How to find the meaning of life: what is happiness and what is worth living for?

Man is a unique creature.The rest of the mammals strive to satisfy only the basic needs for food, water, sleep and reproduction during their lives. And only man stood on his feet, built a civilization and became concerned with how to find the meaning of life and happiness. It is as answers to this question that religion, philosophy and psychology arise in society, because man does not want to live in ignorance. But, unfortunately, no one has come to a final conclusion - scientists have not found the meaning of life, despite the genius of the minds struggling to unravel this mystery. Let us also try to penetrate the foundations of existence.

The meaning of life in human culture

For the first time, the question of how to find the meaning of life,arises within the framework of religion. Indeed, when a person begins to believe in the creation of the world by some mysterious entity, then interest in the purpose of such an “experiment” arises. Why are we here? Despite the fact that all religions differ from each other in one way or another, in the largest movements the meaning of human life is reduced to a virtuous existence and going to heaven after death. Each confession may have its own image of a sinless and good person, but, as a rule, it includes kindness, mercy, generosity, helping others, spiritual development, love for people. But religion is not the only source of reflection on the topic of how to find your own meaning in life. Since ancient times, the greatest representatives of the human race, who called themselves philosophers, have tried to unravel this mystery. As always, it all began in Ancient Greece. The Greeks saw the meaning of human life in the concept of “happiness”, but different philosophical schools put different meanings into it. For example, Epicurus believed that happiness is it is getting pleasure from life (later this trend was called “hedonistic”). It meant not only satisfying physical desires, but also the absence of physical and mental discomfort. Another Greek philosopher, Diogenes, believed that true happiness is possible only when a person is content with little and does not become attached to things. His way of life is ascetic (like a dog - this is the comparison Diogenes used), and only in this case he feels truly free and independent, and therefore happy. Time passed, and other famous philosophers, like the Greeks, were interested in the search for the meaning of life. In particular, Arthur Schopenhauer, known for his pessimism, believed that human life is like hell, in which a stupid person strives to get pleasure, and a smart person - finds happiness in avoiding troubles through self-restraint, because he realizes their inevitability. In general, the picture is rather bleak, so let's turn to more pragmatic philosophers. For example, William James, who believed that the meaning of human life is to serve society and bring some practical benefit. But the most impressive point of view is that of the existentialists: Sartre, Kierkegaard and Heidegger believed that each person creates their own meaning of life, because they are unique and inimitable. The meaning of life was also discussed by great writers. For example, Erich Maria Remarque believed that human life should be filled with love, otherwise it will be sad and aimless. Another equally famous writer, Richard Bach, believed that the meaning of human life is freedom, knowledge and discovery of something new. Anton Chekhov expressed an interesting point of view on this issue: in his opinion, the meaning of life is to search for the meaning of life. In general, there are many opinions on this matter - almost every more or less talented writer had his own answer to this question, and you can get acquainted with it by delving deeper into the work of someone you respect.

The meaning of life in psychology

Infected by existentialist philosophersinterest in the question of the meaning of life, humanist psychologists began to actively speak out on this matter. For example, the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow believed that the main human purpose is self-realization: creative work and favorite activities, successes and achievements. However, this view is highly controversial: you must agree that after death it will no longer be so important what a person has achieved and how fully he or she has self-realized. Another psychologist, Viktor Frankl, believed that the need for meaning in life is one of the main human needs, and its deficiency can cause neurosis in a person. He spoke of three paths to finding meaning:

creativity, the creation of something new
experiences of different content: the beauty of the world, significant moments of life
personal attitudes and attitude to life

The last group becomes especially significant inthose situations when a person cannot change anything. Frankl gives the example of his imprisonment in a concentration camp: those people who tried to find some meaning in their suffering were more likely to survive in all this hell. There is not a single situation in life that would not in one way or another come into contact with one of these roads, so they are a very real opportunity to find happiness and the meaning of life. There are so many points of view that the question arises: what should the meaning of life be? Having analyzed all of the above, we can say that it should be eternal, beautiful, vital and at the same time accessible to everyone, and also bring happiness to a person. And what other characteristics can it have?

He must contribute to the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to man.

He must be found by the man himself, and not imposed by someone from outside.

Sense contributes to the fact that individual fragments of our life reality are united by something common.

It is likely that the meaning changes over time, just as our lives do - it is impossible to comprehend one meaning for all times.

Meaning cannot be a purely intellectual product - it is always connected with human emotions, soul and heart.

Since humanity has long been engagedпоисками смысла жизни, оно успело придумать множество его вариантов, которые, казалось бы, могут удовлетворить кого угодно. Например, целью жизни может быть попытка прожить ее так, чтобы оставить свой след, чтобы вас запомнили. Иногда даже бывает неважно, какого рода будет эта память – хорошая или не очень. Именно поэтому многие люди так тяготеют к известности и пытаются добиться ее всевозможными способами. Безусловно, такой смысл имеет право на существование, однако, к сожалению, никто не остается в памяти навсегда, соответственно, это не может быть подлинной жизненной целью. Кто-то находит свой смысл в здоровом образе жизни — они видят своей целью сохранение красоты и крепости тела. Однако в целом попытка прожить свою жизнь таким образом выглядит довольно удручающе, ведь человек заранее обречен на поражение в этом сражении – смерть. Все его усилия пойдут прахом вместе с его телом, ради которого он так старался. Многие люди живут ради того, чтобы получить от жизни максимум удовольствия. Они находят свой смысл в том, чтобы потреблять и приобретать как можно большее количество вещей. К сожалению, такой образ мыслей царит в современном обществе: этому способствуют СМИ, реклама, звезды телеэкрана, которые всячески агитирую нас «отрываться» и получать от жизни все. Но по сути мы низводим себя до полуживотного уровня, когда основная задача – есть, пить, спариваться и ярко выглядеть. Согласитесь, это выглядит очень печально, тем более, что в большинстве случаев человек, живущий с такой целью, очень быстро устает и начинает искать новый смысл, что доказывает невозможность удовольствия быть единственным смыслом жизни. Альтернативным вариантом ответа на вопрос о смысле жизни является достижение власти. Такие люди доказывают себе и окружающим свое превосходство, возможность возвыситься над остальными, достичь большего, чем другие. Часто к власти стремятся те, кого часто обижали в детстве. Но очевидно, что власть ради власти не может быть смыслом: оглянувшись назад, человеку его жизнь, скорее всего, покажется пустой и никчемной, ведь он не сделал ничего полезного и важного – только командовал и руководил. Власть уходит, и человек остается ни с чем. Для кого-то смыслом жизни оказывается приумножение сокровищ и материальных благ. Помните Скруджа Макдака или отечественного Плюшкина? А многие люди на самом деле так живут! Они стремятся копить деньги, не тратя их ни на что и ни на кого. Это еще более бессмысленно, так как вспомнить и ощутить будет вообще нечего, ведь зеленые бумажки с изображением американских президентов сами по себе ничего не стоят. Некоторые люди стараются прожить жизнь так, чтобы было о чем вспомнить в старости, перед смертью. Однако способно ли воспоминание о былых радостях принести счастье на смертном одре? Наверное, нет. Позитивная оценка жизни очень важна, однако к сожалению, не может быть единственно важной. Подлинную радость можно получить лишь в том случае, когда многое было прожито, пережито и сделано для тех, кого любишь. Вот мы и подошли к ответу на сложный и значимый вопрос о смысле жизни. Мы не откроем вам тайну единственного и неповторимого смысла жизни для всех людей на Земле – его просто не существует, и у каждого он свой. Но можно с уверенностью утверждать, что каждый человек находит свой смысл, который, в идеале, является многогранным и включает в себя частички всех тех вещей, которые были нами описаны выше. К этому, как правило, добавляется ряд немаловажных задач, таких как жизнь ради того, кого любишь, и жизнь как работа и творчество. Помогать тем, кого ты любишь, заботиться и даже жертвовать чем-то ради них – это естественно и правильно. Однако они не могут быть единственным смыслом, также как и интересное дело. Жизнь будет казаться неполноценной без чего-то одного.

The path to finding meaning

Agree, the question is how to find meaninglife, has become much clearer. Based on all of the above, we can conclude: the meaning of life is to live life to the fullest. What does this mean? To the best of your ability and strength, get involved and experience every situation, every second of your life. Meaning will not come out of nowhere - you must feel every fragment of your life meaningful. And then the fear of death will no longer frighten you. What do you need to do for this?

Feel the finiteness of your existence.Our lives are limited, and we are all going to die someday. Understanding this simple truth can turn your worldview upside down and make you look at life in a new way. You can use the following exercise: take a clean sheet of paper, draw a line, marking its beginning and end. Are you done? Now mark the point on this line where you are at this moment, taking into account that this line is your life. Look at it and think about it for a while - it will be an unimaginable feeling.

When faced with difficult situations, considerthem in detail. This will help you to see the hidden possibilities of the circumstances. Think about what the present situation is and what specific you can do. Try to feel the beautiful and unique that is in every moment, and create something valuable and unique (act, work, work). Be aware of how you feel about circumstances that can not be changed.

When you realized the opportunities that you have,try to feel the emotional attitude to each of them, to evaluate the emotional significance. This will help you feel their importance for your life. How do you feel when you think about this opportunity? Appreciate your feelings, if you embody or do not realize it, as well as your state after some time.

Now is the time to choose the best for yougiven circumstances by using your freedom. You must stop at what you really want, and do it exclusively voluntarily, without someone's coercion. Taking this decision, you can rely on the arguments of your conscience, as well as on how you will treat yourself, if you take some action or not.

And the last thing you will need to do is- is to assess your responsibility. To do this, you can think about how best to implement your decision and evaluate the changes that will occur in the world in general and in your life in particular after its implementation. Think about what might prevent you from doing this. Decide when you will start acting and what means you want to use, how much they correspond to your nature. Do not forget about the purpose of your actions: why and for what or for whom are you doing all this. And finally, try to predict how everything will change after your action.