Life of Meaning Vs. a Life of Happiness

LadyLuck · 08-20-2007, 10:40 PM

Ah! I'm so psyched at the addition of the philosophy section (it's new to me because i haven't posted in so long hehe). ANYWAY, so in an episode of Heroes they said this really cool quote that got me thinking...

"A Life of meaning requires one to live in the past and obsess about the future, while a life of happiness requires one to live the present."

So I was just wondering what yall's response to this might be! Here's Mine (ya ok, sorry I sorta wrote an essay...oh well!):

This assertion is based around two ideas, happiness and a life of meaning, and the theory that they cannot coexist. However, these terms are so flexible, that I believe such a statement impossible.

Happiness is a word with numerous forms. Most commonly, it appears as brief moments that elate us. Instances in which, we are not concerned with things of importance in the grand scheme of life, we are not concerned about the future, and we are, in deed, consumed in the present. However, I also believe this is the weakest version of happiness. Happiness can also be a pretense, in which we create an illusion that we are content with our life; we manipulate reality to fit our needs, the need to be happy. This mirage can seem so valid, because we trick ourselves into believing we truly are satisfied. In actuality this is a substitute for happiness, we take out the sugar and replace it with splenda, it still tastes sweet, and so we call it happiness. We like to make the best of things, we like to settle, and therefore we choose false joy over genuine misery. Happiness, I believe, in its true form is the product of choosing a life of meaning.

A life of meaning, to me, is determining what your purpose is, striving for it, and living with the fulfillment of reaching that purpose. It does not always lead to fame, wealth, prestige, and it does not always have an immense impact on the world. However, it allows a person to feel like their existence has led them to a better understanding of the world, and it allows them to feel accomplished in an independent way.

I believe time, and our use of time, has a great role in determining how happy and meaningful our lives will be. Each tense has a purpose, and I believe if the importance of any of these tenses is over looked, we miss out on certain aspects of life.

The past is where we learn, it is a library of our compiled experiences and memories, it allows us to reflect, and altogether shape our reality. As we age, our library grows, and we have the potential to continue learning from new and old material that enhances our reference section. The past can however become an obstacle. There will always be books in our library we are not fond of; it is when we become enthralled in these books, that the past torments us. However, we forget that we are the librarians, and we keep the books in order, the past is only stifling if we are ensnared by it.

The present is where we encounter new things to add to the library, and also where we contemplate about these new things. The present is where we live, where we love, where we adventure, where we struggle, and where we die. Our obsession of a different tense, does not stop time, but rather misuses it. However, if we become obsessed with the present, we live for pleasure rather than destination.

The future is where we dream, our plan, where we strive to go. The future is our purpose. If we obsess about the future, we never have the means to get there.

The tenses are dependant on each other. Without a purpose, we have no where to go, no meaning, and therefore no happiness. Without initiation, we have no way to reach our purpose, no way to obtain a meaning, and therefore no way to obtain happiness. Without references, we have no way to learn, no way to determine what our purpose is, and therefore no way to determine what happiness is.

Og · 08-21-2007, 06:43 AM

I think the point is neither to be attached to the past or future and not to renounce it either. This is the essence of buddhist detachment. Renouncing a thing ties you to it (i.e. as a preist is tied to things like prostitution and sin). The point is to not be thrown about by fears and desires or regrets.

duck · 08-21-2007, 08:24 AM

Not sure this is on the topic you are looking for, but I find a great deal of meaning in happiness. More esoteric thoughts just don't really work for me here.

*shrugs*

**Skepticologist** · 08-21-2007, 08:58 PM

In my experience, a life of purpose can lead to a great deal of happiness. The problem is that a lot of people equate happiness wtih pleasure, which can lead to only a transient form of happiness.

I equate purpose with true happiness, and I believe true happiness comes only with getting outside yourself and becoming committed to the well-being of others.

Gettin' In Tune · 08-21-2007, 10:00 PM

Skepticologist, your statement reminded me of Mill

Quote:

Mill offers the famous judgment that "it is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied." Basically Mill contends that a highly cultured person is a happier person, a person who gets more pleasure out of life than an airhead--even if such a person experiences a great deal of frustration and dissatisfaction as a result of being educated and cultured.

Sources: http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/Mill.htm

Second chapter in Mill's book Utilitarianism

LadyLuck · 08-21-2007, 10:24 PM

HEY! i like that! =D

Kham · 08-21-2007, 11:28 PM

Quote:

A Life of meaning requires one to live in the past and obsess about the future, while a life of happiness requires one to live the present.

Life has meaning for those who give it meaning; and I wonder how anyone can reduce the sum of those different meanings to "liv[ing] in the past and obsess[ing] about the future."

**Skepticologist** · 08-22-2007, 04:23 PM

Since I was first exposed to it, I've gone back often to Abraham Maslow's model, "The Hierarchy of Human Needs" as a context for putting things in perspective. Without expanding on the five levels of needs, they are, in order, survival, security, socialization, self-esteem and self-actualization.

Having been privileged to have been born a U.S. citizen and, having achieved, or at least being on track to achieve, most of the goals I set for myself, I've pretty much satisfied the first four levels. So I now find myself in the self-actualization phase. I think a lot about how I can make a positive deifference in the lives of others; how I can leave something of lasting value behind when I die.

At age 60, I've come to appreciate the words of King Solomon: "There is nothing new under the sun", and "All is vanity and vexation of spirit". But I don't believe that applies to serving others to the extent that it does to the unsatiated pursuit of pleasure.

langy · 09-30-2007, 01:18 AM

i disagree that a higher cultured person will experience a higher level of happiness. I think that having less culture will lead to greater happiness. For example, if u ask a person when they were most happy, they will probably say something like the first time they did something momentarily, like bunjee jumping, or their first kiss, etc. A more cultured person who has achieved goals they worked long and hard for will feel fulfilled, but not the instant rush of extasy from drugs or sex or adrenaline that requires no deep thought. While the fulfilled persons happiness will last longer, the rush will be a much higher level of happiness.

**Skepticologist** · 09-30-2007, 07:47 PM

The "rush" you refer to has precious little to do with happiness; it has only to do with pleasure. And those are two very different concepts.