The Meaning Of Life Essay, Research Paper
Since the beginning of human history, we have used logic and reasoning in order to explain why things happen and to advance ourselves. This desire to understand and comprehend is always present. We are constantly striving to search for purpose and meaning in everything we do in our lives. We need reason and purpose in order to do anything just like we need a reason to continue living. Otherwise, our lives may become meaningless. I believe the meaning of life is to find what is true to you using your own personal experiences and philosophies.
Without reason, there is no meaning. Living a meaningless life would be depressing, difficult and dangerous. Nihilists believe life has no meaning because life does not have cosmic significance. They choose not to search for personal meaning; therefore, all purposive behavior is eliminated. “Nihilism is a swirling black hole of nothingness, strangely attractive but also terribly frightening to those who struggle to find the meaning of life” (Shrader 19). I tend to agree with the existential point of view that life can have meaning even though it may not have any significance in the grander scheme of things. With reason and purpose to go on in life, it is much harder to be swallowed by the black hole of nihilism.
Life is a quest for meaning. “Life can be meaningful in a subjectively satisfying sense even if our lives (and values) quickly fade into an indifferent nothingness, unnoticed by the cosmos” (Shrader 19). We must search inward in order to find the meaning of life. Beauty is within oneself and within this beauty is the answer. The meaning of life has nothing to do with material possessions or social status. Money does not equal happiness. Of course, there is no one correct answer to the meaning of life. Everyone’s perception is unique and this provides for numerous views on life’s meaning. It is different for everyone and constantly changing. Even in death, the meaning of your life can change. Due to this, we can never know the real meaning of life; all we can do is look within to find our own personal purposes.
We advance ourselves through logic and reasoning, which in turn helps us to find direction and meaning in life. Finding this meaning using our own personal views is a quest that ends in death for no one can have a full understanding of life. Every experience and every relationship helps to shape each person’s own meaning of life. In conclusion, I believe the meaning of life is to use the culmination of everything that happens to you in order to discover what is true to you. “The meaning of life is from within us, it is not bestowed from without, and it far exceeds in both its beauty and permanence any heaven of which men have ever dreamed of or yearned for” (Taylor 37).
Bibliography
Shrader, Douglas W. “The Meaning of Life.” Eds. Shrader and Malhorta. Pathways to Philosophy. Prentice Hall, New Jersey 1996. 17-22.
Taylor, Richard. “The Meaning of Life.” Eds. Shrader and Malhorta. Pathways to Philosophy. Prentice Hall, New Jersey 1996. 31-37.