What is a sense of life? A question that every person asks himself at least once. This is the first article in the series “The Meaning of Life.”
Continuing with other articles on the topic:
- How to find the meaning of life and why do we lose it?
- Thoughts of great people about the meaning of life
But why search for the meaning of life at all, if life itself is temporary and in fact very quickly ends in death. Moreover, it is necessary and inevitable.
And in fact, the world doesn’t care whether we exist or not. He always existed before us and will exist endlessly after us. A person does not want to think about this, or simply does not see the point and runs away from the question of the meaning of life.
Well, this is one of the options. On the other hand, look at the Yandex or Google query statistics to see how many people are looking for something about the meaning of life. These are hundreds of thousands of requests monthly.
The search for the meaning of life worries many of us, this is a fact. Moreover, the popularity of this issue clearly does not fade.
All I can say about myself is that I am looking for the meaning of life and, moreover, I have found it. And I will try to tell you about my answer in this article.
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Biological purpose of man
Finding the meaning of human life is a spiritual and philosophical problem. Ideas about the purpose of existence depend on the following factors:
- Lifestyle;
- social status;
- worldview.
If a person’s living conditions are favorable, he sees the meaning of his existence in achieving his own well-being. If he is in a hostile environment, then life loses both value and meaning for him.
When searching for the purpose of existence, one must understand that what is supposed to happen will happen anyway. The most important thing is to learn to interact with reality in the “here and now” program.
Otherwise, there is a great risk of conflict with society and with oneself. Against the background of intrapersonal and interpersonal conflict, problems usually arise, which in 90% of cases are laid in the foundation of subconscious fears.
The problem of the meaning of life in philosophy
Unlike other creatures inhabiting the earth, human life is a set of values. In order to master them, you must:
- decide on the goal;
- decide on funds;
- build life routes;
- start.
The meaning and purpose of a person's life depend on his priorities. For some, the meaning of existence lies in conquering a mountain peak. Some people dream of buying a luxury car. It is vital for someone to become a first-class doctor or scientist and find a cure for cancer.
For some people, the meaning of life is to create a family. In this case, they justify the biological purpose of man, which is to procreate.
What are the spheres of life
What are the areas of a person’s life, why are they needed, and how to correctly evaluate them in order to achieve balance and harmony in one’s affairs?
The definition of spheres of life represents a set of goals, actions and social contacts that are interconnected. In psychology, there is no clear unambiguous classification; some highlight 5 main areas of a person’s life, others 4. But each person focuses his attention on those areas that are priorities for him. For some, it is worth highlighting the sphere of sports, for others, children, and others will consider these processes in terms of health and family relationships, respectively.
That is, in the end, what areas a person’s life consists of is determined by everyone for himself. But you shouldn’t get hung up on one or two areas; the right thing to do is to develop everything gradually, because in essence, they are all the main areas in a person’s life.
Form your basic model using a list of areas of human life:
Social function of the individual
People depend on each other to satisfy their individual needs. Against this background, communication and interaction between people is established.
A social function is an assignment to a specific person from society. It depends on the characteristics of the distribution of labor: the teacher is responsible for teaching, the physician is responsible for treatment, the entrepreneur is responsible for organizing production.
Sociologists judge the functions of a particular individual not by what he does or intends to do, but by what consequences for society flow from these actions.
If an individual refuses to perform his functions or the results of his activities have a negative meaning, we are talking about dysfunction.
By fulfilling his functions, a person becomes necessary for others. Against the background of the social division of labor, social statuses and roles are formed. “Cells” appear, each of which is responsible for performing an important social function.
Serving Society is an Opportunity to Find Meaning
Ultimately, he decided to devote some of the remaining time of his life to serving other people. He offered his services to fix the air conditioning system at one of the community centers nearby. After a few weeks, he got rid of the fear of death, as people constantly came to him, greeted him by name, and brought him food.
He found the meaning he had been searching for all his life. The man realized that it was worth doing something for other people in order to feel needed, the significance of his life. And each of us has such a need. Even if life has turned out relatively well, we feel the desire to do something for those who are not part of our family circle. A person needs to feel that he is making a contribution to society.
What is the meaning of my existence on Earth?
Man is a paradox, often a character incomprehensible to himself. Man must also be seen as a problem - both for himself and for the planet as a whole.
Part of the answer to the question about the meaning of life lies in a person’s worldview - in how he positions himself: is he an animal or is he the king of all living beings on the planet.
When discussing the meaning of human life on earth, it is necessary to answer the following questions:
- Why do you need to live?
- What are life values?
- What is the overall purpose of human life?
You can try to get closer to understanding the purpose of your own existence by finding answers to the questions:
- What would I like to do if I didn't have the fear that I wouldn't succeed?
- What would I want to do so badly that I would even be willing to pay extra if only they would let me do it?
Sometimes a person loses the meaning of life. In this case, he either seeks it or begins to suffer without the absence of a purpose for existence.
The second is more characteristic of people with a neurotic character. Suffering against the background of the disappeared meaning of life is one of the signs of neurotic depression.
Creative individuals are usually not puzzled by the search for the purpose of existence. They create what people need and what they appreciate.
What am I living for?
The purpose of human life on Earth is determined in accordance with the type of personality.
Personal values, imagination and level of intelligence matter. For some, the meaning of life lies in endless advancement on the career ladder, for others - in the search for personal happiness, for others - in immersion in nirvana.
The purpose of existence for people of different value orientations:
- the creator – “this is what I am ready to work tirelessly for”;
- romantic - “this is what I am ready to give my life for”;
- parasite - “my goal is to live for free and not think about anything”;
- consumer - “my goal is to satisfy all my needs.”
The meaning of life of a highly intelligent, energetic person often becomes the meaning of life for others. This applies not only to brilliant scientists or bright charismatics like Che Guevara, but also to good entrepreneurs, as well as representatives of “family” professions.
Age meaning
A person begins to wonder whether there is meaning in life in adolescence. This is a period of rebellion when a boy or girl tries to express his thoughts and feelings.
Teenagers are characterized by such qualities as categoricalness and idealism. Some boys and girls, even while studying at school, come to the idea that life has no meaning. Sometimes this happens after a traumatic event, sometimes fatalistic thoughts are a tribute to fashion.
The purpose of existence of young people largely depends on their upbringing. Major teenagers who grew up in a prosperous family have a consumer mindset in 90% of cases. For them, the meaning of life lies in entertainment.
Tired of idleness, young majors really lose the meaning of life. Considering that finding new goals is always hard work, they cannot restructure their thinking. The result is almost always tragic.
The search for the meaning of life of an ordinary teenager begins after graduation, when he thinks about where he should go and what to devote himself to.
A person seriously begins to search for the essence of his existence after the first disappointments, achievements and losses.
Already in their first year, some people realize that they don’t like studying and that they would like to do something else. Then the meaning of their life at this stage becomes the acquisition of a profession that they really like.
Some start families during their studies. The meaning of life for them is no longer in obtaining a profession, but in giving birth and raising children.
Usually after 30 years people lose interest in what they did before. I.S. Cohn believes that a person, analyzing his own life, understands the unrealization of many plans. Against the backdrop of a revision of values, he realizes that all his goals were wrong. This period is designated by psychologists as a crisis of the meaning of life.
In old age, many people think about death. The meaning of life for religious people is preparation for departure to another world. Persons of an atheistic worldview strive to streamline their affairs. Often the meaning of life for them becomes the realization of an old dream, which they are used to thinking about as something unrealistic.
Examples from the lives of women and men
Based on the following examples from life, we can say with confidence that you cannot look for the meaning of life based on the opinion of society and established stereotypes.
Olga:
“Until I was forty years old, I didn’t think about why I live, and the question of the meaning of human life never bothered me. I was sure that I was living the right life: I had a child, a job, an apartment, and a permanent lover.
The crisis broke out when I was hospitalized with a complex injury. For a long time I could not be diagnosed. Time passed, the treatment was purely symptomatic, and the pain intensified.
In the end, one venerable professor who came from the capital stated with confidence: sarcoma. After that, I suddenly realized that the meaning of a woman’s life is not at all to start a family with an unloved, but “suitable” person... Fortunately, I pulled through, and now I try to live every day as if there is no tomorrow.”
Galina:
“Since childhood, I have been an energetic person, and by the age of 30, the program “Build a house, raise a son and plant a tree” was completed. Then it seemed to me that this was my main purpose.
When my daughter grew up, I devoted all my strength to “raising” her - I paid for education, first in another city, then abroad. I bought her an apartment and a car. When my daughter got married and gave birth to my grandchildren, I thought that my calling was to be a good grandmother. But life together with my daughter’s family did not work out... Now I am busy traveling around the world. Who knows, maybe one day I will find out what the meaning of a person’s life is.”
Vadim:
“I was in a storm until I was 35. Looking at my settled peers, many of whom were already married for the third time and paying alimony to numerous offspring, I realized that, most likely, I would never get married.
I traveled around the country with a guitar at the ready. I had no permanent job, no home, no girlfriend. And then I met my future wife, and I realized that the way I was living was wrong. I still can’t say what the meaning of a man’s life is. But for me personally, it’s about living for the one I love.”
How to calm down
According to the creator of the doctrine of stress, G. Selye, stress is the aroma and taste of life. It should not be avoided because complete freedom from stress means death.
In order to calm down, you need to learn how to properly organize your rest. Changing activities helps a lot. If a person is engaged in intellectual work, then on the weekend he should go in for sports or go out into nature.
You can also resort to auto-training: “I am completely relaxed, a pleasant warmth spreads throughout my body. My pulse slows down and becomes even. I relax, my pulse is slow.”
You should also get a massage. It helps improve blood circulation and increase muscle tone.
Meditation also helps you calm down
