|
About Life and other Inevitables
Life, unlike death, can be grasped as something physicial and real,
especially you who is just reading this line, won't deny the fact that
you're living (except if you're an absolute sceptic). But what does 'to
live' mean anyway? A common definition is: something basically different to
the dead nature, with the ability to react and adapt to the environment,
that exchanges matter and energy with it, and finally to extend the
existance of its lifeform by reproduction.
Okay, that sounds quite sensible. However, this just defines the existance,
but not the purpose of life. When you were a child, you probably often
asked the question 'Why?', in a few cases annoying your parents for they
didn't know the answer themselves. To avoid disappointment, I won't tell
you the sense of life in this short article, but I will express my very own
belief:
Maybe there is some reason why we're living. In a certain SciFi series, it
once is said that the universe has brought up life to make it possible to
understand itself. Some religious people say it's a test to be as good as
possible to step into the positive side of after-life (i.e. heaven). In
Buddism, it's the other way round: you try not to be reborn anymore and
step into Nirvana (you cannot express what is really meant by Nirvana,
though you might say what it is not). They seem to be similar in a
way that they lift life to an abstract meta-level which cannot be grasped
anymore. Although these theses have interesting points, I won't comment any
futher on them.
I've been reflecting on the purpose of life for a very long time, turning
in circles, frantically seeking a solution, overseeing the pretty obvious.
I've come to the conclusion that there is no sense of life, or if there
would really be one, are we able to understand it. Then again, would we
really need it? Why must there always be a reason for something?
Isn't it enough just to exist?
Now I can hear you saying: 'Hey, sure we need it. Without reason,
everything would be senseless!'. Okay, this is a valid point, but now tell
me if the lack of sense really make things becoming void? I don't think so.
Does a comet change its direction or even stop completely just because
nobody is prodding it anymore? It goes on and on, just like the universe
keeps expanding for all time (as far as concerned). Things already have
started long time ago, and we never needed a reason so far (at least
nothing we had to be aware of), nor did any other being require one for
living.
Moreover, citing A. Schopenhauer, life is absurd (senseless) anyway,
because in the end, there's death, destroying the ability to think and to
react on the environment, making everything irrelevant. You see, a special
purpose is not as important as you might thought before.
So, what are the consequences if you assume the absence of reason? I'm not
quite sure about this myself. However, I suppose it didn't have any impact
on my conception of the world, but it made me content to find out that
there is no universal sense of life. Don't mix this with your personal
aims! Explicitly said, this fact doesn't make anything more absurd than it
was before, i.e. if you see reason in what you're doing, it still
remains.
Enough said about the purpose, let's talk about some important bits about
life. Whatever some religions say, I'm atheist and do not believe in
after-life. I hate it to believe things without rational facts and
moreover, the strong self-deceptive attempt to prolong ones existance
beyond life seems to me as inability to accept death as inevitable part of
being. The worst bit about after-life though, is the problem that many
people might think they get a second chance 'in heaven' and don't do as
much as they could do 'here'.
To summarize it to one phrase: To my belief is your only chance and you
got to make the best of it.
What does this mean, making the best of ones life? Pretty tricky and
difficult question. I guess it's all up to you. Only one advice: don't
waste your time on things that won't make you happy in a long term view.
Keep your eyes on friends and relatives, you're supposed to gain most in
relationships. Life isn't something individual, it's a social structure.
And accept that no-one, especially yourself, is perfect. We all make
mistakes, some of them might not be correctable or will never be forgiven,
but you have to accept them to continue. Don't live in the past, it
won't come back nor can you change it. I know this can a be pretty hard
thing for I've got problems accepting the past myself. Any good advice?
Leading a 'good' life (eudaimonia), reaching the maximum level of happiness
and benefit (hedonism), not being touched by emotions (stoicism), living
both intensive and most, trying out every possibility, reaching the a
higher state of mind, expressing yourself, giving advice and knowledge to
your descendants before you cease to exist -- these are just a few examples
how one could start off. But always try to deem of the end of your days, if
you could say to yourself: 'Yes, I really have been living.'
Chris Hodges, 3th August 1999
|
