to as well. I plan to feed off of many people’s ideas and depict each thought to create my own. I have made an effort to consult three family members of mine as well as a few friends, and with that my school mates in School of the Future high school were all given surveys.
After consulting each stance my mother took when unraveling her thoughts about her own personal meaning, I have questioned whether or not I personally thought it was up to par with my own possible meaning, and if it can relate on a universal aspect as well. At some instance, I hesitated to believe that one’s own, personal life is based on building relationships with other people. I could not understand how the connection between myself and the others around me could make up my own life’s meaning
I sat down with my mother, Alicia, and asked her what her meaning of life was. She seemed startled by the question at first, being that it’s not typically something one would probably ask a person. After taking a few moments to gather her thoughts, she finally brought herself to say that life is about love. Interesting enough, my mother came to the conclusion that life was all about building relationships with people and creating certain connections with them. “Life is about finding people who are compatible with you. Someone with whom you can enjoy their company, and relate with one another” she stated, and continued to say that life is basically about not being alone.
On our search to find our own meaning of life, it was only necessary that we set out to find other people’s perceptions as well. As a class, we decided to create survey’s and hand them out to each class within our entire school, including grades 6-12. We separated each grade’s answers, with the exception of 11th and 12th grade, we categorized the two into the senior institute. I happened to be one that not only analyzed each survey and classified each answer, but I was assigned to actually give out the surveys to a number of classes within my own 11th grade classes. I was able to witness first hand what it was like for my fellow students to answer these questions. Watching each class as a whole, take the time to sit down and answer the given answers with what was supposed to be with genuine thoughts and truth, when each person received the survey, I’d noticed many with very similar reactions. I’d noticed that for many people, the moment they’d read the questions, such as “What is most important in your life right now?”, “What tends to reoccur in your life right now, and what would you do to change it?”, and “how does the society put boundaries over your definition of the meaning of life” etc. By appearances, I noticed that the many students had just written the first thing that entered their mind. Many seemed to have found a certain comfort in relying on the archetypal “slogan” answers to replace their meaning of life. Catch phrases, and answers that just may sound like a typically good response appeared to be very popular throughout examining answers. With dealing with question “What is most important to you”, I found that the responses from the senior institute were most peculiar. The 11th and 12th graders, above all the other grades were the most frequent to either answer it or leave it blank. While all the other grades may have simply answered with an “I don’t know” the senior institute had the highest ratio of those who just decided to not answer it at all. From this I get the sense that it seems the older one is, the more well-off one is with either having their specific answer or just not having one at all. From this I feel that with age, people tend to either direct themselves in the black or white complete answers, or just outright non-opinionated. There’s not really much space for any grey areas.
ADD MORE SURVEY INFO
CONCLUDE
SOMEONE ELSE”S BLOG?
..eXPAND WHAT”S HERE>>>
..Other People's Perspective..
While on the search to identify my own personal meaning of life, I must be able to open my mind, and take other people’s opinions of life into thought. The meaning of life that I plan to find out, should be one that other’s can relate to as well. I plan to feed off of many people’s ideas and depict each thought to create my own. I have made an effort to consult three family members of mine as well as a few friends, and with that my school mates in School of the Future high school were all given surveys.
After consulting each stance my mother took when unraveling her thoughts about her own personal meaning, I have questioned whether or not I personally thought it was up to par with my own possible meaning, and if it can relate on a universal aspect as well. At some instance, I hesitated to believe that one’s own, personal life is based on building relationships with other people. I could not understand how the connection between myself and the others around me could make up my own life’s meaning
I sat down with my mother, Alicia, and asked her what her meaning of life was. She seemed startled by the question at first, being that it’s not typically something one would probably ask a person. After taking a few moments to gather her thoughts, she finally brought herself to say that life is about love. Interesting enough, my mother came to the conclusion that life was all about building relationships with people and creating certain connections with them. “Life is about finding people who are compatible with you. Someone with whom you can enjoy their company, and relate with one another” she stated, and continued to say that life is basically about not being alone.
On our search to find our own meaning of life, it was only necessary that we set out to find other people’s perceptions as well. As a class, we decided to create survey’s and hand them out to each class within our entire school, including grades 6-12. We separated each grade’s answers, with the exception of 11th and 12th grade, we categorized the two into the senior institute. I happened to be one that not only analyzed each survey and classified each answer, but I was assigned to actually give out the surveys to a number of classes within my own 11th grade classes. I was able to witness first hand what it was like for my fellow students to answer these questions. Watching each class as a whole, take the time to sit down and answer the given answers with what was supposed to be with genuine thoughts and truth, when each person received the survey, I’d noticed many with very similar reactions. I’d noticed that for many people, the moment they’d read the questions, such as “What is most important in your life right now?”, “What tends to reoccur in your life right now, and what would you do to change it?”, and “how does the society put boundaries over your definition of the meaning of life” etc. By appearances, I noticed that the many students had just written the first thing that entered their mind. Many seemed to have found a certain comfort in relying on the archetypal “slogan” answers to replace their meaning of life. Catch phrases, and answers that just may sound like a typically good response appeared to be very popular throughout examining answers. With dealing with question “What is most important to you”, I found that the responses from the senior institute were most peculiar. The 11th and 12th graders, above all the other grades were the most frequent to either answer it or leave it blank. While all the other grades may have simply answered with an “I don’t know” the senior institute had the highest ratio of those who just decided to not answer it at all. From this I get the sense that it seems the older one is, the more well-off one is with either having their specific answer or just not having one at all. From this I feel that with age, people tend to either direct themselves in the black or white complete answers, or just outright non-opinionated. There’s not really much space for any grey areas.
ADD MORE SURVEY INFO
CONCLUDE
SOMEONE ELSE”S BLOG?
..eXPAND WHAT”S HERE>>>
OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSPECTIVE [draft]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Other People's Perspective..
SOF MOL Survey Results
MEANING OF LIFE survey results
Question #7:What tends to re-occur in your life-good or bad? What would you do to change it?
SENIOR INSTITUTE
out of total of 76 students
Arguments/Problems: 10/76 -->13%
Good & Bad: 2/76 -->3%
Learn with experience/obstacles: 2/76 -->3%
Neutral: 3/76 -->4%
Religion: 1/76 -->1%
No Answer: 19/76 -->25%
School/Work: 11/76 -->14%
Family/Friends: 6/76 -->8%
Don't Know: 5/76 -->7%
Good: 3/76 -->4%
Bad: 4/76 -->5%
Daily routine/tasks: 3/76 -->4%
Depression: 4/76 -->5%
Relaxing: 2/76 -->3%
Stress: 1/76 -->1%
Boredom: 0/76 -->0%
10TH GRADE
out of total of 25 students
Arguments/Problems: 2/25 -->8%
Good & Bad: 1/25 -->4%
Learn with experience/obstacles: 0/25 -->0%
Neutral: 5/25 -->20%
Religion: 0/25 -->0%
No Answer: 6/25 -->24%
School/Work: 4/25 -->16%
Family/Friends: 3/25 -->12%
Don't Know: 0/25 -->0%
Good: 0/25 -->0%
Bad: 0/25 -->0%
Daily routine/tasks: 2/25 -->8%
Depression: 0/25 -->0%
Relaxing: 0/25 -->0%
Stress: 0/25 -->0%
Boredom: 2/25 -->8%
7TH GRADE
out of total of 19 students
Arguments/Problems: 0/19 -->0%
Good & Bad: 1/19 -->5%
Learn with experience/obstacles: 0/19 -->0%
Neutral: 5/19 -->26%
Religion: 0/19 -->0%
No Answer: 6/19 -->31%
School/Work: 3/19-->15%
Family/Friends: 1/19 -->5%
Don't Know: 0/19 -->0%
Good: 1/19 -->5%
Bad: 1/19 -->5%
Daily routine/tasks:1/19 -->5%
Depression: 0/19 -->0%
Relaxing: 0/19 -->0%
Stress: 0/19 -->0%
Boredom: 0/19 -->0%
SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE
out of total of 120 students
Arguments/Problems: 12/120 -->10%
Good & Bad: 4/120 -->3%
Learn with experience/obstacles: 2/120 -->2%
Neutral: 13/120 -->11%
Religion: 1/120 -->.8%
No Answer: 31/120 -->25%
School/Work: 18/120 -->15%
Family/Friends: 10/120 -->8%
Don't Know: 5/120 -->4%
Good: 4/120 -->3%
Bad: 5/120 -->4%
Daily routine/tasks: 6/120 -->5%
Depression: 4/120 -->3%
Relaxing: 2/120 -->2%
Stress:1/120 -->.8%
Boredom: 2/120 -->2%
What is the meaning of life to you…ANGELINA?
(ANGELINA-twin sister)
-creating
:life
:technology
(evolve our lifestyle)
-education
-happiness
-it is possible that someone is always happy (state of mind)
-Being happy with yourself, not what you want to do
-not letting others effect you will get you happiness.
-religion holds you back: pulls you back from doing what you want to do in life
-people follow their religion because they are in fear
-everyone can live their life the way they want, not necessarily to strive people to be a “good person”
-religion has rules
-society has to do with when someone is happy, sad, or mad.
*bike example*
-to be happy in all you do…to be the highest of you
*If someone is not living their life the way they really want it, are they living meaninglessly?
-everyone has a purpose, just because they may not be living the way they want, does not mean they don’t have a reason to be living
-living as practically robots
What is the meaning of life to you….DAD?
To create: we are spiritual 3 part beings: body, mind, spirit.
We are here in the physical dimension to create, through our: thoughts, deeds, actions.
We are creating to re-discover who and what we are.
We are divine beings endowed with the essence of the creator (God)-the source is which everything evolves
“the essence of God is everywhere”
We are living through out creator, and its his way to experience his magnificence through us.
God lives through us all and everything that exists.
We live to be able to find what is best for us through EXPERIENCE
Each choice we make represents God.
To create whatever it is we wish to be.
To understand who we are in our own experience
What you choose to be is the way you live your life...and why u choose to be that way is the meaning and purpose behind it.
What is the meaning of life to you.…MOM?
Is about LOVE. Finding people who are compatible with you. U can enjoy each others company, and relate to one another. Be happy most of the time. Although there is really no true happiness, having sadness, building relationships, and understanding. That’s a question I’ve always wondered. There’s no right answer for that. NOT BEING ALONE. Religion has a lot to do with it. Life and living is a mystery.
Life is good,…life is bad…life sucks. Life is wonderful.
NO ONE KNOWS THE ANSWER FOR WHY I AM HERE.
**********************************************************
After taking in all of this information from this survey, it became difficult for me to do a thorough analysis of the data for the fact that it was hard for me to find a way to organize all that I have collected. I had to be able to categorize and group up all of these different types of answers. Being that this question was basically open-ended, and was not multiple choice, the kind of answers I received had a very broad variety. Each person had a different interpretation of what was being asked, so to have to put a limit on the sort of answers I read, just so I can classify and arrange them, in my opinion, perhaps took away from each individual’s reason for their answer.
..Other People's Perspective..
SOF MOL Survey Results
MEANING OF LIFE survey results
Question #7:What tends to re-occur in your life-good or bad? What would you do to change it?
SENIOR INSTITUTE
out of total of 76 students
Arguments/Problems: 10/76 -->13%
Good & Bad: 2/76 -->3%
Learn with experience/obstacles: 2/76 -->3%
Neutral: 3/76 -->4%
Religion: 1/76 -->1%
No Answer: 19/76 -->25%
School/Work: 11/76 -->14%
Family/Friends: 6/76 -->8%
Don't Know: 5/76 -->7%
Good: 3/76 -->4%
Bad: 4/76 -->5%
Daily routine/tasks: 3/76 -->4%
Depression: 4/76 -->5%
Relaxing: 2/76 -->3%
Stress: 1/76 -->1%
Boredom: 0/76 -->0%
10TH GRADE
out of total of 25 students
Arguments/Problems: 2/25 -->8%
Good & Bad: 1/25 -->4%
Learn with experience/obstacles: 0/25 -->0%
Neutral: 5/25 -->20%
Religion: 0/25 -->0%
No Answer: 6/25 -->24%
School/Work: 4/25 -->16%
Family/Friends: 3/25 -->12%
Don't Know: 0/25 -->0%
Good: 0/25 -->0%
Bad: 0/25 -->0%
Daily routine/tasks: 2/25 -->8%
Depression: 0/25 -->0%
Relaxing: 0/25 -->0%
Stress: 0/25 -->0%
Boredom: 2/25 -->8%
7TH GRADE
out of total of 19 students
Arguments/Problems: 0/19 -->0%
Good & Bad: 1/19 -->5%
Learn with experience/obstacles: 0/19 -->0%
Neutral: 5/19 -->26%
Religion: 0/19 -->0%
No Answer: 6/19 -->31%
School/Work: 3/19-->15%
Family/Friends: 1/19 -->5%
Don't Know: 0/19 -->0%
Good: 1/19 -->5%
Bad: 1/19 -->5%
Daily routine/tasks:1/19 -->5%
Depression: 0/19 -->0%
Relaxing: 0/19 -->0%
Stress: 0/19 -->0%
Boredom: 0/19 -->0%
SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE
out of total of 120 students
Arguments/Problems: 12/120 -->10%
Good & Bad: 4/120 -->3%
Learn with experience/obstacles: 2/120 -->2%
Neutral: 13/120 -->11%
Religion: 1/120 -->.8%
No Answer: 31/120 -->25%
School/Work: 18/120 -->15%
Family/Friends: 10/120 -->8%
Don't Know: 5/120 -->4%
Good: 4/120 -->3%
Bad: 5/120 -->4%
Daily routine/tasks: 6/120 -->5%
Depression: 4/120 -->3%
Relaxing: 2/120 -->2%
Stress:1/120 -->.8%
Boredom: 2/120 -->2%
What is the meaning of life to you…ANGELINA?
(ANGELINA-twin sister)
-creating
:life
:technology
(evolve our lifestyle)
-education
-happiness
-it is possible that someone is always happy (state of mind)
-Being happy with yourself, not what you want to do
-not letting others effect you will get you happiness.
-religion holds you back: pulls you back from doing what you want to do in life
-people follow their religion because they are in fear
-everyone can live their life the way they want, not necessarily to strive people to be a “good person”
-religion has rules
-society has to do with when someone is happy, sad, or mad.
*bike example*
-to be happy in all you do…to be the highest of you
*If someone is not living their life the way they really want it, are they living meaninglessly?
-everyone has a purpose, just because they may not be living the way they want, does not mean they don’t have a reason to be living
-living as practically robots
What is the meaning of life to you….DAD?
To create: we are spiritual 3 part beings: body, mind, spirit.
We are here in the physical dimension to create, through our: thoughts, deeds, actions.
We are creating to re-discover who and what we are.
We are divine beings endowed with the essence of the creator (God)-the source is which everything evolves
“the essence of God is everywhere”
We are living through out creator, and its his way to experience his magnificence through us.
God lives through us all and everything that exists.
We live to be able to find what is best for us through EXPERIENCE
Each choice we make represents God.
To create whatever it is we wish to be.
To understand who we are in our own experience
What you choose to be is the way you live your life...and why u choose to be that way is the meaning and purpose behind it.
What is the meaning of life to you.…MOM?
Is about LOVE. Finding people who are compatible with you. U can enjoy each others company, and relate to one another. Be happy most of the time. Although there is really no true happiness, having sadness, building relationships, and understanding. That’s a question I’ve always wondered. There’s no right answer for that. NOT BEING ALONE. Religion has a lot to do with it. Life and living is a mystery.
Life is good,…life is bad…life sucks. Life is wonderful.
NO ONE KNOWS THE ANSWER FOR WHY I AM HERE.
**********************************************************
After taking in all of this information from this survey, it became difficult for me to do a thorough analysis of the data for the fact that it was hard for me to find a way to organize all that I have collected. I had to be able to categorize and group up all of these different types of answers. Being that this question was basically open-ended, and was not multiple choice, the kind of answers I received had a very broad variety. Each person had a different interpretation of what was being asked, so to have to put a limit on the sort of answers I read, just so I can classify and arrange them, in my opinion, perhaps took away from each individual’s reason for their answer.
INITIAL PERSPECTIVE [final]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Initial Perspective..
What is the meaning of life? A question that would typically seem like one that should be rather simple to answer, being that we spend every living moment acting out answers to that question, it however is not at all. As plain and straightforward as the question may appear, generating anything close to a plain and straightforward, complete answer is nearly impossible! People live their lives each and everyday not knowing WHY and not paying the smallest bit of attention to this question. I think its safe to say that well over more then half of the people you see walking down the street are moving on with their life, day by day with no value or significance about it. Individuals play along the same exact routine every single day, not taking the smallest advantage of the fact that they could be living their life with a true meaning and purpose. Yet then again, who is to say what is meaningful compared to someone else? The meaning of life is indefinite and extremely vague to me, and has no single or specific meaning behind it, for no single or specific person. The meaning of life is varied for every person, and to try and produce an answer that could aggregate and satisfy the lifestyle of each and every human being is not at all simple and perhaps unachievable.
The meaning of life to my understanding is beyond describing, and may or may not be relatable to others, for the simple fact that my personal life is not the same as anyone else's. With that said, the easiest way for me to come up with a sensible answer that could not only suit my own way of life, but everyone else’s as well, is to keep my answer in a very general and universal spectrum. My personal meaning of life is based upon three different things which are all associated with each other. Those are to experience, change, and create. I consider life to be the journey of experiencing varieties of different occurrences, obstacles etc. Then eventually learning from those things, and eventually changing (whether it be an unintentional or intentional change). Subsequent to that change, it is then, that you have created the “new” upgraded you.
Experience is a very large-ranging purpose when it comes life itself. Every hour, minute, and second of the day, you are experiencing something new, no matter how small. When certain significant instances occur in one’s life that seem to stand out from the rest of the continuing experiences you are constantly living through, those are the unique things that make someone else’s life different from any other person. For example, if one runs into a problem, that one notable problem makes your one experience different from anyone else’s. Along with that, the way one deals with that problem is what makes the variation between individuals more distinct than before. Every person handles circumstances differently. Yet, with experiencing that event in their life, they get through it, and learn from that it (that way one knows what to do if it happens again later in life). Afterwards the person would have grown and advanced either physically or mentally. Therefore their state of mind would have changed, and the creation of new things, events, and experiences are soon to come from that.
Experiencing every spectrum of every situation is vital and inevitable during one’s lifetime. With experience comes understanding and knowledge which then leads to the other two points (change and creation). This brings me to the idea that life is not all about the pursuit of happiness. It is commonly said that life is all about happiness and doing whatever makes one happy. No doubt about it...that may be apart of it, yet I do not in any way think that someone's entire idea, meaning and purpose of life should mainly be focused on one's happiness all the time. If it were, than it's pretty safe to say that not a single human being has ever lived a completely purposeful or meaningful life. This is for the simple fact that no person is ever always happy. Firstly, to define the term of happiness, it is in my judgment that to be happy, is to be filled with complete bliss and to have absolute joy in all that we do. To be completely happy one would be from the inside out in total high spirits. With this said, how can one’s entire life be based on the strive to always be that?
Although I’m sure it would seem nice, always trying to being happy is however not at all realistic! Yet after all one’s meaning of life must be realistic and must make sense. Life is real, therefore its meaning must be practical as well. The purpose of life is to experience, and one must not only have experience in the physical being, but in every aspect of emotion as well. You cannot have one without the other, and one cannot have ever felt the absolute feeling of any one certain emotion, unless they have experienced its contradiction. There always needs to be a balance. In order to understand the full effect of being "happy" is to have experienced a not so “happy” time, where one has been angry or sad etc. To have an understanding and experience of both sides of every emotion, situation and moment is what the purpose of living is. With that said, one would only obtain such an understanding if they’d actually experienced and practiced it.
In my eyes, the meaning of life says a lot. It explains one's past, present and future and why it all even matters and occurs. However, in my own opinion, life is the journey in which every individual takes where they must learn to cope with certain experiences and obstacles thrown their way. My meaning of life is how I handle I situations and how I come out different afterwards, which is why I believe that life’s meaning involves change. I consider life to almost be a big test that has many problems in some parts within it. Those problems will ultimately portray how one is being effected by them. The impact the problem had over a person will cause them to react a certain way, and the reaction is what change was created within the person.
Creation is another part of life that I think is a key factor to its meaning. For each person, I think life is all about creating the highest vision for themselves, and actually following through with their vision to make it their reality, or their real and actual self. The process in which that would take, is what life is all about to me. That leads back to experiencing and changing. Although I cannot of coarse put a definition on what would make the utmost of a person, (for the obvious fact that each individual is not the same a any other), even so, I do believe that as a part of life, it is one’s goal to reach that extreme and to make themselves be the best they can be.
Being that in my opinion, the three reasons for life that explain its purpose have been to experience, change and create, I would say is quite relatable to each person, which is why I would say that life’s meaning involves those three aspects. With all that has been said, I would still conclude that the complete meaning of life perhaps has an unexplainable answer. I’ve constructed a number of key portions of what is interconnected with its purpose, yet to actually identify life’s meaning I believe is unattainable for anyone, because while I am still only in high school, I have much of my life ahead of me. For someone to have generated a complete answer for their life, even though their own life is not yet completely lived out, I think is not possible. While one remains alive, it means that they have yet to experience something else, so how can they come up with an versatile yet final answer to what the purpose of life is, if they have yet to finish they’re own.
..Initial Perspective..
What is the meaning of life? A question that would typically seem like one that should be rather simple to answer, being that we spend every living moment acting out answers to that question, it however is not at all. As plain and straightforward as the question may appear, generating anything close to a plain and straightforward, complete answer is nearly impossible! People live their lives each and everyday not knowing WHY and not paying the smallest bit of attention to this question. I think its safe to say that well over more then half of the people you see walking down the street are moving on with their life, day by day with no value or significance about it. Individuals play along the same exact routine every single day, not taking the smallest advantage of the fact that they could be living their life with a true meaning and purpose. Yet then again, who is to say what is meaningful compared to someone else? The meaning of life is indefinite and extremely vague to me, and has no single or specific meaning behind it, for no single or specific person. The meaning of life is varied for every person, and to try and produce an answer that could aggregate and satisfy the lifestyle of each and every human being is not at all simple and perhaps unachievable.
The meaning of life to my understanding is beyond describing, and may or may not be relatable to others, for the simple fact that my personal life is not the same as anyone else's. With that said, the easiest way for me to come up with a sensible answer that could not only suit my own way of life, but everyone else’s as well, is to keep my answer in a very general and universal spectrum. My personal meaning of life is based upon three different things which are all associated with each other. Those are to experience, change, and create. I consider life to be the journey of experiencing varieties of different occurrences, obstacles etc. Then eventually learning from those things, and eventually changing (whether it be an unintentional or intentional change). Subsequent to that change, it is then, that you have created the “new” upgraded you.
Experience is a very large-ranging purpose when it comes life itself. Every hour, minute, and second of the day, you are experiencing something new, no matter how small. When certain significant instances occur in one’s life that seem to stand out from the rest of the continuing experiences you are constantly living through, those are the unique things that make someone else’s life different from any other person. For example, if one runs into a problem, that one notable problem makes your one experience different from anyone else’s. Along with that, the way one deals with that problem is what makes the variation between individuals more distinct than before. Every person handles circumstances differently. Yet, with experiencing that event in their life, they get through it, and learn from that it (that way one knows what to do if it happens again later in life). Afterwards the person would have grown and advanced either physically or mentally. Therefore their state of mind would have changed, and the creation of new things, events, and experiences are soon to come from that.
Experiencing every spectrum of every situation is vital and inevitable during one’s lifetime. With experience comes understanding and knowledge which then leads to the other two points (change and creation). This brings me to the idea that life is not all about the pursuit of happiness. It is commonly said that life is all about happiness and doing whatever makes one happy. No doubt about it...that may be apart of it, yet I do not in any way think that someone's entire idea, meaning and purpose of life should mainly be focused on one's happiness all the time. If it were, than it's pretty safe to say that not a single human being has ever lived a completely purposeful or meaningful life. This is for the simple fact that no person is ever always happy. Firstly, to define the term of happiness, it is in my judgment that to be happy, is to be filled with complete bliss and to have absolute joy in all that we do. To be completely happy one would be from the inside out in total high spirits. With this said, how can one’s entire life be based on the strive to always be that?
Although I’m sure it would seem nice, always trying to being happy is however not at all realistic! Yet after all one’s meaning of life must be realistic and must make sense. Life is real, therefore its meaning must be practical as well. The purpose of life is to experience, and one must not only have experience in the physical being, but in every aspect of emotion as well. You cannot have one without the other, and one cannot have ever felt the absolute feeling of any one certain emotion, unless they have experienced its contradiction. There always needs to be a balance. In order to understand the full effect of being "happy" is to have experienced a not so “happy” time, where one has been angry or sad etc. To have an understanding and experience of both sides of every emotion, situation and moment is what the purpose of living is. With that said, one would only obtain such an understanding if they’d actually experienced and practiced it.
In my eyes, the meaning of life says a lot. It explains one's past, present and future and why it all even matters and occurs. However, in my own opinion, life is the journey in which every individual takes where they must learn to cope with certain experiences and obstacles thrown their way. My meaning of life is how I handle I situations and how I come out different afterwards, which is why I believe that life’s meaning involves change. I consider life to almost be a big test that has many problems in some parts within it. Those problems will ultimately portray how one is being effected by them. The impact the problem had over a person will cause them to react a certain way, and the reaction is what change was created within the person.
Creation is another part of life that I think is a key factor to its meaning. For each person, I think life is all about creating the highest vision for themselves, and actually following through with their vision to make it their reality, or their real and actual self. The process in which that would take, is what life is all about to me. That leads back to experiencing and changing. Although I cannot of coarse put a definition on what would make the utmost of a person, (for the obvious fact that each individual is not the same a any other), even so, I do believe that as a part of life, it is one’s goal to reach that extreme and to make themselves be the best they can be.
Being that in my opinion, the three reasons for life that explain its purpose have been to experience, change and create, I would say is quite relatable to each person, which is why I would say that life’s meaning involves those three aspects. With all that has been said, I would still conclude that the complete meaning of life perhaps has an unexplainable answer. I’ve constructed a number of key portions of what is interconnected with its purpose, yet to actually identify life’s meaning I believe is unattainable for anyone, because while I am still only in high school, I have much of my life ahead of me. For someone to have generated a complete answer for their life, even though their own life is not yet completely lived out, I think is not possible. While one remains alive, it means that they have yet to experience something else, so how can they come up with an versatile yet final answer to what the purpose of life is, if they have yet to finish they’re own.
INITIAL PERSPECTIVE [draft]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?
..Initial Perspective..
What is life all about? What is the true purpose of living? How can we live meaningfully? Is that even possible? People live their lives each and everday not knowing WHY and not paying the smallest bit of attention to any of those questions. I think its safe to say that well over more then half of the people you see walking down the street are moving on with their life, day by day with no value or significance about it. Individuals play along the same exact routine every sing day, not taking the samllest advantage of the fact that they could be living their life with a true meaning and purpose. Yet then again, who is to say what is meaningful compared to someone else. The meaning of life is indefinite and extremely vague to me, and has no single or specific meaning behind it, for no single or specific person. The meaning of life is varied for every person, yet for everyone it is all about EXPERIENCE. Life is the journey of creating the very personal best within oneself and to understand both sides of every emotion, situation and moment.
In my eyes, the meaning of life says a lot. It explains one's past, present and future and why it all even matters and occurs. The meaning of life to my understanding is beyond describing, and may or may not be relatable to others for the simple fact that my personal life is not the same as anyone else's. However, in my own opinion, life is the journey in which every individual takes in which they must learn to cope with certain experiences and obstacles thrown their way. My meaning of life is how I handle i situations and how i come out different afterwards. In that sense, i think life is all about change. I consider it to be a big test that has man problems in some parts within it, and it portrays how one has been effected by theym all. Some say life is all about happiness. No doubt about it...that may be apart of it, yet i do not in any way think that someone's entire idea of life should mainly be focused on one's happiness all the time. If it were, than it's pretty safe to say that not a single human being has ever had a purposeful or meaningful life for the simple fact that no person is ever always happy. To be happy, is to be filled with complete bliss and to have absolute joy in all that we do, and from the inside out one would be in high spirits. Life is all about practicing. This idea turns back to the fact that life is not always about being happy. One must have experience in every aspect of emotion. You cannot have one without the other. In order to understand the full effect of being "happy" is to have experienced a not so happy time, where one has been angry or sad. etc. So with that said, how can life be just about happiness?
To do so, many people turn to their religion. THey practice it so that they can basically be a good person so that they end up living a good life. (EXPAND ON RELIGION)
The meaning of life to me is still unexplainable. Even with all that I have said, it is extremely difficult for me to actually define life.
..Initial Perspective..
What is life all about? What is the true purpose of living? How can we live meaningfully? Is that even possible? People live their lives each and everday not knowing WHY and not paying the smallest bit of attention to any of those questions. I think its safe to say that well over more then half of the people you see walking down the street are moving on with their life, day by day with no value or significance about it. Individuals play along the same exact routine every sing day, not taking the samllest advantage of the fact that they could be living their life with a true meaning and purpose. Yet then again, who is to say what is meaningful compared to someone else. The meaning of life is indefinite and extremely vague to me, and has no single or specific meaning behind it, for no single or specific person. The meaning of life is varied for every person, yet for everyone it is all about EXPERIENCE. Life is the journey of creating the very personal best within oneself and to understand both sides of every emotion, situation and moment.
In my eyes, the meaning of life says a lot. It explains one's past, present and future and why it all even matters and occurs. The meaning of life to my understanding is beyond describing, and may or may not be relatable to others for the simple fact that my personal life is not the same as anyone else's. However, in my own opinion, life is the journey in which every individual takes in which they must learn to cope with certain experiences and obstacles thrown their way. My meaning of life is how I handle i situations and how i come out different afterwards. In that sense, i think life is all about change. I consider it to be a big test that has man problems in some parts within it, and it portrays how one has been effected by theym all. Some say life is all about happiness. No doubt about it...that may be apart of it, yet i do not in any way think that someone's entire idea of life should mainly be focused on one's happiness all the time. If it were, than it's pretty safe to say that not a single human being has ever had a purposeful or meaningful life for the simple fact that no person is ever always happy. To be happy, is to be filled with complete bliss and to have absolute joy in all that we do, and from the inside out one would be in high spirits. Life is all about practicing. This idea turns back to the fact that life is not always about being happy. One must have experience in every aspect of emotion. You cannot have one without the other. In order to understand the full effect of being "happy" is to have experienced a not so happy time, where one has been angry or sad. etc. So with that said, how can life be just about happiness?
To do so, many people turn to their religion. THey practice it so that they can basically be a good person so that they end up living a good life. (EXPAND ON RELIGION)
The meaning of life to me is still unexplainable. Even with all that I have said, it is extremely difficult for me to actually define life.
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