What does life ask of us?
I am the owner of books which terrify me. I’ve not yet read them, but eagerly acquire these various tomes when I can because I think they might have answers. But then they might simply tell me that I am right about everything that has ever kept me up a night in my life, and this would terrify me. My life is about answering questions, or has been since I’ve become the current incarnation of myself that is terribly troubled by “whys.” Which brings me to my question, what does life ask of us?
My supposition is nothing, really, if you take life quite literally, from the alpha to the omega; you are born, and you will die- and in the mean time you will be given the task of survival- and mostly that’s all that is to be done, provided you wish to die later rather than sooner. The trouble comes in when we alter our expectations, I think the ideas of religion, and an after-life, and a soul do more for us altering our expectations than any other set of factors (though the pursuit of material pleasures is probably a close second). Why do we do things which we detest? Why do we, each day, put up with things, and people, and places which blatantly offend us? I think because we believe that there are a certain set of rules which govern us (granted there are laws which we are supposed to abide by, but really who won’t break the law or who hasn’t broken the law when it was convenient or necessary to do so). With this in mind the only thing ostensibly holding our communities, and countries together is faith in something greater, some sort of spiritual or moral code, which is stronger than the laws of man, which inherently decries to us what is right and wrong, illuminates that which is good and bad.
For centuries and still today men and women put their back against the world and toil day and night through the best years of their lives paying some sort of dues in the name of righteousness, being just seems to be about accepting the blows, allowing the injustices, letting the bad man into our house, and feeding him dinner. We have created a fabric of living which hastens our own demise really, because we believe there is something greater in the end, there is something on the other side of that great sleep which will make the in-the-meantimes of our lives, the todays, and the yesterdays, and the potential tomorrows insignificant. By this logic the things we put up with which should be objectionable or offensive, or pointless, are simply pointless, so we put up with that which is objectionable, and offensive. Why then, do we do anything at all, I guess it’s some sort of blind faith, in terms of moral good-standing, we like to think we pay our dues when we must, we confess our sins before Christmas to “be a good Christian,” then go right back out into the world December 26th, and reset the odometer on the sort of things we do because we want to, because we can always say we’re sorry when we get caught, and don’t have to answer to anyone else until then. So what? We’ll lead a good life someday, when we’re older, when we no longer have to rectify what we do to be happy with what we do to survive, and those too even with what we are supposed to do to be good people, no, the dichotomies within us wouldn’t even recognize each other if they were passing on a street crowded with nothing, but all is forgiven, if we have the fortitude to name our sins.
“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.
Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.”
Frankl said this, and it begins to approach my question, though it doesn’t account for the other 6 and a half billion people on this earth. I guess I’m just afraid I live in a world filled with automatons who do what is right when it is convenient, and then default to doing what they want in all other situations, doing what must be done rarely, if ever. I’m afraid thy will be done has ever been by and large a very personal third-person narrative, rather than oath to something greater.
In my perfect world I like to think loyalty would be towards some sort of greater good, there’d be an understanding of some greater good, but again there’d be an understanding that nothing is given, and nothing is certain. In the meantime would be about being happy, and being happy would be about making others happy, and paying it forward. And if this were the case I would be happy to read my books, and be scared when I figure out why, because it would be for some greater good, to tell all the people that time is fleeting, we need to be nice to each other, that there are gonna be dark days, but there’s going to be sunshine as well, and both are better if you’re smiling, at that with a satisfied mind. There’d be work to do, and tough tasks, but there’d be a better reason to do so beyond paying your dues to a place you’ve never seen, or for a dollar at the end of the day, a dollar which can’t buy back a minute’s time once you’ve spent it.
Life asks nothing of us, for it is not the question, life is the answer, we are the questions, we must ask something of ourselves every day. We must make a choice every instant, and as we go on through our pace of days the choices get tougher, the questions more vague and at the same time more difficult, but they’re still there, we can do the right thing, or we can do something else, we can do something so simple, yet equally brilliant, if we decide to do it for a good cause, or we can have schemes which aren’t so grand, because we want to have ten grand. The world at times can be a tough place, but it’s the only place, and it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
I guess really I already have my answers, I just can’t wait for everyone else to figure out there are questions they must face, I guess I’m just not that patient, nor is life that long.
My supposition is nothing, really, if you take life quite literally, from the alpha to the omega; you are born, and you will die- and in the mean time you will be given the task of survival- and mostly that’s all that is to be done, provided you wish to die later rather than sooner. The trouble comes in when we alter our expectations, I think the ideas of religion, and an after-life, and a soul do more for us altering our expectations than any other set of factors (though the pursuit of material pleasures is probably a close second). Why do we do things which we detest? Why do we, each day, put up with things, and people, and places which blatantly offend us? I think because we believe that there are a certain set of rules which govern us (granted there are laws which we are supposed to abide by, but really who won’t break the law or who hasn’t broken the law when it was convenient or necessary to do so). With this in mind the only thing ostensibly holding our communities, and countries together is faith in something greater, some sort of spiritual or moral code, which is stronger than the laws of man, which inherently decries to us what is right and wrong, illuminates that which is good and bad.
For centuries and still today men and women put their back against the world and toil day and night through the best years of their lives paying some sort of dues in the name of righteousness, being just seems to be about accepting the blows, allowing the injustices, letting the bad man into our house, and feeding him dinner. We have created a fabric of living which hastens our own demise really, because we believe there is something greater in the end, there is something on the other side of that great sleep which will make the in-the-meantimes of our lives, the todays, and the yesterdays, and the potential tomorrows insignificant. By this logic the things we put up with which should be objectionable or offensive, or pointless, are simply pointless, so we put up with that which is objectionable, and offensive. Why then, do we do anything at all, I guess it’s some sort of blind faith, in terms of moral good-standing, we like to think we pay our dues when we must, we confess our sins before Christmas to “be a good Christian,” then go right back out into the world December 26th, and reset the odometer on the sort of things we do because we want to, because we can always say we’re sorry when we get caught, and don’t have to answer to anyone else until then. So what? We’ll lead a good life someday, when we’re older, when we no longer have to rectify what we do to be happy with what we do to survive, and those too even with what we are supposed to do to be good people, no, the dichotomies within us wouldn’t even recognize each other if they were passing on a street crowded with nothing, but all is forgiven, if we have the fortitude to name our sins.
“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.
Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather he must recognize that it is he who is asked.”
Frankl said this, and it begins to approach my question, though it doesn’t account for the other 6 and a half billion people on this earth. I guess I’m just afraid I live in a world filled with automatons who do what is right when it is convenient, and then default to doing what they want in all other situations, doing what must be done rarely, if ever. I’m afraid thy will be done has ever been by and large a very personal third-person narrative, rather than oath to something greater.
In my perfect world I like to think loyalty would be towards some sort of greater good, there’d be an understanding of some greater good, but again there’d be an understanding that nothing is given, and nothing is certain. In the meantime would be about being happy, and being happy would be about making others happy, and paying it forward. And if this were the case I would be happy to read my books, and be scared when I figure out why, because it would be for some greater good, to tell all the people that time is fleeting, we need to be nice to each other, that there are gonna be dark days, but there’s going to be sunshine as well, and both are better if you’re smiling, at that with a satisfied mind. There’d be work to do, and tough tasks, but there’d be a better reason to do so beyond paying your dues to a place you’ve never seen, or for a dollar at the end of the day, a dollar which can’t buy back a minute’s time once you’ve spent it.
Life asks nothing of us, for it is not the question, life is the answer, we are the questions, we must ask something of ourselves every day. We must make a choice every instant, and as we go on through our pace of days the choices get tougher, the questions more vague and at the same time more difficult, but they’re still there, we can do the right thing, or we can do something else, we can do something so simple, yet equally brilliant, if we decide to do it for a good cause, or we can have schemes which aren’t so grand, because we want to have ten grand. The world at times can be a tough place, but it’s the only place, and it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
I guess really I already have my answers, I just can’t wait for everyone else to figure out there are questions they must face, I guess I’m just not that patient, nor is life that long.
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