Understand The Reason Of Human Existence In Depth
“Give time, give space to sprout your potential. Awaken the beauty of your heart – the beauty of your spirit. There are infinite possibilities.”
– Amit Ray
Who are we in this world, and what is our place? Philosophers have often pondered upon the idea of our reason for existence. The idea is a reflection of life itself. Since the dawn of time, there has been one apparent reason for matter to exist. To study the reasons behind our existence, we ought to look at the world we live in from a reflective, scientific lens. Our purpose in philosophy is discussed by different philosophies of Aristotle, Aquinas, and Nietzsche. The underlying theme of this article is to dive deeper into the functionality of human existence and the enlightenment of the soul.
Moreover, the question of nihilism is another facet of humanity that is haunting and terrifying. This piece of content concludes with the idea that the good we hold in our hearts remains with us till we die, yet the actions that we initiate in our life are paradoxical and ambiguous. Hence, our lives may be devoid of real meaning, yet human existence is a free-flowing concept.
Aristotle on ‘human function’
Aristotle claims to discover the human good, we must identify the function of a human being. As he indicated, “work” doesn’t mean reason but instead an approach to working, how a thing does what it does. How people do things is by pursuing judicious decisions. Human greatness or bliss isn’t just a consequence of a level-headed decision. The idea here is to know the purpose of our existence through our functions as a species. Often, people say that doing is better than saying, which means that our deeds must reflect our core ideals and vice versa.
According to him, rational, emotional, and social skills go hand-in-hand with ethical virtues (justice, courage, temperance, etc.). However, he rejects Plato’s idea that to attain complete virtue, one must understand what goodness is by studying the sciences, mathematics, and philosophy. To lead a fulfilling life, it is essential to appreciate how such goods as friendship, pleasure, honor, and virtue fit together. It is only through proper upbringing and habits that we will acquire, through applying that general understanding to specific situations, the ability to discern which course of action on any given occasion is most supported by reason.
Kant on ‘greatest good.’
Kant highlights the ‘greatest’ good related to human existence. Human beings have two kinds of intelligence one is emotional, and one is non-emotional or cognitive. The emotive meaning of action is to make something good. Humans hold goodness within their hearts, so the life lived should be spent doing good deeds. Human action is a rational one that holds value and purpose but to what extent does it continue. Is the goodness of human action measurable? Indeed, the science of good tells us about the chemical reactions in our bodies.
Kant likewise guarantees that ethical quality without anyone else can’t move us to play out its necessities. Its thoughts would be “objects of recommendation and reference but not impetuous for resolve and acknowledgment” (A813/B841), assuming the most noteworthy all in all finish of unadulterated explanation were unthinkable.
Also, Kant emphasizes that happiness can only be achieved through ethics, which cannot exist in the world. According to Kant, the ethical community is also responsible for the common good. Therefore, the highest good is impossible in this sensible world; instead, it can only be attained in a supersensible world, to the extent that neither enlightenment nor the highest degree of happiness can be attained. In our empirical world, the highest good should be achievable on earth.
An immanent concept could be described as such a highest good. Thus, the notion of the highest good is transcendental. Moreover, Kant verifies that the advancement of this idea is a deduced important object of our will and indivisibly bound up with the ethical regulation.” On the off chance that this is preposterous, then the ethical regulation is fabulous and coordinated to exhaust fanciful finishes and must hence be bogus.
The vision of St. Thomas Aquinas
According to St. Thomas Aquinas, life is a gift from God to be loved, nurtured, and lived in good charity. Further, he says that humans cannot be self-centered, dominating, or virtuous of the gift of life. Supporters or believers of a god or a religion believe that God is all-loving and makes life possible. Life as we know it belongs to the creation of God, a mystical, incomprehensible force that gives meaning to the purpose of life. Some people believe that God has made us for His divine purpose of experiencing life and living life.
We must be thankful to God for giving us this life and living it to its full potential. Whenever we doubt our purpose in life, we must turn to God. God is the highest form of human vision and accomplishment. Being closer to God is releasing our purpose in life. A purpose is to seek God and be close to God.
In light of the ongoing discussion regarding our purpose of existence, the natural law of self-preservation is special to humanity. Man is a product of the environment, so giving back or doing charity is a way of being good in this world. We must learn to give unconditionally and not harm any human being. Harming, destruction, or disbalance of human life is a negative consequence of the true purpose of our lives.
Evil is the destruction of life because life is so precious. We must learn to value our lives or let them go to waste. We neither own nor control what we do in our lives. The choice is ours. God who gives us life is the one to take it. Moving on to nihilism will help us reach firm ground.
Nietzsche on nihilism
‘Nihilism’ is a word misused and used extensively through periods of self-growth and wisdom. So who is a nihilist? A person who rejects all ideas of God, moral philosophy, human good, and human function of kindness to accept meaninglessness or nothingness as the ultimate existence. According to him, life is without order or a system; it is entirely absurd and holds no higher meaning.
In other words, human life has no meaning or purpose; life is a series of innumerable actions that follow no specific path or a moral compass. He rejects the idea of the meaning behind life and holds that it is devoid of any objective grounds. Nihilism is a theory that gives us a way to discover new ways to think of our existence. Our purpose is what we do in this moment and not in a faraway dream. We live, and that’s it. We die, and that’s it.
His philosophy is rather dark and makes us uncomfortable, believing that everything we do has no meaning. Nihilism is a complex idea that there is no purpose or meaning to our life. Hence, there is no god or that God does not exist. So, we are only left with a pointless existence, and the result of our life is death. Inhumanity, God is worshiped as an idol or a figure of respect.
If humanity itself is pointless, then God is just a figure we imagine to be good and benevolent, but in reality, we are nowhere, and it is only now. Thus, what does it really mean to be human? There is nothing more than life and death. So all we have is the present moment. Each second of our present life is the only factor that makes us who we are. Therefore, in the present moment, our present intention is everything. It is the only reason for our existence.
Conclusion
Our purpose is to understand the origin of the transmutation of matter and spirit. Some people meditate to understand themselves; some take medication. People who have restless imaginations are often troubled by thoughts on our existence, humanity, goodness, and feelings of emptiness and nothingness. To demonstrate, if a mountain is removed from its place, what exists in its place in space. The purpose of human life cannot be understood without having intellect. Our brains have the power to analyze the most complex patterns in our nature. Observance of life on earth is an observation of every tiny detail of our immediate surroundings. Saints who reach enlightenment often reject many notions and ideas or philosophies that people believe in.
The reason is that awareness of humanity is a higher cognitive understanding of the interconnectedness of every small thing to bigger masses of the endless cosmos. To understand our purpose in this lifetime, we must embrace the excellence of our souls. Thus, we exist to acknowledge, honor, and command our life.
Author: Niti Gupta
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