How to understand the meaning of life. Follow the desire

Every person in his life has thought about the question of what is the meaning of life. The whole problem is this one of the main issues human existence is that no one has yet given a definitive answer to it. Throughout the existence of all human civilizations, people have sought and found the meaning of life in different ways. Proof of this are various philosophical positions and religious movements, scientific research and works of art. And now, like tens and hundreds of years ago, some see the meaning of life in a career, some in politics, some in family, and some in serving God. So what is the meaning of human life?

First of all, the question of the meaning of life refers to a spiritual problem that determines the purpose of humankind’s existence on earth. This question is very important for the development human personality throughout his life. Let's look at how ideas about the meaning of life have changed in various philosophical and religious teachings.

Understanding the meaning of life in philosophy

The very understanding of the problem of the meaning of being in philosophy is considered one of the most important issues. All philosophers over the course of thousands of years have created a certain ideal of human existence on earth, which it was necessary to strive for and which, in fact, was the meaning of life.

1. IN ancient philosophy The purpose of existence of human life was considered to be:
   • receiving pleasure as a release from physical pain, fear of death and suffering (Epicurus);
   • achieving happiness through thinking and knowledge of the world around us (Aristotle);
   • the desire for independence and inner peace, the denial of family, state and art (Diogenes);
   • achieving equanimity in relation to factors that irritate a person (Stoics).
2. IN medieval philosophy question what's the point human life, boiled down to the following: it is necessary to honor your ancestors, follow generally accepted religious views and pass on to your offspring the social status received at birth. At the same time, the differences in philosophical views on the meaning of life in the East and West were not much different from each other.
3. In the philosophy of the 19th and 20th centuries, the solution to the question of the meaning of life was considered as follows:
   • irrationalists considered the purpose of the existence of human life to be a constant struggle with death and suffering, which was carried out by a certain “world will” (Schopenhauer);
   • existentialists argued that a person himself must create values ​​in a world full of absurdity (Kierkegaard), the meaning of life depends on the person himself (Sartre), therefore the question of the meaning of life was considered the most pressing for them (Camus);
   • nihilists considered the meaning of human life to be preparation for the emergence of a superman (Nietzsche);
   • positivists considered the question of the meaning of life to be meaningless, since it is expressed linguistically, and everything expressed by a person through language had no meaning by their definition (Wittgenstein);
   • pragmatists believed that the meaning of life refers to those goals that will make a person value life himself (James);
   • transhumanists considered the goal of human life to be overcoming all biological limitations and the emergence of the so-called “posthuman” (cyborg).

Understanding the meaning of life in religion

In order for humanity to understand what the meaning of life is, several thousand years of religion gave their concepts and definitions a priori, but the basic understanding of the meaning was reduced to serving the Divine purpose. So, the sought answer to the question about the meaning of existence was determined depending on the concept of God:

• in Judaism, the meaning of life lies in knowing God, loving Him, leading a righteous life and keeping the commandments;
• in Christianity, only thanks to the resurrection of Christ, human life acquired value, therefore the meaning of human life is to know God, become like Him and inherit eternal life with Him;
• in Islam, the goal of every Muslim’s life is to serve and worship Allah in complete submission and devotion;
• Buddhism sets the highest goal to end human suffering, and in Hinduism, man, in addition to this, strives to achieve bliss;
• The main goal of a person in Confucianism is considered to be the creation of an ideal society (a heavenly empire) coupled with self-improvement, and in Taoism the main components of a person’s life should be love, humility and moderation.

Where to look for answers

If you still think about what the meaning of life is, you should look for answers in yourself. Alas, even if we read all the works of philosophers and delve into every religion, it is likely that we will not be able to find the meaning of life in any of the teachings. Life does not stand still, and no matter how convincing the arguments may sound, the meaning proposed by our predecessors will still remain the meaning of their era, their worldviews and destinies. Religion has big influence on our lives today. Therefore, many states and countries of our planet to this day fill our minds and hearts with meaning with the help of various religious teachings, including best case scenario leaving people a choice, at worst, manipulating the destinies and lives of millions of people.

It is believed that if a person begins to look for the meaning of life, then he tries to overestimate the present, in which he no longer finds satisfaction. The time allotted to us in life is priceless, but we should not forget that it is constantly changing and flowing away. Therefore, a prolonged search for meaning can turn into a disaster for a person. Of course, it’s sad when there is no meaning in life, but such a feeling is usually deceptive. There is even such a science as logotherapy - treating a person who feels the meaninglessness of his life with the very meaning of life. This movement was coined by Viktor Frankl, a Viennese psychotherapist who discovered that there is no universal meaning in life. But there are millions of meanings that are made up of our own lives. In other words, each person has his own goal, the achievement of which brings him satisfaction.

Often in schools, children are asked to write an essay “What is the meaning of life?” There are many examples confirming that goals and life values ​​can vary depending on the person himself. But there are also certain actions that give us satisfaction and a feeling life goal. They seem correct and meaningful from the point of view of all humanity and do not need any motivation:

• altruism, serving others and doing good;
• dedication to one's work;
• creation;
• self improvement;
• birth and raising of children.

Most people strive to realize themselves within this framework. And if it brings people joy throughout their lives, then that’s wonderful. Man, due to his dual nature, always doubts. And the meaning of existence changes throughout a person’s life. For example, in our youth we may only feel meaningful in our dedication to our work or in our creativity. Then time passes, and we catch ourselves thinking that our children are the meaning of our lives. Towards the end of our journey, we begin to engage in spiritual practices and self-improvement. Some begin to serve others and engage in charity work. For each of us, the purpose of existence is different, but in general, it is to live.

There is hardly a person on earth who would never think about meaning of life. The question of the purpose of each of us specifically arises in our minds with all seriousness, because it is connected with the need to make a decision about how to live. Our choice in this case has far-reaching consequences.

IN modern society you can meet people with different understandings of what it is the meaning of human life:

1. There are people who think about thoughts this kind utopian, and therefore prefer to simply “exist” due to their presence on Earth. Born means live...

2. Others, going through an endless number of options, look for something that could fill their life with meaning, and spend their whole lives on it.

3. Some, not finding what they are looking for, accept radical solution– take one’s own life. Why is it needed if it has no meaning?

4. There are also those who declare that they have this very meaning and position themselves as happy people.

All the people we described have one thing in common: no one wants to waste their life and be deceived. The meaning of human life is inextricably linked with the concepts of happiness, purpose in life, its purpose. An incorrectly chosen landmark ultimately leads a person to disappointment and the collapse of life.

What is the meaning of human life

Reflections on the purpose of man and his role in the Universe have been known since the advent of means of recording information. Naturally, reflections of this kind led the ancient philosophers to the question of what makes up a person. The bodily component was never questioned and aroused only anatomical interest, since everything with its needs is quite simple - breathe, eat, drink... The body does not need a special meaning or idea - it exists as biological matter. As for the intangible component of a person, everything is much more serious here.

What is the soul?

Let's look at the different understandings of the spiritual essence of man that have taken place throughout history.

1. “Material” soul

Aristotle said: “Some people are slaves, and others are free citizens because it is so ordained by nature... It is right and just that some should be ruled, and others should exercise the government for which they are naturally fit; and if so, the master’s power over the slave is also fair.”

In such a hierarchy everything was simple. Be who you were born to be - this is the place you should occupy. Something similar happened again in the 19th and 20th centuries. Nietzsche's philosophy of the superman, adopted by many minds, was refracted in the understanding of people in many different ways, leading to such things as the "cleansing of the nation" by Hitler, the "building of an ideal society" by the communists, etc.

Both in antiquity and in the teachings of Nietzsche, man was not considered as consisting of a spiritual principle and a body. The works of Darwin on the origin of species, the teachings of Marx and
Engels's idea of ​​dialectical materialism was jeopardized by the very structure of the Universe and man as a part of it.

Nietzsche declared the need to “kill God” to free man from prejudices and fears. Man has ceased to be the bearer of a moral soul. Materialism looked at man as a highly organized biological matter, and only matter…. As a result, everyone was given the place in which he would be most useful for the “public benefit.” And she, in turn, was the only measure of truth, with the formulation “the end justifies the means.” That is why Hitler’s death camps were considered a rational means of “cleansing the race.” For the same reason, in the USSR, the dissidents described by Solzhenitsyn were shot, exiled, or left to rot in prisons as elements harmful to society.

2. Soul of desires

But the model of life described above did not suit everyone. There were thinkers who seriously recognized the existence of a human soul and reflected on its needs. Moments of morality, love and goodness are indeed quite difficult to describe in biological matter. The followers of Epicurus elevated pleasure to the rank greater good. They believed that a person would be happy when he had no suffering and gained equanimity of soul. In this concept, man is qualitatively different from what pure materialism proposes. He has a soul with claims to happiness and certain needs that must be satisfied.

It is necessary to note the philosophy of the East with a similar concept in understanding the soul. In this paradigm, the body becomes a burden to the soul, which has an unearthly nature and needs corresponding to this nature. An important point This view is the eternity of the soul and its immateriality, but in a number of cases we're talking about not about the soul returning to God, but about its reincarnation in “ next life"and continued existence in bodily form.

3. Empirical and mystical soul

This time, personal, intangible and sometimes inexplicable experience was at the forefront, which took the place of the measure of truth. The logic of this concept is simple: those who have not experienced it will not understand and have no moral right to evaluate what happened. And that means the opportunity general rules It's getting wrong. This state of affairs has led to a plurality of truths and opinions. Representatives of this direction of philosophy (Hobbes, Locke, etc.) set themselves the task of knowing nature or its subjugation through the experience acquired by each person separately. By the way, the development of this doctrine leads to pantheism - polytheism.

4. Divine soul

Another historical perspective on the soul is worth noting. It was expressed in a vivid form during the Middle Ages and partially during the Renaissance. The influence of the church and its laws became an integral part of every area of ​​life. The view of the spiritual essence of man was based on the Bible. This soul differs from the previous ones with a clear beginning, a definite goal, and is completely clearly describable.

Human soul:

1. Not material.
2. Created by God.
3. Eternal.
4. The person is responsible for right relationship with her Creator.
5. of this soul - the achievement of bliss found in the contemplation of God in the afterlife.

Ideal meaning of life

What parameters should an ideal meaning of life, to which he could devote his whole life and not be disappointed? I came up with three simple criteria:

1. Perfect meaning of life is timeless and should have value throughout life. It cannot be limited by a time frame and cannot be achieved at a certain stage of life. For short-term goals there is another name - a dream.

2. Perfect meaning of life immaterial, he cannot have earthly, material value, since it will lose value once it is reached.

3. Perfect meaning of life feasible. Many people have faced disappointment at the end of their lives simply because they were carried away by an idea that in itself was unrealistic. Good one An example is communism, which was built by several countries. Millions of people were infected by this idea. Working two shifts, infringing on themselves for the sake of a bright future, exiling dissidents, they were ultimately left with nothing.

Where to look for the meaning of life?

Now let's summarize everything that was written above. Quite a lot of people are ready to exchange their lives for “ bubble”, fleeting illusions, without ever understanding why their soul came into this world.

Material condition, honor in society, power - all these are “soap bubbles”. Some people prefer to “forget themselves”, to escape from reality and the problems that arise in life - in modern world there are enough mind-stupefying agents. Other people go through numerous ideas, wasting valuable time. Unfortunately, even universal human values ​​(for example, good family) are not able to give a person a permanent and reliable meaning that fills his life.

Based on the criteria for the ideal meaning of life that I developed for myself, I came to the understanding that there are only two concepts that meet these criteria:

1) Death

No matter how paradoxical it may sound, death meets the stated requirements of the meaning of life. It is intangible, does not depend on the set deadlines for human activity, and it is feasible. Death as the inability to exist biologically. But can this be called meaning??? Of course not!!! Living for the sake of death is absurd. It is also important to understand that we are not here by choice - the process of our birth was planned by Someone other than us. This means that it is logical to assume that in search of our destiny, we should not be based on our ideas, but try to understand the structure of the world and our place in it. And we absolutely do not have the right to take our own lives, since our appearance and departure from life are not determined by us.

2) Existence after death

This meaning also meets the requirements described above. Only, unlike the first option, it really is a meaning that can give direction to one’s whole life. Determine her destiny, ultimate goal and give hope for eternal bliss. The meaning of life can only be found in God.

“Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life” (Bible, Gospel of John 14:6).

Talk about afterlife It makes a lot of people smile. Such meaning of life unacceptable for them too. After all, it questions their own worth and limits their freedom. Indeed, in order to accept Christ as his Savior, a person must admit his own weakness and entrust his destiny into the hands of the One who exists outside of earthly time and reveals what man needs, as his Creator.

It seems logical to us to study the operating instructions for the device compiled by its manufacturer. But for some reason the instructions of the Creator of people (the Bible) are ignored by many...

What is the true meaning of life

If you are thinking about the significance and value of life today, then try to answer yourself simple questions:

1.What is your soul, its needs and values?
2.What characteristics should your ideal meaning in life have?
3. By whose will are you on Earth today and discussing these issues?
4. If there is a God who created you, what is your place in His plan?

Such reflections led me to understand God. A personal God with whom one can have a relationship. The God who fills life with meaning, gives hope and fulfills His promises. He who created heaven and earth also created man. But the man sinned by neglecting the command of God, and further relationships became impossible. Jesus Christ came to Earth to solve this problem. He is real historical figure- died on the cross to atone for the guilt of all people before their Creator. Your relationship with God can be improved by trusting in Christ as your personal Savior. And He will give you meaning of life earthly, and blissful eternity after death.

At some point in life, every person asks the question: “What is the meaning of life”? Someone finds the answer to the question posed and finds harmony in life, while someone gets confused and loses all happiness in this life. And this article is especially for those who want to find the meaning of life.

Let's start with the standard misconceptions about the meaning of life:

1) I live to live

Looking around you can see that most people live unhappy lives. Some are lonely, some are suffering from illness, some are suffering from drugs and alcoholism, some are suffering from poverty, and so on. Is the meaning of life really lies in suffering, misfortune and grief? The obvious answer is no.

2) I live to work

There are also workaholic fanatics who claim that the meaning of life is work. Such people cause irony and laughter. It turns out that at any moment the meaning of life can fire them from their jobs.

3) The meaning of life is children

Such people are very common. IN Lately It often happens that children send their parents to hell. And by and large they are doing the right thing. Parents cannot understand that the world has changed, and they are meddling with their old standards. Undoubtedly, a certain part of your life should be devoted to raising children. But how can the meaning of life grow and leave you, live your own life?

4) The meaning of life is to take risks

Same interesting opinion. Let's think logically: your parents raised you, the country invested money in you. And what is all this for? So that you play roulette, constantly take risks and eventually become disabled or even die. Complete nonsense.

5) The meaning of life is power, sex and money

Very stupid and superficial meaning of life. All this seems quite interesting, well, what else do you need from life? Let's go deeper, well, let's say all this happened and there is a lot of money, and there is power, and as a result there is a lot of sex. Obviously, this will take a lot of time, but then the government changed and everything that was acquired through hard work was destroyed in a few months. Result: Alcohol, drugs, hatred, accident...

So what is the meaning of life?

The meaning of life for a conscious, intelligent person is to be happy! This is exactly why we were born. We are genetically programmed to be happy. We move away from pain and strive for happiness. It is this meaning of life that gives us advantages: self-confidence, development of superpowers.

If we believe that the meaning of life is happiness, then we begin to program ourselves for success. And here we shouldn’t talk about any kind of selfishness. After all, if you are happy, then you can make your family, your friends, your team happy, you can change the whole world. Moreover, in Christianity there is a sin called despondency.

Many people can say what is the meaning in one word, but this is not just a word - it is a philosophy of life. Our thoughts are material. Today we find with you where our thoughts were yesterday; Tomorrow we will be where our thoughts today lead us.

But there is also a trap that a person can fall into when finding the meaning of life. People often confuse pleasure and happiness. These are very different concepts. For modern man pleasure is laziness tasty food, drugs, computer games, pointless waste of time, excessive sex and so on. You should know that the body was given to us from animals, and the soul from God. Happiness is the improvement of the soul, love, respect, gratitude, friendship.

Many people are interested in the question: what is the meaning of life. When answering this question, you need to be guided by several points of view and knowledge of different sciences, since everyone understands this term in their own way. After all, there are also people who do not see their purpose in life.

This problem is of concern not only simple people, but also writers, philosophers, religious thinkers, artists, poets and other great people. And some even devoted their entire lives to this study. But it is still not possible to accurately answer the questions: what is the meaning of life and what does it consist of?

The pressing question about the meaning of human life

What is the meaning of life? Probably, it will not be possible to find an exact answer to the question, since each person sees the world from his own point of view and thinks according to his views and preferences. To answer such complex issue First of all, you need to understand your purpose in this life.

The meaning of a person’s life will change over the course of everything life path, since he will constantly be faced with different goals and tasks. They are mainly related to the level of residence and age of the individual.

For example, when a person becomes an adult, his goal is to get on his feet and start a family and feed all its members. But when, by the age of forty, he already has all this, he is pursued by a new “mission” - to get on his feet and provide for his children. By the age of sixty, many people take care of their significant other, maintain their health and live for their own pleasure.

Is it possible to live without a goal in life?

Some people do not understand the meaning of life and therefore live without it. But such individuals lack internal motivation and are unlikely to achieve anything in their lives. After all, if a person does not set goals for himself, it is difficult for him to strive for an ideal life. If a person does not understand what the meaning of his life is, he becomes weak and it is very difficult for him to achieve and achieve something.

If a person does not understand what his meaning in life is, then it is very easy to manage him and make decisions for him, since often such people do not have their own opinion. As a result, individuality suffers, and he ceases to manifest himself as a person.

According to psychologists, those people who do not see the purpose of their lives often become drunkards, become depressed or commit suicide. To prevent this from happening to you, you need to make goals, plans in your life and understand why you live on earth.

The purpose of man from a philosophical point of view

Perhaps philosophy is the first science that studies what the meaning of life is. But even here there are disputes, since each philosopher has his own point of view, which he is ready to defend.

Philosophers constantly strive for some ideals and create their own models of behavior. The most popular postulates about the meaning of human life are the following:

1. In ancient philosophy there were the following thoughts:

• Aristotle saw the meaning of human life in obtaining happy emotions;
• Epicurus considered the meaning of human life to be pleasure;
• Diogenes saw meaning in life only when it came to peace of mind.

2. In the philosophy of the Middle Ages, when thinking about what the meaning of human life is, they answered this way: this is the study of the lives of descendants and following their examples.

3. But philosophers of the twentieth century saw the meaning of human life in something else. And here too there are disagreements:

• irrationalists believed that the meaning of human life lies in the fight against death and suffering;
• existentialists argued that the meaning of a person’s life depends only on himself;
• and positivists do not consider this a problem as such.

Goals in human life from a religious point of view

No matter what era of time a person talks about, people have always tried to understand their purpose and determine what the meaning of human life is. Religion has also devoted a lot to this problem. It is safe to say that people who lived a hundred years ago and those who live today have completely different goals, since the world does not stand still and is constantly changing. Those customs, traditions and foundations that were fashionable many years ago are unlikely to be appreciated today by modern youth.

If we talk about religion, Christianity is most concerned about the question of the meaning of human life. If we consider this topic at a religious level, then we cannot help but talk about such concepts and definitions as God, Jesus, the Fall, and the salvation of the soul. Many people are concerned about this problem and this trend will continue for several years.

“Spiritual elite” of the meaning of life

To understand what the meaning of human life on earth is, you need to consider another point of view, which is called the spiritual elite. The meaning of this elite can be called that people should save everything that surrounds them and attract humanity to everything spiritual and cultural. For example, Nice said that the meaning of human life is that it is necessary to give birth to geniuses, thereby increasing the culture of your country and continuing your family.
Jaspers also spoke about this, who believed that people should be an example for each other. The meaning of human life, in his opinion, was also to rid the world of orphanhood by doing a good deed for children. And all children should grow up in full-fledged families.

Hedonism and human destiny

Hedonism also studies what the meaning of human life is. And his answers to this question are not very different from other sciences. The founders of this movement can be called Aristippus and Epicurus, who argued that in life a person should experience only positive emotions, and if something negative happens, it has a bad effect on life as a whole.

They also argued that all living things on earth are drawn to enjoy and take everything from life. In other words, their theory is to create beauty on earth.

But there were many objections according to this trend. As scientists say, hedonists see the meaning of human life only in the pursuit and nothing else. To some extent this definition is correct.
But on the other hand, as practice shows, a person who commits an action does not always think whether it is good or bad. After all, most often, a person first does something, and only then thinks about what he did, and it doesn’t matter whether he committed a bad or good deed. Sometimes people even deliberately do things that are associated with torment, suffering and even mortality - in order to punish each other.

It is worth understanding that each person is individual, and what seems positive to one may bring a lot of grief and disappointment to another.

Kant considered the definition of hedonism conditional. And when asked what the meaning of human life is, he answered differently. Kant believed that the destiny of man lies in the desire to develop good will. This is the only way to achieve perfection.

On the meaning of human life according to Unitarianism

The question of what the meaning of life is was also studied by the theory of Unitarianism. The main representatives of this theory can be called the philosophers Mill and Bentham. Bentham saw the meaning of human life in beauty and in receiving pleasure from it. But he understood that a person can become happy and have pleasure only if he avoids all torment and suffering, and this is very difficult to achieve. In his opinion, it was possible with the help mathematical formula calculate how happy a person is or, conversely, dissatisfied.
As Mill argued, the meaning of human life lies in happiness. But as he said, for a person to be happy, not only he, but also all the people who surround him must experience positive emotions.

L. N. Tolstoy's reasoning about the purpose of man

L.N. Tolstoy in his works often touched upon the question: what is the meaning of human life. And the writer’s head was completely filled with his decision. After much thought, Tolstoy realized that the purpose of human life lies in the self-improvement of the individual. As the writer argued, in order to live correctly and honestly, you need to constantly fight both with yourself and with the world around you.

For your information, L.N. Tolstoy is not only an amazing and talented writer, he is also an outstanding philosopher. He owns many quotes and idioms. He believed that before you understand what the meaning of life is, you need to understand what life is. It was this definition that he interpreted in his works. But he devoted most of the pages to studying this issue in his epic novel War and Peace. It is after reading it that many people begin to think and understand what life really is.

What literature says about the purpose of humanity

The role of literature in a person’s life is difficult not to appreciate, because books have been able to educate more than one generation, many people learn from them, look for their ideals in them and find their favorite heroes. But unfortunately, lately people very rarely think about books. But thanks to them, you can live real emotions and feel the fate of the heroes.

Many works contain reflections on the purpose of humanity. As statistics show, most of all writers agree that human destiny lies in the eternal. As Ecclesiastatus states, the meaning of human life lies in something meaningless and a constant rush to get somewhere. He says that love, understanding and happiness have nothing to do with this reasoning.

People are looking for the answer to this question in both domestic and foreign literature. Very often, writers in their works show what a person’s goal really is, and not just assumptions. At the same time, the works end on a bitter note, but no matter how sad it is, it is there that we can observe how people really live.
After all, often when a person searches for the purpose of his life, it ends tragically for him. Sometimes, trying to achieve the truth, a person has to face cruel injustice and thereby suffer.

The purpose of life from the point of view of psychology

Fromm believed that it would be impossible to live without goals in life, since a person would have nothing to strive for and nothing to achieve. After all, a life filled with goals and dreams is interesting and exciting.

As A. Adler argued, the purpose of human life is the development of his soul. After all, every person has some kind of ideal that he strives for and wants to be like. Of course, this ideal represents something good and positive. Therefore, having achieved his goal, a person will be able to see what the true purpose of his life is, and why society and the world need him.

If a person does not know how to set goals for himself, then his life has no meaning.

But Adler adhered to the fact that all the meanings of life can be divided into several groups, which will not suit everyone, since all people are individual. And each person has his own goal, which will fill his life with meaning.

American sociologist K. Rogers says that the purpose and meaning of a person’s life can depend only on his individual characteristics. He even wrote a whole book about this, which became popular. After all, people live in a constantly changing world, in which both sad and happy moments occur. And only the individual himself can determine his “mission” in life and only specifically for himself, based on his goals, lifestyle and other components.

So what is the meaning of life for a person? As described above, everyone in this world has their own goals in life, and therefore their own purpose. Don’t forget about the individuality of each person, on which a lot depends: goals, preferences, and views.

What is a sense of life? One of the eternal questions that has plagued humanity since the time our thoughts made room for something other than “where to get food and how to shelter from the weather” was asked on the Quora website. So, what is the meaning of life? Why do people work hard all their lives knowing that nothing they have ever done or will ever do will stay with them?

Here are the top 3 most popular answers.

“You need to understand that you won’t own anything forever.”

Jos Buurman, the author of the most popular answer, admits: “Many years ago, my friends’ car broke down at the worst possible moment, because the friend’s wife was pregnant at the time. I had a car, and I gave it to friends, and I drove for a couple of months work public transport. During this time, they were able to save up money to buy themselves a decent car.

A couple of years later, one fragile young lady asked me for money for an operation for her sick father. I had my doubts, but I didn’t refuse her. At that time, the operation saved his life. I know this because I met him in good health less than a year later. I also remember one of my friends buying bread and clothes for a homeless person.

Yes, nothing may remain with us, but it will remain with others. Few people on our planet are completely alone. Most of us have families and friends, children and grandchildren. You never know who will benefit from your gift.

What is a sense of life? And it is to understand that you will not own anything forever, and to generously share with others. You're going to lose it anyway, so why not start today?"

/This is the number one classic answer to a question to which not a single religious and philosophical movement at all times could find an answer. Why classic? Because, in principle, we all agree to be generous and kind, to help each other and share with those who need it. So we support this user’s opinion with at least a like, giving him first place. But in the depths of my soul there remains a worm of doubt, everything seems to be correct, but something is wrong? Or not?/

"The idea of ​​setting goals is doomed to failure"

A user who chose to remain anonymous writes: "Great question. First, I'll try to explain why the idea of ​​​​setting goals for achieving happiness is doomed to fail. For example, if you set a goal for yourself, 'I will be happy if I graduate from college with excellent grades,'" then you will be happy, but only very short period time. Then you will start to worry about work or continuing education, then about career growth, marriage, children, retirement savings, health, etc.

Is the solution to just go with the flow?

The best thing you can do is enjoy the present and not worry about where you want to go. In other words, BE PRESENT in every moment of your life, here and now. On your way to work, school or out of town, enjoy the beautiful scenery, be it a sunset or a bizarre combination of clouds, whatever. After all, few of us will even stop to enjoy the moment, right?

You can find pleasure in the most mundane things, even washing the dishes. Give it a try. The next time you are faced with a routine, focus all your attention on the task, pay attention to smallest details and see how happy you will feel.

/Call me a terry and callous skeptic, but it seems to me that the author of these lines enjoys life somewhere under the palm trees in Goa and the process of washing dishes for him is reduced to brushing the remains of food directly onto the sand. Although the idea is correct - to enjoy every moment in life. It's surprising that Quora users gave this answer second place, because that's not exactly what the question was about. Apparently, there were few housewives among those reading who found washing dishes already in..../

The path always ends where it began

Gayatri Kaliyamoorti shares her thoughts: “I once had a chance to read an excerpt from the trilogy about Shiva (translator’s note - meaning a series of books by the Indian author Amish Tripathi). I will share it here. This may be the answer to the question.

Let me try to put it differently. I'm sure you know how it rains in India, right?

Certainly. One of your scientists explained it to me. The sun seems to be heating up sea ​​waters, causing them to rise upward in the form of gas. Huge masses of this water vapor are combined into clouds, carried over the earth by monsoon winds. When these clouds collide with the mountains, they make rain.

Great. But you're only halfway there. What happens after it rains?

The knowing smile on Shiva's face showed that he was beginning to understand.

Gopal continued: “Water finds its way into streams and then into rivers.” And eventually the river returns back to the sea. Some of the rain is used by people, animals, plants - everyone who needs to survive. But even the water that we use eventually returns to rivers and seas.

The path always ends where it began. Can we say that the water's journey was meaningless? What would happen to us if water decided that there was no point in starting a path that would end in the same place where it began?

We would all die."

What options do you have for answering the question about the global meaning of life? Share them in the comments to the article - we are very interested to know your opinion!