Wis KojohnjaratkulJanuary 12, 2015

From Eleanor Roosevelt, politician, diplomat, and activist: “The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

From Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist, lecturer, and poet: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

Dear Mr./Ms. ________________________:

Life is intriguing. The very nature of human thought and the nebulous purpose that life serves both carry unprecedented philosophical value. The purpose for which we live is a profound conception that affects our every imaginable sphere of life. I, my reclusive philosophical self, have developed a peculiar curiosity over these abstract musings. In my world devoid of vibrancy, solitude has guided me to the sanctuary of existential contemplation. Filled with boredom and tormented by the harsh reality, I often find myself reclining to the comfort of ambiguity that is so intrinsic to philosophy. Perhaps due solely to the monotony of my own perception of life, I’ve pondered time and time again: “for what purpose do we live?” Even today, I have dismally failed to conjure a substantive answer; however, I’m starting to abandon the notion of a unitary truth in favor of an ambiguous one.

Throughout my life, my worldview, perspective, and philosophy have drastically transformed. As a child, I never knew what I wanted to do, what I enjoyed doing, or even what I lived for, yet as any innocent child did, I still naively enjoyed the momentary happiness of everyday life and continued living with genuine smiles on my face. As the harsh reality continually pressed in on me, I grew exceedingly cynical and apathetic to the nonsense of everyday life—a disposition contrary to my past cheerfulness. My strident optimism abruptly faded as I began to acknowledge my own fallibility, lacking capabilities, and dwindling hope. As such, life began to take on new, bleaker meaning with bleaker perspectives and bleaker purposes. In my monotonous reality, the very purpose of life and my former optimistic perception of everyday events grew dim and gradually diminished. Nevertheless, it is in this state of absolute despair that I began to adopt a broader vision of the world. This journey towards enlightenment was refined through my experiences in English class, especially through reading the novel, The Stranger, and being able to witness firsthand the uniqueness of human individuals and their views through discussions concerning morality and philosophy.

Wis KojohnjaratkulJanuary 12, 2015

My strict adherence to cynical beliefs began to falter as I started to experience changes to my immediate perception of the world surrounding me. Some say the only thing certain about the future is uncertainty. From my former vision, everything was uncertain except for a human being’s intrinsic greed and selfishness. To me, the notion of success was associated with fame, wealth, and power. Life was simply a linear progression that required one to slaughter and trample upon the sympathetic sentiments of others. Success was defined—and life’s purpose embodied it.

As I carefully observed our discussion on morality and philosophy, I witnessed remarkable uniqueness in people’s responses, which prompted me to question my unyielding beliefs. The Stranger provided the tipping point for this development as I had felt an uncanny feeling of resemblance and sympathy towards the apathy and “strangeness” exhibited by the protagonist. I began to question the integrity of absolute right and wrong and began to explore the very essences of morality. Through this extensive introspective journey, I’ve come to truly appreciate the uniqueness and variability that is intrinsic to each individual and his/her pursuit of life.

The human individual is intriguing due each one’s remarkable complexity. Both the physical and metaphysical conceptions of human life display an unparalleled level of intricacy deriving from each person’s varying mentality, aspirations, and attitude. Yet, humans are fundamentally predictable, calculable, and obvious—oftentimes adhering to a strict sense of logic and rational thought that is fairly consistent with societal expectations. However, whereas in some areas, human apply logic, for others, there appears an apparent lack thereof. In greed, humans exhibit uncultured barbarism, and in love, humans exhibit a peculiar variation of irrationality. In similar manner, all humans are different in their perception and reaction to events. Their way of life and conscious attitude is shaped by their experiences, inherent disposition, and perceived purpose: the things one holds dear, the manner in which one perceives the world and chooses to interact with it, along with the desires one has collectively produce a vibrant and unique personality. Some desire great wealth while others contrarily express philanthropic tendencies and arguably “naive” visions. Some are religious while others are not. Some are optimistic while others are pessimistic. And some are weak while others are strong. These varying ways of life each have benefits and drawbacks—each often being criticized by those who support the other. As such, people often covet this notion of a fundamental purpose and strive to live the “optimal” way of life.

To answer my original question of life’s purpose I do so with great ambiguity—that a defined unitary purpose ceases to exist and instead in its place is a variable, evolving, and even arbitrary purpose. Purpose is not a divine or static destiny—in fact, I perceive it to be both arbitrary and dynamic. Purpose is something we make of it—a human construct that varies from individual to individual depending on time, place, manner and circumstance. It is this explicit purpose in which the way people live their lives vary and it is this purpose for which life continues to propagate.

Life has no meaning until you give it one. Life can be meaningful, yet life can also be meaningless. Life can be grand, or life can be humble. Life is fundamentally empty, what you decide to do with life provides it with value and the purpose towards which you strive defines its direction.

Thank you for taking your time to read this,

Wis Kojohnjaratkul

Instructions:1. On the blog page you created write a response to this simple question: “For what reason do you live?” Be sure to give it some thought!

P.S.: Don’t forget to live life to its fullest; however, don’t forget to make good use out of it either—whatever that may mean for you.