Meaning of Life
Introduction
Distressed and hopeless people do not consider or think about the meaning of life. For them, the meaning of life becomes inappropriate when their existence is at stake and when their life is a mixture of worries and perplexities. On the other hand, people who are not desperate mull over the meaning of life. For desperate people, life is to be lived one moment at a time. However, those who consider the meaning of life as important consider it every day and very well know that they should step back from the moment to see and observe life in a long-range context (Baumeister, 1991). Thus, everyone has a different view of life and its meaning.
Meaning of Life
A person uses meaning when he/she speaks, thinks, decides or plans something. The life does not have a particular meaning in an automatic way. Every individual has to construct his/her own meaning of life. Sometimes people devote their lives to their offspring; some dedicate it to their work or religious faith; some devote it to something else. It is these choices made individually that determine the meaning of life (Baumeister, 1991). In short, the meanings of life do not instigate from a mysterious well set deep inside the soul of an individual. A person acquires and understands this meaning from society, other people or culture. Nature has equipped the Homo sapiens with hunger but not with meanings. It is, thus, the gradual development of meaning that a person has to find within his/her self to live a contented life.
As far as the meaning of life is concerned, one should adopt a hopeful, optimistic and positive approach and life must not be considered as meaningless. One should not consider him/her as a secular saint. Though there are times when life gets tough but it doesn’t mean at all that life is absurd and meaningless. A man can only have a true meaning in life if he/she moulds it according to the wonderful teachings of his/her religion or any other religion that teaches wonderful things about spending one’s life.
God’s will, Happiness and Life
It is important for the people to follow the rules and regulations that comply with God’s will. The God expects his intelligent creation (human beings) to lead a satisfactory life by covering all aspects of it with the purity of heart and mind. The flow of life should be according to the prescribed teachings because no person is allowed to go his/her own way (Kavakci, 2008). It is a crystal-clear fact that everyone yearns for happiness and wants to live a life filled with it. For me, happiness is by every mean is the ultimate goal and the true sign of a life well-lived and this happiness is achieved when there is a meaning in life. Thus, a meaningful life makes a person happy by all means and can truly be considered as a marker of a well-lived life.
There are a number of definitions of happiness. I think that a happy life is one that reflects God’s will. Meaning in life i.e. morality gives a person the ability to determine the good and bad and this clear conscience makes it easier for an individual to live a well-lived life full of satisfaction derived from happiness. To cut a long story short, I think that morality is the main factor that makes it possible for a human being to live a well-lived life with a meaningful purpose (Veenhoven, 2005).
Purpose of Life
Meaningful life usually includes a determined wish to achieve something or a sense of cohesive intention. A good and well-lived life is one that is characterized by meaningful prospects and meaningful actions. Most of the human beings strive really hard to find a genuine purpose in life as a common goal. It is exceedingly necessary to mention here that an individual may have bad and painful experiences but may still hold on to a strong determination and decisiveness about a unified purpose. As far as moral goodness is concerned, one’s life must be devoted to acquire a meaningful purpose especially one by which others get benefitted on an unconditional basis.
Sense of Right and Wrong
Our origin and source of belief is the sole reason of our understanding of right and wrong. What matters is the originality of belief behind it. All morality is dependent on God. This fact has to be understood by us as His servants and followers. Human beings have created and built innumerable institutions to make their fellow beings selfless, noble and altruistic. This could be considered as one of the greatest achievement of humanity. This sense of nobleness is the outcome of our belief in good and bad. Every religion advocates that animalistic natures within an individual is to be controlled in order to get himself engaged in ethical, just and moral behavior (Wright, 2011).
Money is not the Key
It is a surprising find that happiness has nothing to do with money. Even a surplus amount of money cannot make people happy. It is just a myth that money is the major cause that brings happiness in the lives of people. Very rich and prosperous people have pains that cannot be understood by those who have no means to attain the repute enjoyed by the former. Thus, it depends on the use of the money whether it is a contribution in one’s happiness or unhappiness. Both Aristotle and Aquinas were found to agree “money as an end in itself was dehumanizing” (King & Napa, 1998). Thus, it can be said that it is a favor by God if a person has money in an abundant quantity. It has nothing to do with morality or being good as a person. Thus, good and a well-lived life have nothing to do with monetary benefits attained and enjoyed by any human being. A well-lived life is one wherein a person enjoys the moral goodness, a sense of conscience and “not only the amount of meaningful activity engaged in but also the amount of happiness the person enjoys” (King & Napa, 1998). When money is compared with meaningful purpose, morality and happiness, it can be observed that the former has little value in life.
Conclusion
Thus, there is no secret formula to make sure that one lives a perfect life. There are unlimited opportunities and possibilities for people to attain happiness or other factors they deem important for a well-lived life. This is for the reason that every individual has a dissimilar want, need or wish. However, it is a crystal clear fact (also supported by a number of studies and research) “that the well-lived life is filled with meaning, purpose and engagement, and that when we are connected to others and feel that our lives are connected to a purpose greater than ourselves, we have maximum well-being” (Estrem, 2010).
To cut a long story short, moral values, money and purpose are the three main things that people consider necessary for a meaningful life.
References
Baumeister, R. F. (1991). Meanings of Life. New York: Guilford Press.
Estrem, P. (2010, August). Changing Course: If You Never Take Time to Assess Where You Are versus Where You Really Want to Be, You Could Be Missing out. Regain Your Bearings and Get on Course for Your Most Fulfilling Life. Success, 1, 52+. Retrieved August 14, 2013, from http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-232305677/changing-course-if-you-never-take-time-to-assess
Kavacki, Y. Z. (2008, Jan. – Feb.). Fiqh Is Life, and Life Is Islam. Islamic Horizons,37 (1), 51. Retrieved August 14, 2013, from http://www.questia.com/read/1P3-1459297191/fiqh-is-life-and-life-is-islam
King, L. A., & Napa, C. K. (1998). What Makes a Life Good?. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 75(1), 156-165.
Veenhoven, R. (2005). Is Life Getting Better? How Long and Happily Do People Live in Modern Society?. European Psychologist, 10 (4).
Wright, J. (2011, April 25). Belief in God Affects Cheating. The Register-Guard, p. 89. Retrieved August 14, 2013, from http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-258276250/belief-in-god-affects-cheating
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