So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:17
These words are said to be those of Solomon. Perhaps one of the richest kings ever to live on earth. He had everything you could have in that time of his life. And he was said to be wise. Perhaps that is why he undertakes the subject of meaning and happiness. Finding meaning in our modern world can be a challenge. I am referring to those who look for the meaning to be given by some outside agent. Currently we believe the world to be a product of 14 billion years of expansion that began with a "big bang". The fact that our awareness occurred was the result of a very unlikely series of events that, given the dimension and longevity of the universe, was perhaps inevitable. Inevitable, but not a particularly noteworthy event (except for us as individuals). The concept of our lives being this "inexorable eventuality of matter" leaves us inhabitants of a cosmos that is hostile and lonely. No being to nurture or care for us. We are left only with ourselves. A "family of man" with a particular bent for self-destruction. Although people like Carl Sagan believed that the myriad stars had planets on some of which thinking life arose, we could in fact be the only ones! And there is no brotherhood for us with our fellow creatures. We can quickly become a meal for a larger carnivore or even more quickly succumb to a tiny virus or bacteria. People say we are the Universe becoming aware of itself. This teleology is untrue. There is no awareness driving toward a creature like man. The Universe simply obeys predictable laws like gravity or magnetism. So if we are looking beyond ourselves for this meaning of our lives, I believe we won't find anyone there to reply. So that leaves ourselves or one-another. In a violent world, perhaps we should give ourselves meaning. So is life meaningless? Only if you say so.
What about happiness. To borrow a sentence from a book I read once but don't recall its title to give the author credit, if you took the universe and ground it up and sifted it you could not find one particle of happiness. Happiness isn't a thing. It resides in our minds. "I think, therefore I am". Can it be that simple? Well, YEAH! Why not? So how do you get happiness? First of all, happiness is an emotion. By definition, an emotion can't last all the time. Why? Synapses tire. Same reason you can't hold a weight at arms length all day. Emotions arise from the objects of our attention. Happiness fades when we allow emotions to arise which are its antithesis. You know, like fear, anger, worry, and so on. Somethings can be counted on to generate happy feelings. Others not so. Sometimes happiness arises from a complex set of circumstances. And then there is that old law of diminishing utility. The first few burgers when we are really hungry are great. But as we fill up, they become less appealing until we wouldn't care for another bite no matter that they were delicious. So to be happy what do you do. Firstly, acknowledge that happiness is temporary but find that which gives rise to happiness and innoculate as often as we can. At the same time realize that unhappy feelings share the same attributes of being shortlived and being driven by exposure to emotional triggers.
Easier said than done, huh!
These words are said to be those of Solomon. Perhaps one of the richest kings ever to live on earth. He had everything you could have in that time of his life. And he was said to be wise. Perhaps that is why he undertakes the subject of meaning and happiness. Finding meaning in our modern world can be a challenge. I am referring to those who look for the meaning to be given by some outside agent. Currently we believe the world to be a product of 14 billion years of expansion that began with a "big bang". The fact that our awareness occurred was the result of a very unlikely series of events that, given the dimension and longevity of the universe, was perhaps inevitable. Inevitable, but not a particularly noteworthy event (except for us as individuals). The concept of our lives being this "inexorable eventuality of matter" leaves us inhabitants of a cosmos that is hostile and lonely. No being to nurture or care for us. We are left only with ourselves. A "family of man" with a particular bent for self-destruction. Although people like Carl Sagan believed that the myriad stars had planets on some of which thinking life arose, we could in fact be the only ones! And there is no brotherhood for us with our fellow creatures. We can quickly become a meal for a larger carnivore or even more quickly succumb to a tiny virus or bacteria. People say we are the Universe becoming aware of itself. This teleology is untrue. There is no awareness driving toward a creature like man. The Universe simply obeys predictable laws like gravity or magnetism. So if we are looking beyond ourselves for this meaning of our lives, I believe we won't find anyone there to reply. So that leaves ourselves or one-another. In a violent world, perhaps we should give ourselves meaning. So is life meaningless? Only if you say so.
What about happiness. To borrow a sentence from a book I read once but don't recall its title to give the author credit, if you took the universe and ground it up and sifted it you could not find one particle of happiness. Happiness isn't a thing. It resides in our minds. "I think, therefore I am". Can it be that simple? Well, YEAH! Why not? So how do you get happiness? First of all, happiness is an emotion. By definition, an emotion can't last all the time. Why? Synapses tire. Same reason you can't hold a weight at arms length all day. Emotions arise from the objects of our attention. Happiness fades when we allow emotions to arise which are its antithesis. You know, like fear, anger, worry, and so on. Somethings can be counted on to generate happy feelings. Others not so. Sometimes happiness arises from a complex set of circumstances. And then there is that old law of diminishing utility. The first few burgers when we are really hungry are great. But as we fill up, they become less appealing until we wouldn't care for another bite no matter that they were delicious. So to be happy what do you do. Firstly, acknowledge that happiness is temporary but find that which gives rise to happiness and innoculate as often as we can. At the same time realize that unhappy feelings share the same attributes of being shortlived and being driven by exposure to emotional triggers.
Easier said than done, huh!