Friday 23 March 2012

La raison de vivre/Az élet értelme/The Meaning of Life

One of the things I’ve spent a great deal of time thinking about is life. My own life and life in general. The words have been flying around in my head, but putting them down on (virtual) paper has been a difficult task.

There are three principles that guide me in my everyday life: curiosity, responsibility and solidarity. The curiosity is directed towards all kinds of things and phenomena – stilling this curiosity is one of the things that bring me most happiness in life. When it comes to interpersonal relationships I’m pretty much the solitary wolf, but I still maintain that all action should be based on responsibility and solidarity to others. My personal wellbeing can never be greater or more important than that of other people. At the same time, I’m aware that my actions affect those around me: therefore, my decisions should be such, that the consequences are positive for others as well. 

Now, I believe that we are all good at something. We definitely have passions and interests that motivate and drive us. All individuals are responsible of their own personal happiness: society can and should guarantee certain types of rights and obligations that guarantee its members a certain standard of life. A high level of subjective wellbeing, however, is something each individual has to achieve on his/her own.

What’s the point then? Finding a meaning of life is difficult – some people find it in religion, others somewhere else. At a very general level, I suppose that the meaning for the human race is to survive. Within this group consisting of all human beings, individuals have choices and a degree of freedom (in some societies more than in others) – what we do with that freedom is up to us. To me that freedom means that I should pursue my interests and do what I’m good at, moreover – the responsibility to others requires that I do this. This holds true for everyone.

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