Don't ask the meaning of life; ask what life expects from you. Life has no general meaning. As Viktor E. Frankl points out, "life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual."Professor Paul Levinson once asked us about what we want--fame, power, or money--in the future. At that time, I was the only one in class who chose fame. Now, I think I have a better answer. I want to find a meaning to my life.
5 comments:
Have you thought about "happiness"?
This kind of happiness is not from fame, power and money, and its essence is only happiness. Like what I told you, the normal white couple in the subway, it seems they cannot ask anything more and they feel satisfied with what they already have....the simple and tiny happiness :)
I'm with this Lynn character. If your happy- what else is there? your content in all other aspects.
Besides, famous people are tools.
Lynn and Mike,
The meaning of our lives might not only be happiness, because when unavoidable unhappiness occurs, you will suffer more by the unhappiness about being unhappy.
For example, when I have cancer, I will certainly feel unhappy about my life, and then I will suffer more because I can't avoid the illness that makes me feel unhappy. When unavoidable unhappiness such as the loss of our beloved or illness has happened, we could be not only unhapppy,but also ashamed of being unhappy.
The idea that we should find the meaning to our unavoidable suffering come from Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search For Meaning. His experience in concentration camp teaches him that human need not only to find happiness to their lives, but also to avoid unhappiness through their search for meaning to their suffering.
Sigh...I really don't want to make it so serious. Sorry, guys. I hope there is no such "unavoidable suffering" happens to us, although I know that's impossible. At least, we can build a positive attitude to our existence by looking for a greater meaning to our lives in particular period.
don't be so sure. When my mom had breast cancer it brought my parents closer than they had ever been. It was an unavoidable unhappyness by your reasoning, but made my parents realize just how much they were in love.
good can come from all places man.
Mike,
I think people can find a deeper, greater meaning for their life through confronting unavoidable suffering. Your experience might just prove my point. I hope one day I can have the courage to face my death and to love another people in their very uniqueness.
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