Mattie’s blog
The Meaning of Life
Terry Eagleton
After reading the first chapter I feel more enlightened, yet more confused, if
that makes any sense. This book is taking us on a roller coaster ride of
emotions. The idea is that life is what you make it. Find something you
believe in, sink your teeth and hold on for dear life, until you find
something better. This book is tilling us that life is; funny, life is
painful, life is a bed of roses, life is a bitch, life is a cabaret, life is
sadness, life is death, life is happiness, life just is or is it.
Have anyone ever told you to; grow up, wake up and smell the coffee, open your
eyes, live in the real world? What is the real world? Is it their
interpretation of the world or meaning of life or our own?
Here is my question; does the meaning of life mean what your family, friends
or society say it is?
6 Comments
No one has ever told me to grow up or wake up and smell the coffee. I think somewhere along the line I said it to myself. I have always felt that I lived in the real world because that real world was my reality. I believe that the meaning of life is our own and yet it circumvents what is really at the core. What I believe to be the core is our own lives that are inclusive of an array of ready -made narratives that we modify, adjust, and adhere to. I do not think it is one set thing that most people say it is but it has a lot of commonalities that people can associate with.
I think that everyone’s meaning of life is influenced by what their family, friends, and society believe. We often use the beliefs of others to help reaffirm or discredit our own personal beliefs. If you discussed this question with family, friends, and even strangers you’ll realize those things you have in common, don’t have in common, and never even took into consideration. This will help you either be able establish a response to the meaning of life or arrive at the conclusion that this maybe a rhetorical question.
A agree with Noel’s response, many individuals go off the beliefs of their family and friends and therefore follow in many of the ideas of their values and beliefs. One reason is that we tend to follow in many of the same footsteps of our family members, their beliefs and their way of thinking. Further, we as individuals tend to surround ourselves with people that have many of the same interests and beliefs that we do. While each individual has many of their own beliefs, when asking those around us we will come to see that many of those have many of the same beliefs as we have ourselves.
I do not think that life’s meaning is defined by the other- friends, family or society. I believe that the meaning of life has to do with what you, the individual, finds meaningful. If everyone found meaning and value in the same things, society would lack diversity and potentially be very boring. However, I do think that at times, the individual will look to the other for acceptance, reassurance and confirmation- to validate their existence and contribute to their personal sense of worth.
I think it might be dangerous to align oneself with a common element that might define life’s meaning. It is okay to seek nuances that helps us to meld with a certain group. This gives us meaning and security. On the flip-side, it can be disingenuous to simply take certain truths at face value due to upbringing or specific locale. We grow best, by seeking the truth, no matter how hard or uncomfortable it may be. By utilizing common ground with people we trust, we can use this as a life paradigm and proceed from there.
Can’t say that I have never been told to ‘grow up’ or ‘wake up and smell the coffee’ – In fact, I will admittedly say that I can recall many of those instances. But you bring up a good point… What coffee? Am I supposed to be doing something on the basis of what other thing is ‘right’? Well, sometimes the answer is Yes and other times it is No. Societal norms form us into who we are and the way we act in a variety of situations. However, it does not give us a distinct meaning of our own lives. Friends, Family, Culture all may play a vital role in how we INTERPRET our live but it doesn’t distinctly form our definition of life. With so many outside factors playing roles in our meaning of life, I don’t think it’s fair to say that family, culture, society, etc do NOT play a role in how we are self determined. The definition does come from ourselves, but the blueprint is pretty much laid out for us. It’s up to us to build. Wow… that was deep.
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