#什么是一个人生命的意义? #
In the last few days, I read the first book of 2024: "Living the Meaning of Life". There is also some new understanding of the meaning of life.
01
What is the meaning of life?
"The meaning of life is different in every person, every day, and every moment, so what matters is not the universality of the meaning of life, but the special meaning of life for each person at a particular moment. ”
In other words, the meaning of life is changing, and each moment may be given a different meaning.
The meaning of life is concrete and unique, concrete to each reality scene and each unique life individual, rather than abstract and empty. Therefore, there is no universal meaning.
So what is the meaning of life? If I had to give an answer, I think it would probably be some tasks, some responsibilities. "Life ultimately means taking on all the challenges and fulfilling the great responsibility of completing the tasks that you are supposed to accomplish. ”
Life is full of challenges, and it is not that we ask what the meaning of life is, but what questions life or life raises for each of us – that is, the challenges we encounter in life.
In the face of these problems, we should answer them according to our own understanding of life and give corresponding solutions, which is to take our own responsibility.
Meaning Therapy argues that responsibility is the essence of human existence.
"It doesn't matter what we expect life to give, it's what life expects of us. We should no longer ask what the meaning of life is, but we should think about ourselves in the same way that those who are questioned by life all the time. Our answer is not to say and think, but to take the right action. ”
02
Why search for the meaning of life?
As Nietzsche said:
"He who knows what he lives for will survive. ”
"If a person knows what he is living for, then he can endure any kind of life. ”
The book says that once a person realizes that he is irreplaceable, then he is fully aware of his responsibilities. Recognize your responsibility to your loved ones or unfinished business, and you will never abandon your life. He knows "why" he exists, and he knows "how" to continue living.
Each person is a unique being, and there must be something that cannot be replaced by the other. To seek meaning is to find this uniqueness, to know the mission or value of one's coming into this world, so that we will not fall into the so-called "nothingness of existence", that is, a sense of emptiness and meaninglessness.
At the same time, meaning and purpose are also the means of salvation in times of extreme suffering.
03
How do we discover the meaning of life?
"The meaning of life can be discovered in three different ways: (1) by creating a job or undertaking a cause, (2) by experiencing something or confronting someone, and (3) by adopting an attitude in the face of inevitable suffering. ”
That is, in work, in love, and in suffering, we can find the meaning of life.
Suffering, though, is not necessary. If suffering can be avoided, then the meaning of life is to find and eliminate the root cause of suffering, and if suffering is unavoidable, then it is meaningful to find the meaning of suffering, meaning to make suffering less painful.
Dostoevsky said: "I am afraid of only one thing, and that is that I am not worthy of the pain I have suffered." ”
04
It's about freedom and choice
"People are not completely limited and determined. It is man who makes the decision of whether to succumb to circumstances and conditions or to bravely challenge them, in other words, man ultimately determines his own destiny. People do not simply live, but always need to make judgments about their future and decide what kind of person they will become in the next moment. ”
Rousseau said that man is born free, but he is invincible and in chains. It is true that there are many shackles, but everyone still has the freedom to change their decisions at any time – whether to choose to succumb to circumstances and conditions, or to bravely challenge them.
It's just that freedom goes hand in hand with "responsibility", and when you make a choice, you have to bear a responsibility.
Sometimes, it may not be that you don't have a choice, but you just don't have the courage to take responsibility.
05
Happiness needs reason
"People have to have a reason to be happy. Once he finds that reason, he will naturally feel happy. Human beings are not seeking happiness, but seeking reasons for happiness by realizing the meaning that is hidden within a particular situation. ”
My understanding is not so much that people are pursuing happiness as they are exploring the reasons for happiness. Happiness needs a reason, and that reason may be to achieve a variety of meanings, and when this goal is achieved, happiness will naturally arise.
Let's understand the meaning of each moment~