How to find the meaning of life? Does it exist at all? And if not, then why live? What if the meaning of life is lost? These questions are asked by many people. “Questions about where we come from and where we go, distinguish man from animals” - echo the collections of aphorisms.
As you know, demand creates supply, and numerous religious teachings, philosophical schools, and secular doctrines are trying to offer their answers.
"The meaning of life is to come closer to God" - they say alone. "Children are most important in life," say others. Still others believe that there is no meaning in life at all, and one should do what one wants. And the fourth has long ceased to think about these issues.
You can say that the meaning of life is individual and depends on the person. Someone is fully given to work and does not see life without it, the other goes to the temples and thinks about his posthumous existence. Then what is the problem? Let everyone find their own meaning in life and live their lives accordingly.
But, meanwhile, the problem is. One person does not see the point of anything and because of this, life seems empty to him, and not a single result in this life is worth the effort. The second, it seemed, found this meaning, but what supported this meaning, suddenly broke off and the person was left with nothing. The third one cannot find peace due to the fact that it does not find the answers to the most fundamental questions of the universe.
I see that searching for the meaning of life or the fear of losing it brings people a lot of suffering. This is the problem. And since this site is dedicated to solving problems, I’m not going to talk here about an abstract philosophical concept, but turn to the problem of finding the meaning of life and help you overcome the tormenting torment associated with this issue or get rid of the pain associated with the loss of the meaning of life.
Problem 1 - search flour
Many people do not understand why they live and it seems to them that if they understand why they wake up every day, this will help them find the joy of life. It is these searches that make people stubbornly cling to the work on which they work, the religion they profess, or secular ideas to which they are faithful. Someone fills this void with fun, sex, alcohol and drugs and finds meaning in pleasure.
Once, on the street, a man came up to me with a book in his hand and politely asked if I knew where the world came from, and who created the person, for what it all exists and where it goes. I smiled and replied that I did not know.
The man began to tell me about God and the Bible, saying that this book contains all the questions that torment humanity. In terms of the effectiveness of his missionary task, it was a coup. He presented his religion in the wrapper answers to the most exciting questions. He understood what emptiness fills many people, forcing them to ask: “Why are we here” and offered them a tool that will help fill this emptiness. He said where to look for the answer to the question that almost everyone asks the universe, and on this he built his own method of attracting the flock. He would make an excellent sales manager.
But does getting an answer to these exciting questions really give us peace and happiness? In my opinion, this is a debatable question and the answer to it is ambiguous.
The Buddha said that he who stubbornly insists asks, "Is there God?" "Is there a reason for life?" reminds a person who was hit by an arrow and who, instead of pulling it out, lies and asks: "where did this arrow come from?"
The Buddha tried to say that there is not much point in these questions, and the search for answers to them will not bring us happiness. I can agree with this, moreover, I believe that the search for the meaning of life not only does not bring happiness, but often turn into suffering.
I would paraphrase the aphorism at the beginning of the article: “The ability to suffer because of senseless questions, to which, perhaps, there is no answer - this is only a human trait!”
Decision
It seems to us that if we certainly know the meaning of all existence, then this will give us eternal peace and satisfaction. This is not always the case. Why, I will tell about it when I consider the following problems of the search for the meaning of life.
But for the time being I will try to speculate on whether there is a meaning to life at all and whether this understanding is available to a person.
Man is only one of the great variety of biological species represented on Earth and, possibly, in the Universe. Our perception is imperfect, it is subject to the strong influence of the emotions that we experience, the culture in which we live, the memory that we possess. Our science still does not know much about the processes of formation of stars and planets, about the history of the development of the Universe. We see only 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum. In addition, our perception is purely "human" and a mosquito, for example, perceives the world in a completely different way.
The assurance that such an imperfect “organ” as the human mind can understand the global divine or universal plan underlying our lives would be quite presumptuous. Perhaps our mind does not have access to the knowledge of the meaning of life? Or not yet available? And even if it suddenly seems to us that we understood where all the people came from and where their lives are going, we cannot be sure of what we really know. We can only believe.
Why not accept it? Why not admit that our mind is not omnipotent and some questions are beyond its reach? Why not accept that our burning and natural curiosity can never be satisfied?
I think that if you calmly admit it and accept it, then many of the torments associated with the search for the meaning of life will go away. Maybe the meaning of life lies in the fact, maybe in this, and maybe in such that we cannot imagine ourselves! And, perhaps, this sense does not exist at all or it consists in that the atoms of our body after death become the building material of other matter, just as they once were the building material of stars. No one knows this, accept it, realize that your mind has limits.
On the one hand, this conclusion may seem pessimistic, denying at its root any opportunities to find the meaning of life. This is not at all the case. Despite the fact that I "know that I know nothing about the meaning of life," I also have faith. I believe that the meaning of life is. But my faith is only faith, not a certainty and a claim to absolute knowledge disguised as faith. In my opinion, the belief is the belief that allows the likelihood and possibility of error.
Yes, I believe that life has a meaning and I even believe that it consists in some things, although this belief is rather vague and uncertain. But, at the same time, I realize that all my ideas about this can be very limited, and I can be wrong in general. Maybe I am right in my faith, maybe only partially, maybe, and not at all, and after my death (if I exist in some form) a big surprise awaits me. Or expect nothing. Everything can be, and I admit it, because I am only a man and I can not know everything!
(What, in my opinion, is the meaning of life, you can read at the end of the article)
I cannot say that I deny a person’s attempts to believe and reason about the meaning of life in the circle of his friends or alone with himself.
I just want people to stop suffering because of these searches and become attached to them, thinking that the meaning of life is in search of the meaning of life! After all, some of them believe that as long as they do not find accurate answers to the most global questions of life, they will not find peace. But, perhaps, if they realize that these answers can never be found, they will stop suffering because they do not know something? Maybe they will have some kind of faith, maybe they will not, but at least the realization that some questions can be left unanswered will bring comfort to them.
Problem 2 - Sneaking around
Sometimes, if a man’s painful search for the meaning of life finally leads him to something, then he desperately tries to cling to this new meaning as he drowns on a rope pulled from a ship. Maybe for some time he will find peace and purpose, while the thing that fills his life with some kind of content and logic exists. But what happens if something happens to that which closes the whole existence of man?
Suppose someone is strongly attached to his work, to his money, to the influence and power, which gives a person his social role, because in these things a person has gained a sense of the meaning of existence and his role in life.
But suddenly, some kind of economic shock leads business to ruin. And the meaning becomes lost for this individual.
The economic crisis in the 2000s provoked a whole wave of suicides in the United States and the European Union. Some publications cite the shocking figures of 13 thousand people. That is, 13 thousand people were not just ruined, not just faced financial difficulties, and their meaning of life abruptly and suddenly collapsed, pushing them to terrible deeds! But many of them probably had families!
Of course, this is not the only way. Sometimes it happens that a person is disappointed in what she saw the meaning of life. A man for many years was given to work, working long hours a day. But then he suddenly realized that while he was working hard, life passed by him, she could not be returned, while the money earned did not bring the expected satisfaction. Maybe once upon a time a person thought that he had gained the meaning of life, but later he came to the bitter conclusion that he was deceiving himself. This frustration can be extremely painful.
But why am I only talking about work? What about children?
When I left the apartment in which I used to live and locked the door with a key, I often encountered my neighbor. Her son died many years ago, this is a truly tragic event. But she can not accept this loss in any way and lives only by pain and the memory of the past for a long time. There is no more purpose and meaning left in her life.
And religion?
Many of you must have paid attention to how many religious people react aggressively to criticism of their own religion. There is nothing surprising.
After all, when we doubt the basics of their worldview, an attempt is made to knock the ground out from under their feet, to doubt what gives life to their meaning, and without which this life will become empty and aimless. And their mind goes into a phase of protecting what is of their only real value.
Often, a believer's reverence before the shrines of his religion is nothing more than a manifestation of gratitude for the fact that faith allows him to feel the meaning of life and not to give him emptiness to eat away from within.
But if suddenly a person begins to doubt the fundamentals of his faith, which often happens, he will begin to feel like a straw, for which he holds, begins to burst, the soil leaves from under his feet, and the inner emptiness with a malicious mockery looks into his eyes ... His consciousness a field of contention between reason, conscience, and the tenets of faith. And it happens that in this struggle a compromise becomes impossible. Some people have to betray the mind in order to preserve the meaning of life. Or listen to the mind and lose meaning. Not everyone can save both.
I did not try in the paragraph above to derive the fundamental property of religiosity. Rather, I can be attributed to supporters of religion than to opponents. And I understand that this behavior is characteristic of very many people, not only believers, if their ideas are questioned.
Also, I'm not trying to say that there is no point in working and taking care of children. With these examples, I just wanted to denote the dangers of a strong, painful attachment to what your meaning of life is based on. Or rather, the danger of basing one's own meaning of life on one thing.
This attachment also gives rise to the limitations of a person, his obsession with one thing. First, it can cause what we do not notice or do not attach importance to all those things that go beyond our individual "space of the meaning of life": we spend little time with our loved ones because of work or ruin our health with drugs and alcohol, as we see the meaning of life in momentary pleasures. Secondly, if we have the light a wedge comes down on one thing, then this can form a painful attitude to this thing. For example, someone is trying to fully control the lives of their children, since they do not have their own lives. Third, strong attachment breeds fear of loss. If we see the basis of our existence in some single thing we possess, then the thought of losing this thing can cause fear and anxiety.
I cannot wait to finish this thought, since I feel that this section has acquired a pessimistic and doomed tone, and I would like to correct it. Remember, I am not writing about persecution of human existence, but about overcoming problems and achieving happiness and satisfaction!
Of course, I do not recognize the complete defeat of man before this "elusive meaning." There is always a way out!
Decision
A wise investor does not invest all his capital in a single project, since this project may burn out and pull all his capital to the bottom. Therefore, he distributes his funds between different projects, each of which brings him income. If something bad happens to one of the sources of profit, he will have others.
I understand that this approach cannot be fully applied in life in relation to the things we love, it would be too cynical. But still, we can learn from a reasonable investor.
Try not to tie your meaning of life to something completely. Be open to the world and all those opportunities that it harbors, do not lock your life on one thing, be it work, service or even family. Learn to find joy in diversity, look for new hobbies and get joy from unexpected things. The nature of reality is such that all things are impermanent and, putting meaning only into one thing, we risk losing much ...
One way or another, I would not want to draw an analogy with investments beyond a certain limit. Still, the income of our imaginary investor depends only on the projects in which he invested money. But I would not want your sense of life to depend only on external things. They are too unstable and changeable to fully rely on them. And sooner or later, in the possession of certain things, satiety is achieved. In addition to things, you also need a certain internal state. And this is the primary aspect, because your perception determines whether you are able to receive joy from external things and events or not. I will address this question by considering the following problem.
Problem 3 - Meaninglessness and Emptiness
Many people do not see any meaning in everything they do, life seems empty and meaningless to them. Some of them meekly resigned to this, someone continues to suffer, and someone does not stop searching for meaning, trying to find that vital straw, which can be grasped.
After all, people do not just cling so desperately to religion or to work. Beyond this, they see only the emptiness and these things and become their salutary straws. And I know it firsthand.
Before I graduated from university, I wandered aimlessly, amused myself and drank and literally could not find myself. And when I got a first job, I gave myself to her with zeal, reaching fanaticism. I worked for many hours a day, tolerated free processing, went to work even when I was sick and did not think about anything but her.
And it served as an expression of my gratitude for gaining the feeling that life was filled with meaning. Before that, I was a restless student. But suddenly I had business, work tasks, activity, profession, a clear place in the hierarchy. Before I started working, I was completely on my own, had a lot of free time, which gave me considerable discomfort and boredom. But now the time was given to work, it seemed to me, it did not go into a void, I had a meaning and purpose. It formed the feeling that I was finally taken by the hand and led somewhere.
I remember myself in that period. And that is why I say that people's obsequious, reverent attitude is developed not only towards religion, but towards everything that gives their life meaning, even work. And not only to her. In order to force a person to risk his life for the sake of other political interests, one must give him a sense of the meaning of all that he does and for which he dies. This is shamelessly enjoyed by all army discipline in various countries. And the philosophy of work in modern corporations takes over much from there.
And in the fact that people so selflessly devote themselves to what gives life to meaning, there is a problem. It lies in the fact that they do not see pleasure and joy in the fact that they just live, their life fills the emptiness, the salvation from which they are looking for in a variety of things, as I found some time in work.
Но потом, когда я занялся саморазвитием, когда иллюзии, окутавшие меня, начали развеиваться, я понял, что пока я тружусь по 12 часов, уделяя мало времени жене и другим своим делам, пока я провожу выходные за развлечениями, покупками и пьянством, жизнь идет где-то в стороне. А ведь так можно работать до самой пенсии, лишив себя здоровья и энергии. И ради чего?
В общем, я столкнулся с проблемой "ускользающего смысла". Но это не привело меня к отчаянию. Это понимание явилось следствием того, что пустота, неприкаянность, безрадостность существования, чувство разъединения со своими истинными желаниями, со своим "истинным я", разъедавшие меня изнутри, стали рассеиваться из-за того, что я глубже стал понимать себя, и во мне стало появляться больше покоя и радости. Я понял, что до этого я стремился чем-то заполнить пустоту, которая пела у меня внутри. Но если этой пустоты нет, если человек испытывает удовлетворение просто из-за того, что он живет и дышит, то нечего и заполнять, верно?
Что же привело меня к этому пониманию?
Decision
"Тот кто много рассуждает о смысле жизни, на самом деле, не живет по-настоящему". Это примерное воспроизведение по памяти фразы, которую я где-то слышал. Хоть формулировка не точная, но смысл остается тем же. Я полностью согласен с этим афоризмом. Если люди испытывают какое-то несчастье, внутреннее неудовлетворение или просто не умеют наслаждаться тем, что живут, то они начинают цепляться за какие-то вещи, которые на время лишают их чувства бессмысленности существования. Но подобно тонким соломинкам, связь с этими вещами часто обрывается, что увлекает человека в пучину пустоты и бессмысленности. Даже если с соломинкой ничего не происходит, то жизнь просто проходит мимо, пока человек полностью отдается какому-то делу.
Выше я писал о людях, которые, спасаясь от чувства бессмысленности, обнаружили убежище в работе, в семье или религии. Но есть и такие люди, которые даже от этих вещей не получают удовольствие и не способны увидеть даже короткие проблески осмысленности жизни. Что же делать всем этим людям?
Возможно, мы и не в силах познать глобальный замысел вселенной. Может вся жизнь действительно стремиться к Богу? Или она просто представляет из себя совокупность строго детерминированных физических реакций, которые образовались ниоткуда и стремятся в никуда? А вдруг все это просто компьютерная программа, как в фильме "Матрица". Вероятность этого также исключать нельзя.
Как я писал ранее, для некоторых людей является вопросом жизни и смерти разобраться в том "как-же-есть-на-самом-деле". Но сейчас я скажу вещь, которая, возможно, вас удивит. На самом деле нет большой разницы в том, в чем же состоит замысел Вселенной. Возможно, мы никогда не сможем этого постичь. Но, что мы можем сделать, так это прожить эту жизнь сполна, насладиться ее моментами. Даже если эта жизнь нереальна, представляет собой обман, все равно, наши страдания и счастье реальны. И что мы можем сделать на этой Земле, это быть счастливыми, безотносительно того, чем на самом деле является жизнь. Пускай мы не можем угадать глобальный смысл жизни. Зато нам доступно то, что мы непосредственно переживаем, некий "локальный смысл существования", который заключается в том, чтобы достичь состояния радости, любви, гармонии, покоя и счастья.
Я вас уверяю, если человек обретает хотя бы часть этого состояния, то все настойчивые вопросы о смысле жизни сразу снимаются. Потому что такой человек уже видит смысл в том, чтобы просто жить, быть "здесь и сейчас".
Смысл жизни проистекает из нашего восприятия, из внутреннего состояния. И оно не является чем-то, что противопоставляет себя внешнему миру, стремясь замкнуться в своей самодостаточности! Напротив, это состояние поддерживает и наполняет смыслом, что мы и так уже имеем: семью, работу, заботу о развитии себя и своих близких. Хотя, несмотря на то, что смысл жизни неразрывно связан с этими вещами, он не исчерпывается только ими. Он проистекает из сознания жизни, из того факта, что мы живем и дышим.
Первично состояние нашего ума, отношение к вещам, восприятие. Внешние вещи - это просто пустые сосуды. И только наше восприятие способно их чем-то наполнить. Если внутри нет ничего, то сосуды так и останутся пустыми стекляшками.
С другой стороны, если мы чувствуем жизнь во всех ее проявлениях, мы понимаем, что мы должны изменить в своей жизни, что мы должны из нее убрать, что мешает этому чувству. Мы можем прийти к пониманию, что пока мы гнались за деньгами, за престижем, за женщинами, жизнь проходила мимо и мы вдруг в один момент осознали, что бежали за призраками. Что мы до этого занимались всеми вещами подряд, но только не жили!
Как же достичь этого состояния?
Я уверен, что это состояние достижимо через воспитание любви в отношении себя, своего ближнего и всех живых существ, через развитие сострадания и эмпатии, через достижение осознанности и принятия при помощи медитации, йоги и других практик, через самодисциплину, отсекающей пороки и формирующей добродетели, через познание своей собственной природы, через закалку здоровья тела и духа, через осознание своего неразрывного единства со всем миром и через преодоление болезненных привязанностей.
Заповеди разных религий, относящиеся к развитию любви и состраданию придуманы не просто так. Это не только способ достичь какого-то блаженства после смерти. Это путь к счастью здесь и сейчас, к тому, чтобы обнаружить рай внутри себя, а не только за чертой смерти!
Если религия помогает вам прийти к этим вещам, то это прекрасная религия и не важно, какому Богу она посвящена. Если какое-то светское учение указывает путь к ним, то это отличное учение и не важно, кто его автор. Просто никакие религии и учения не должны служить средствами бегства от вашей неудовлетворенности и несчастья, подобно опьяняющим наркотикам. Но если они просто указывают вам путь при помощи которого вы самостоятельно сможете прийти к состоянию гармонии и ясности и устранить причины собственных пороков, а не просто скрыть их под маской праведности и развить свои лучшие качества, то это очень хорошо! Моим путем стала медитация, но я не отрицаю, что могут быть и иные пути. Но я полагаю, что без практик развивающих осознанность и сострадание, подобно медитации на вашем пути вам все равно не обойтись.
Вопросам медитации и саморазвития посвящено множество материалов на моем сайте, вы их можете прочитать, а здесь же я хотел наметить только направление.
Также более глубоко я разработал вопрос в другой своей статье и в своем видео: «если мучают вопросы о смысле жизни - что делать?»
Выше я обещал раскрыть аспекты своей веры в глобальный смысл жизни. Я верю в то, что вещи, помогающие прийти к ощущению счастья и смысла жизни здесь и сейчас: осознанность, любовь, принятие, доброта - являются также составляющими глобального смысла существования и ведут нас к вселенской гармонии или, если угодно, к Богу. Это и есть моя вера! Но все может быть как угодно по-другому, и я это принимаю!
