Exploring the Meaning of Life: A Look at the Themes and Personages of Philosophy and Religion - Essay Example

? [College No Exploring the Meaning Life: A Look at the Themes and Personages of Philosophy and Religion Introduction Different people and different occurrences throughout the history of man can reveal different meanings for life, and ways on how to live a meaningful life. Several authors and artists have attempted to provide a universal description of the meaning of life. However, a person’s definition of a truly meaningful life can very well vary from the definitions of others around him/her. This concept was made clear by Dr. Ambrosio in his discussions on the meaning of life (n.p.). Indeed, a monk’s definition of the meaning of life may be different from that of a farmer struggling to live through each day. Even I have a meaning for life that can be considered as rather different (although in some aspects similar) from the meanings of other authors, including Dr. Ambrosio. I believe that a meaningful life is one that is spent in attaining one’s innermost potential, only achieved through continuous learning. However, to be truly meaningful, this learning must be centered on a spiritual (not necessarily religious) core. Thus, in relation, this paper will attempt to expound on the aforementioned belief, in relation to the works of different authors who explored the various meanings of life. The work of Dr. Ambrosio will first be presented, followed by a discussion on the heroic citizen, and other accounts of Saul, Michelangelo, Marx, Frankl, and Simone Weil, in relation to my own meaning of life. The Hero and the Saint Dr. Ambrosio’s discussion of the meaning of life is among those that confirm the idea that one definition for the meaning of life cannot be applied to each and every individual in this earth. Still, in his discussions, one concept that most struck me was his metaphor of the hero and the saint. After listening to the lectures, I came to understand the difference between the two terms. This difference will be further expounded on in the following paragraphs of the paper. The characters of the hero and the saints were used as metaphors for the depictions of some of man’s historical wisdom traditions: the concept of the hero can be traced from the Greco-Roman culture of secular humanism, while the idea of the saint came from the philosophies of the theistic religions including Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. In their simplest meanings, heroes refer to the human capability to question, and the desire for adventure, which reflect humanity’s love for the question itself. On the other hand, the saint represents the contentment for life in its own, emphasizing the need to enjoy life as a gift, rather than question it, and waste time searching for a possibly non-existent answer (Ambrosio “Hero and Saint” n.p.). However, I do not believe that these metaphors are the ideal types of living meaningfully. Still, in some ways, Ambrosio’s hero closely represents my definition of a meaningful life – to continuously question and search for answers guarantees that I can continuously learn and develop as well. Although the concept of the saint has valid arguments, to be content with life and question the process of questioning (which can also be translated to the yearning for learning) can be rather absurd and almost goes against the purpose of humanity. Indeed, what separates man from animals and plants is his rationality – his ability to think and question. Nevertheless, a discussion of the heroic citizen, to be presented below, may help shed light to another connotation for a meaningful life. Heroic Citizen In relation to the concept of the hero, the Greek views on the heroic citizen differ a little from that of Ambrosio’s. In fact, the concept of the heroic citizen underwent such a diverse transition from that of the Greek Myth-o-poetic traditions, through the emergence of Greek tragic drama, to the late stoicism of the Roman imperialism (Ambrosio “Philosophy” n.p.). Indeed, in the days of the Greek civilization, heroic citizenship involved the hero’s observance of his right to vote in assemblies, as well as the privilege to protect the people he loves by going to war, and the freedom to enjoy the loots of the said war. Still, in looking at the mythologies of the Grecian cultures, it can be seen that the characteristics most inherent among heroes were their strength, their wit, and their connectedness to the gods that ruled over them (Willis 28). However, as the times changed and the societal context varied as well, the definition of the heroic citizen changed too. From their connectedness to the higher beings, the heroic citizen now became separate from the gods and religion, through the refuge provided by the Roman stoicism. Indeed, the later portrayals of other later Greeks and Romans, the hero at no time asks for mercy, even viewing death as an avenue for learning something anonymous (Gutchess n.p.). In the end, the hero and a heroic, meaningful life came to mean in essence as an entity indifferent to human needs, but is shaped by self-control especially in the face of obligation and destiny. This view of the meaningful life from the side of the heroic citizen is one that I do not necessarily agree with. I believe that above all else, man is connected to the spiritual, no matter what his religion may be. Although the stoicism of the Romans allowed for a continuous learning, the final outcome of such stoicism can hardly relate to a meaningful life. Man is connected to the Universe and to God, as much as he is connected to himself and self-control does not necessarily guarantee a successful answer to the quest for the meaning of life. In fact, some of the greatest successes in history can be realized as involving those times that originated from instances when the hero/heroine has let go of his/her self-control and acted according to the dictates of his/her heart. Saul of Tarsus The description of the integration of the Greek and Roman hero is perhaps among those that most caught my interest. In Ambrosio’s “Philosophy, Religion, and the Meaning of Life”, he explored the concept of the amalgamation of the Greek and Roman heroes, wherein he discussed the possibility that a hero can be a saint at the same time. Seemingly an impossible concept, I was at first doubtful as to whether Dr. Ambrosio could set up his arguments to convince the reader that such a possibility is indeed probable (Ambrosio “Philosophy” n.p.). Nevertheless, Dr. Ambrosio was able to convincingly establish that the fusion of the hero and the saint is indeed possible through the person’s conversion to Christianity and the totalization of their missions to continue their questioning by serving as men of God. The case of the martyr Paul, previously known as Saul of Tarsus, and that of Augustine of Hippo, who both exemplified the meaning of a hero-saint. Before Saint Paul embarked to spread the Gospel to the Jews and gentiles, the notion of a hero was a person with secular ideas who embarked on chivalrous adventures that brought him – or his nation – recognition. Similarly, before Augustine of Hippo fully embraced the Christian faith, his society’s concept of a hero is a person who observes the heroic virtue of citizenship. However, after God revealed himself to Paul and when Paul began his preaching to convert people towards Christianity (Jones 80), the Greek concept of heroism changed drastically. Perhaps what increased Paul’s “heroism” the more was the fact that he underwent several tortures and criticisms from the Jews and similar other nonbelievers of Christ. After he has survived this, people came to recognize Paul as some sort of superhero. The change in the view of heroism was also effected by Augustine Hippo, although he did not go through the same ordeals as those that Paul went through (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy 354), his works opened the eyes of mankind towards the reality that heroes and saints can be one, and that in fact, one cannot be a hero without simultaneously being a saint. In this definition of the hero and the saint, I strongly agree with Dr. Ambrosio. It is somehow a comfort to know that a meaningful life can be achieved through a combined implementation of the person’s heroic and saintly side. Thus, in applying this combination (heroic-saint) in my view of a meaningful life, I can say that the heroic aspect guarantees the continued learning, while the saintly side sees to it that growth is holistic or compete. Michelangelo Unfortunately, the recognition of the possibility that a hero and a saint can co-exist within a single human body was not much accepted or widely-known/accepted after the times of Paul and Augustine, although the concept of what a hero is has began to change and transform. However, it was not until later that this change occurred. This slow transformation can be most seen in the work of Dante, especially in his Inferno, wherein his fatalistic description of the life of man portrayed an old view of the hero, which is separate from the saint. In Dante’s inferno, the concept of predestination was highlighted again and again, wherein man has a certain destiny which he will eventually end up to (Alighieri xix). This concept of a destiny rather conforms to the older definitions of heroes by the Greeks, wherein the gods and prophecies determined the fate of heroes, who were then considered to be separate from saints. However, changes in these views can be seen in later art works, especially those of the sculptor Michelangelo. Indeed, viewed as the bridge between the modern and the old, the said sculptor underwent various agonies and ecstasies that embodied the humanism of the Renaissance period. Indeed, it can be considered that the changes of views that Michelangelo went through also reflect the transformation of the times’ views towards heroes and saints, especially in terms of religion and spirituality (Parronchi 38). Somehow, it can also be said that the agony and ecstasy of Michelangelo depicts the beginning of the fusion of the saint and the hero. Finally, the combination of the concepts represented by the hero and the saint was completed when Soren Kierkegaard emphasized the importance of spirituality (saint) amidst all the modern changes (hero) the world is going through (Kierkegaard 50). In all, I agree with Kierkegaard more than with Dante and Michelangelo, since I have observed that in this modern world, people believed that creating more and more machines would make their life more meaningful. However, they forgot the real essence of living, which involves the fact that in the center of all that learning is the renewed and continued faith in God. Marx Even in the later eras or periods of human history, the views on saints and heroes also underwent changes. Several factors affected the said changes, but there are four main seminal thinkers that affected philosophy and science, especially in the views towards heroes and saints, as well as the meaning of life. The thinkers include Friedrich Nietzsche, Charles Darwin, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Karl Marx. Some aspects of the beliefs of Marx somehow reflect the stoicism of the Roman hero, where he is not connected to the spiritual realm, and his self-control allows him to take only the resources he needs, and leave some for his companions within the community (Marx and Engels 39). In a light similar to that of Marx, Nietzsche (who is a firm believer of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution which challenged the theory of creation) took the discussion one step higher and discussed that God does not exist, implying a hero that is devoid of any saintly aspect (qtd. in Metzger 66). Likewise, Dostoevsky also supported the ideals of existentialism but unlike Nietzsche, he maintained his faith in God. In looking at these philosophers, perhaps one of the reasons that their views towards sainthood changed was because of the birth of scientific developments that made man separate from his spirituality – a concept that is very much different from religion. Ironically, though, religion seems to have caused this separation between man and spirituality. Unfortunately, this separation does not support my own definition of a meaningful life, which involves continuous learning centered on a spiritual core. Frankl In relation to this continuous learning as an indicator for a meaningful life, Frankl added more descriptions to what a meaningful life is. A survivor of the holocaust, Frankl’s discussions came from a man who faced the concept of death a hundred times throughout his incarceration in the Nazi concentration camps (15-33). According to the said author, freedom, responsibility and suffering were among the things that most gave meaning to his life. Suffering (in the form of the Holocaust) was viewed by Frankl as God’s way of communicating and reconnecting with man, and reminding him of his responsibility towards himself, his surroundings, and his fellow men. Surprisingly, Frankl viewed freedom as something that could not be taken from him despite the fact that he was in a concentration camp. This freedom involved the freedom to realize one’s spirituality and innermost strength and potential (Frankl 7). These descriptions added further characteristics to my definition of a meaningful life. Indeed, freedom is something that cannot be taken away, even if a man has already been incarcerated. Freedom allows for learning. In fact, at the end of everything, man still has his capacity to imagine, which can enable him to learn and make his life more meaningful. Perhaps the fact that Frankl went through the Holocaust gave his narrations greater weight, since the authors had the authority to talk about life, having faced death number of times. Simone Weil Still, another significant point of view to look into is the philosophy of a man who lived and grew in a setting from those of earlier philosophers. A social activist, Weil became most famous because of her philosophical insights on ethics and mysticism (Hellman 1-6). The fact that she suffered a lot physically and was challenged in terms of social skills but did not stop herself from joining political movements for the poor and suffering most effectively spoke of Weil’s qualities as a secular saint. The rooting on Greek philosophy of Weil’s works can be most seen in her emphasis on the actual and real human experience. Indeed, according to the author, for an authentic experience of truth to emerge from humans, it has to come from real human experience. This real experience therefore helps to describe Weil’s definition of a meaningful life. Again, this definition reverts to my own definition of a meaningful life, since real experience is an effective avenue for learning. Conclusion In the end, different people and different occurrences throughout history did show that the definition of a meaningful life can vary among people and among historical contexts. However, at the core of all these concepts is the dynamism of man, as well as the issue of spirituality and religion, whether one agrees with it (such as in the case of Dante and the saints), or not (such as in the case of Nietzsche). Nevertheless, from the reading and dialogues with these different philosophers, I hold true to my definition of a meaningful life: it involves the continuous learning/growth of man, anchored or grounded by spirituality at the core of the being. References Alighieri, Dante. Divine Comedy: Inferno, Parts 1 and 2; Purgatorio, Parts 1 and 2; Paradiso, Parts 1 and 2: 3 Volumes in 6 Parts. New Jersey: Princeton Univ Press, 1970. Ambrosio, Francis J. "Philosophy, Religion, and the Meaning of Life." 2011. 9 October 2011 . Ambrosio, Frank. "Hero and Saint—Mapping the Cultural Genome." 2010. teachingcompany.12.forumer. 9 September 2011 . “Augustine, (354-430).” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: A Peer-Reviewed Academic Resource. Iep.utm.edu. 6 June 2005. Web. 20 Aug. 2011. Frankl, Viktor E. Man's Search for Meaning: The Classic Tribute to Hope from the Holocaust. London: Rider, 2011. Gutchess, Gary. "Powers of Literature." 2001. 9 October 2011 . Hellman, John. Simone Weil: an introduction to her thought. Waterloo, Ont., Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1982. Jones, Rufus Matthew. St. Paul, the Hero. New York: The MacMillan Company, 1917. Kierkegaard, Soren. Either/Or: A Fragment of Life. New York: Penguin Books Ltd., 2004. Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The communist manifesto. England: Echo Library, 2009. Metzger, Jeffrey. Nietzsche, nihilism and the philosophy of the future. London: Continuum, 2009. Parronchi, Alessandro. Michelangelo: sculpture: the life and work of the artist. London: Thames and Hudson, 1969. Willis, Roy. World mythology: the illustrated guide. London: D. Baird Publishers, 1993. Read More