Why should you ask about the meaning of life? Most of us never…
Question Answered step-by-step Why should you ask about the meaning of life? Most of us never… Why should you ask about the meaning of life?Most of us never bother to ask questions about life, until somethingtrivial or big, happens. For example, when you catch yourself lying to a friend, you probably would ask about morality in life. “Did I just tell a lie? Why? Should I always be a moral person?” Or, when you are about to go to the operating room for a major surgery, or when some day you find yourself getting really old, you start asking about the meaning of life. “Is my life meaningful? Would I regret about my life if I die now?” The meaning of life is of course a philosophical question. Philosophers throughout history have been asking and answering this question. The Greek philosopher, Socrates, famously declared that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” According to him, it is not enough to just examine and understand the external world. Without a meaningful life inside, the external world would be meaningless. Modern science and technology, for example, have enabled us to know so much more about the material and physical world. But few can say that the increased knowledge has made our lives happier or more meaningful. It is therefore more important to understand and examine the internal world that lives in our soul. For Socrates, the soul is the focus of philosophy. Your concern for your body or your possessions should come after the concern for your soul. Socrates himself lived out his own philosophy to the fullest. He constantly engaged himself in philosophical questions and never stopped acting on his own philosophical principles, that is, self-examination. Even just before he was condemned to die, he was still asking and answering philosophical questions with his audience and himself. For the rest of us, the question of the meaning of life is also important. The reason is twofold. First, trying to answer it helps you discover how you have been living your life. Have you enjoyed your life? What makes it enjoyable or what makes it miserable? Secondly, which is more important, how you answer it determines what kind of life you will lead in the future. In other words, your own answer creates your own life. For example, suppose you just graduated from college and you get into society with the attitude that this world is full of greedy people and everyone is for themselves. You will then treat everyone as a threat and a rival; you will not be entirely honest towards others. Before long people around you will see your hostility and keep a distance from you. They will not trust you because you have not been honest to them. Soon you will find yourself surrounded by “greedy” people, a world that you have largely created yourself. How would you make your life worth living? That is, how would you examine your life? It is actually easy and simple. First, analyze your actions. Why did you need to take a certain action? How? Did you know what the consequences would be? Did you regret you did it? You should also evaluate every event that has occurred or is occurring to you. Has the event changed your life? Is it going to change your life? Secondly, ponder on your values. What do you hold to be the most valuable in your life? Is there a gap between your values and the way they are reflected in your everyday life? Is your inner self the same as the outer self? Finally, envision your future life. Do you fear the future? Do you want to become a different person? What are the bad habits you want to give up and new ones you want to develop? In a word, if you want to become a Socratic type of person, take time to examine your life every day. Otherwise, you will have fear for the future and regret for the past. Did you know that Socrates’ philosophy marked such an important turning point that we nowadays refer to philosophy developed prior to Socrates as pre-Socratic philosophy? Arts & Humanities Communications Public Relations PHIL 110 Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)
