What is the significance and meaning of life?

• miyukiphd

• (Originally Posted) March 2, 2019

This time I would like to write about a topic that I often thought about when I was a teenager. This may seem like a dark subject, but I'm looking at it more philosophically than psychologically. However, if you are a little worried about depression, you can skip this topic.

I think I was a realistic child, not a typical child, from an early age. I liked Andersen and Grimm's fairy tales more than Disney, which idealized cruel and sad scenes, and I liked biographies and true stories of people living in different eras and countries more than Fantasy, and I always wanted to know the truth. I liked Anne Frank's diary better than the story of a princess being wooed by a prince.

Then, when I became a teenager (13 years old), I realized something. The fact that there is no answer to the question of why I am here, and the fact that I cannot find an answer to the question of what is the significance and meaning of my life, which happens to exist. I was very shocked. While the other kids talked about their idols, their own hairstyles and clothes, the opposite sex they like, their dreams for the future, etc., they chimed in, silently continuing to search for answers to such unanswerable questions. Philosophy was not taught at the public junior and senior high schools I attended, and there were no adults around me with whom I could seriously talk about such matters. At that time (the 1980s) there was no internet, and I identified myself with the main characters depicted in various literature who were troubled by the same questions that transcended eras and countries. However, throughout my teens and twenties, I had fun with friends of my age and had personal goals, so my existential crisis never affected my mental health. I believed that if I found a purpose in my life and achieved self-actualization, my existential crisis would be resolved.

And recently I watched a documentary about the death of a 97-year-old philosopher (Dr. Herbert Fingerett). In this short documentary clip, the philosopher talks about the essential question of philosophy: ``Is there meaning or purpose to life?'' Now, in this world without his wife, who has been by his side for 70 years, he says that he accepts that there are things he cannot easily do alone as an old man, and he says that a life of just waiting for death is truly empty and lonely. On the other hand, even though he wrote in his book that there is no need to fear death in theory because it means nothing, he is now facing death and it has a very personal meaning for him. He says that he still has a desire to remain in this world. It stems from the fact that he regrets not noticing (for example, looking at the trees growing in his garden with gratitude) during his glorious days when he achieved so much. Maybe it's just a matter of attachment to the world. Either way, in the end he said he could never answer this question. He said that there are no answers anywhere, so he just exists as he is.

What I interpreted from this is not to question the significance or meaning of life (because there is no answer), but rather to be swayed by such things, it is more realistic to have compassion and gratitude for the things that exist right now, including yourself. Does that mean it is meaningful? As I believed, by moving toward your goals, you may feel happier and have fewer regrets. But I feel like I'm only seeing one side of life. It's like an idealized Disney fantasy without the cruel and sad scenes. In other words, while we can create meaning and purpose in our lives by accomplishing what we have planned, the cruel and sad fact is that there are things in life that are unclear, unanswerable, and beyond our control. In other words, all we can do is recognize and accept that there are things in the world for which there are no answers, be grateful for the things and people who coexist with us, accept ourselves as we are at each moment, and exist as ourselves.