The Meaning Of Life Essay Example For Students

The Meaning Of Life Essay Introduction to Philosophy Paper #1 The Meaning Of Life Essay The human civilization has been on earth for thousands of years now. We started off with simple tools and used caves as shelter. Now we depend on computers, enjoy a luxurious life and develop new ways to improve our lives even more. I always wonder if we finally reached the final stage of improvement in our history. I mean what else can we do? When I think about that question, the idea of the meaning of life comes to my mind and I question the reason for my existence on this planet. We will write a custom essay on The Meaning Of Life specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now My personal theory on this subject states that we are here to impress God with our thoughts and actions, in order to prove to him that we can handle any obstacles on Earth in order to achieve faith and glory to be prepared for God in heaven. But then again my theory might not make any sense to someone who doesnt believe in God. If there were no God, then what would the meaning of life for the non-believer be? The meaning of life is a very delicate topic because no one has the answer to it, but there are many theories that attempt to explain it and help us understand life better. There are many people in the world that dont believe in anything and think that nothing really matters because we might be dead in the short future. This is an interesting idea because if the world will end soon, then it doesnt really matter what we do now. I mean if there is no point in life, then why should we even bother to struggle for a better life if those achievements will not be permanent. If we think like that then there is no point to what we do, unless we figure out what life is and what we want to do with it. In my opinion, we can explain the point of most of the things we do if not all. We are all brought up in a similar way and we learn to share our planet with other creatures. We learn to communicate, we express our feelings and we learn something new everyday in order to make our lives better. We work to earn money in order to survive and support our families. We eat, sleep, and enjoy entertainment. We also talk to our friends and try to be the best at what we do. I mean, if we didnt do any of that, then our lives would be miserable and there would be no point to it. Then we ask ourselves again, Is that really the meaning of life or is there more to it. In our lifetime we do all these things and usually we dont even think about them. I mean if we look at our lives there is really no point to it at all. We go through ups and downs all the time, we experience happiness and sadness, and we all think about death. Most of us want to be remembered when we pass away, but then we think about death and we realize that we will be forgotten and only our close family members will remember us. I mean other people wont really care about our death because there is no point to their life either, since the meaning of life is not known to any of us and probably never will be. We are close to our families and we seem to love each other, but that will all pass as soon as death arrives. We all have the opportunity to make our life have a larger meaning. Even if we dont believe that possibility then we can make ourselves belief that it is achievable because many people around us were able to do it. I mean we might be a part of a political or a social movement, which might affect our lives now and benefit the future generations. .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 , .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .postImageUrl , .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 , .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2:hover , .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2:visited , .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2:active { border:0!important; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2:active , .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2 .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uaac2235b09a2fe8b96534da2084d2ff2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Machiavellian Politics In The Prince Essay For example a scientist might be able to achieve that point in many ways. Through his work he can at least figure out a big part of the meaning of life. In todays world we have scientists working on cures for . The Meaning of Life Essay Example For Students The Meaning of Life Essay The Meaning of Life Essay The most difficult thing in life is finding something worth living for. The second most difficult thing is knowing when youve found it. .. We will write a custom essay on The Meaning of Life specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now by Jamie Andreas Okay, lets be light hearted for once. Lets not talk about some heavy subject. Lets pick something more down to earth and fun. How about the meaning of life? Yes, the meaning of life, and the purpose of our lives. Teen-agers (that group of people who are most likely to begin to play the guitar) love to think about this. Since they are about to embark on that part of life called being an adult, they like to question whether there is anything about it that makes it worth the bother. A 17 year old student once put it to me very poignantly. He said, When I look at the world, and I see what most of the adults I know are doing with their lives, and how they feel about their jobs, it is not very inspiring. I listen to people tell me I should play the game, and work hard to get good grades, so I can get a good job and all that. It all seems to have about as much meaning as going in to the library and memorizing the entire card catalog! What for? Whats the point?; And I said to him You are exactly right. There is no point. There is no meaning to life. And I firmly believe that. I am going to make two points now. One, there is no meaning to life; you must create the meaning of life, and most especially, your life. And two, there most definitely is a purpose to life, and especially to your life, but you must discover it. These two ideas work together. Once you find your purpose, you will be able to see the meaning of your life. What does the word meaning mean? People are always asking what is the meaning of life, what is the meaning of death, what is the meaning of me losing my job, losing my hair, etc, etc. Well, you see the point is, there is no answer to the question because it is the wrong question. Only a person who doesnt know what the word meaning means will ask that question. Meaning means to recognize a significance beyond the thing itself, or in other words, to point to something beyond itself And the recognition of that significance, seeing how anything you look at points to something beyond itself, is a creative act on the part of every individual, and it is also the responsibility of every individual. When a little boy, Adam Walsh, was abducted and brutally murdered in Florida years ago, his father of course was devastated, and must have agonized over the meaning of such a horrible thing happening. He must have asked why did this happen, which is what we say when we want to know the meaning of something. To his great credit, he answered the question himself. He created the meaning; he gave this horrible event meaning by recognizing a significance to it that went beyond the thing itself. He did this by devoting his life and energy to combating crime, and eventually ended up hosting Americas Most Wanted. He took his pain and expanded it outward, helping untold numbers of people by doing so. In his creative and courageous act of giving this tragedy meaning, he also saved himself from being destroyed by the pain. This is an extreme example to make a point. If we do not perform our responsibility of creating the meaning of our lives, and all the events that make up our lives, we will pay a price, in fact the ultimate price, a meaningless life! The meaning of our lives will always involve the discovery of how our lives connect with all that is around us, especially other people. It will always involve making our lives be of benefit to other people. When I am teaching someone, I see the lesson as much more than a guitar lesson. I see that I am helping to determine what kind of life this person will have. .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b , .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .postImageUrl , .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b , .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b:hover , .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b:visited , .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b:active { border:0!important; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b:active , .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6b27e9ffeadf41f306c824206990c18b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Does TV Affect American Culture Essay I am in a position to help determine whether this person will have a happy . The meaning of life Essay Example For Students The meaning of life Essay January 19, 2005 The meaning of life Essay What is the meaning of life. The meaning of our lives, the purpose, and the dreams both dashed and realized, and the expectations forced upon us by others. In other words how do you translate what life is? Translation means to explain in simple terms. What is it supposed to be about? There are different answers for different people at different times in their lives. A persons lifetime is filled with self-examination. We will write a custom essay on The meaning of life specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Why am I here? What am I doing? Is this as good as it gets? You have a beginning. Youre in the middle, and your story hasnt ended yet. If one would recognize the greatest things we have in life, they would not be asking this question. These great things are faith, hope, and love. Faith is the one that can keep one from asking questions. If God wanted us to know something, then we would know it. In most religions, Christian ones in particular, the question of meaning in life is inextricably wrapped up in a relationship with God. Living in, for, with, and through him. Therefore, how one answers the meaning of life question bears directly the existence of God. Soren Kierkegaard said to be the ;father; of existentialism maintains that there are three basic answers to the question of the meaning of life. He called these ;stages; of life, because he believed that people ;progressed; from one stage to the next. Whether or not that is true, there do seem to be at least three fundamental outlooks on life. One is a life devoted to pleasure. This value perspective can be shown by a person whose only concern is for what they are doing now. They would rather gain from pleasures in life without any regards to how they might affect their future. Another stage is those choosing ethical and moral paths. People who are honest and loyal demonstrate this in their everyday lives. Finally, there is a live religiously. This has been the popular way of life for many of us. It is going to church and practicing your faith Stace argues, the present age has begun to weaken faith in God. The concept of a supernatural person has begun to seem unlikely to many people. The Bible no longer seems as respected for many Catholics. While many people say they believe in God they are beginning question whether faith and God are the answer to the meaning of life. Most of us whether we choose to admit it or not show that material things are what we base our lives around. These ideas are at the heart of existentialism, which is a view of life that says that human beings are the creators of their own sense of meaning or purpose. The most famous existentialist, John Paul Sartre in his books and novels developed several themes that portray existentialism. The first is the notion that ;existence precedes essence.; A legacy of traditional philosophy has been that we have a fixed human nature. Sartre challenged that we have no such set purpose or meaning. Our real meaning or who we are is a result of our decisions. We are what we decide. The second associated concept is the importance of human freedom. Sartre believed that every human being has the freedom to live life as we choose to. He believed that we are often terrified by our freedom, and in fact frequently do not want to take responsibility for our own actions. This attitude Sartre called ;bad faith.; Bad faith is an act of self-deception in which we rationalize our actions as being caused by circumstances instead of being self-caused. .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b , .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .postImageUrl , .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b , .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b:hover , .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b:visited , .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b:active { border:0!important; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b:active , .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uafcb7bc6d0dbfa5ea70894ad5bebec0b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Statistics Project Essay Basically blaming others for our own deceptions and mistakes. The third major concept of existentialism is the idea of the Absurd. The philosopher Albert Camus popularized this concept. The concept of the absurd is promoted by atheistic existentialist, such as Sartre and Camus. The similarity between Christian and atheistic existentialist is the significance of human freedom and the belief that we are the makers of our own lives One of the most significant pieces of the decline of religious faith is the continuing awareness that there may not be any purpose in . The Meaning of Life Essay Example For Students The Meaning of Life Essay What is The Meaning of Life Essay? Everybody has his/her own opinion on what this meaning is. Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, and Michael Jackson for example all have their own views. This is the meaning of life according to Michael Jackson. Life blooms into flowers, love songs, music, and explodes into stars, nebulae, and galaxies. We exist in living, pulsating, dancing universe, and we are a privileged species because the creative force of all life is most alive in our souls. I agree with this philosophy for many reasons. I will explain them in this essay. The first part of the quote is very powerful. Life blooms into flowers, love songs, music, and explodes into stars, nebulae and galaxies . To me this means that life can be very simple and slow with not a whole lot to worry about, while at the same time somewhere else it can be very complex and fast paced with numerous things all happening at one time. The blooming flowers, love songs, and music represent the slow, simple, worry free part of life. The stars, nebulae, and galaxies represent the fast, complex part of life. Life is simple in the way of nature and things that happen in it, but complex in the way of living and making it through hard times. We exist in a living, pulsating, dancing universe, and we are a privileged species. We will write a custom essay on The Meaning of Life specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now .. This part of the quote to me means the world around us is always changing and that we should be lucky to have even been here to begin with. pulsating, dancing universe represents the part of life that we can do nothing about. This means natural disaster and problems in our world such and pollution and the ozone layer. We are privileged because we have survived such things and have learned to live with them. because the creative force of all life is most alive in our souls. The final part of the quote to me means that we have the power to control some of the things that happen to us and around us, but most of all we have the power to control our own mind and that we have the freedom to do what we feel is right. If we believe in ourselves we can set our mind to accomplish just about anything. We have the power to do what ever make us happy. In conclusion, I believe that what ever happens in the world, we should try to see the good, the bad and anything in between. Whatever a person might think or believe should not be criticized or judged by anyone else. What happens in the world will happen no matter what we do about it. Michael Jackson said it best with this quote. .