Have You Truly Lived?
Growing up, I was raised by a very religious family. So naturally, I believed that the ultimate purpose of living was to go to heaven. I did my best to keep praying, avoid committing sins, and do things commonly referred to as “acts of kindness” by numerous individuals. However, as I grew up I started wondering whether my actions are actually selfless and good, or whether they are just selfishly motivated by a will to go to heaven. I started questioning whether I actually loved what people refer to as “the ruler and the creator of this universe”, or whether I was just afraid of getting punished and sent to hell. So eventually, I began to ask myself “if my religion and beliefs were not the actual truths to life, do I have any purpose in living in this world and will I ever truly live in a world without any meaning?” Thankfully, many philosophers have already discussed this subject, way before I even asked the purpose of my existence. However, after reading some of their arguments, I was convinced that if religion was a lie, I have not truly lived my life yet. Because I have not completely given up my rationality to fully believe in the existence of God, absolutely surpassed the traditional rules of morality, nor give my own meaning and purpose of my existence, I am certain that I have not truly lived my life.
According to PHILO-notes (2020), Soren Kierkegaard argues that a person can only live a meaningful life when they have realized themselves and taken the leap of faith. One could achieve this through the three stages of life, namely the Aesthetic stage, the Ethical stage, and the Religious stage (PHILO-notes, 2020). The Aesthetic stage refers to the stage where an individual focuses on maximizing their pleasures (PHILO-notes, 2020). This can be beneficial for satisfying one’s physiological needs. However, it will eventually result in boredom, because one’s desires can never be fulfilled (PHILO-notes, 2020). Thus, an aesthetic individual will forever be a slave to their desires, unless they choose to move on to the next stage (PHILO-notes, 2020). The following stage, the Ethical stage, touches on the stage in life where one commits to society’s moral ideals and carries out their duties in society (PHILO-notes, 2020). Moreover, an individual in this stage considers the effects of their actions on others (PHILO-notes, 2020). Therefore, once they do something wrong and unethical, which they inevitably will, they feel an immense amount of guilt and despair (PHILO-notes, 2020). Consequently, it shows the individual that they have to change something to live a much better life (PHILO-notes, 2020). So, they can either try to be better at avoiding unethical actions, or they can decide to proceed to the final stage, the Religious stage (PHILO-notes, 2020). The Religious stage focuses on sacrificing your rationality and morality and taking what Kierkegaard calls “the leap of faith” (PHILO-notes, 2020). Kierkegaard argued that religion’s absurdity is what provides its value (PHILO-notes, 2020). Furthermore, he refers to the act of making irrational decisions as “the leap of faith” because it is when a decision was chosen because of one’s faith (PHILO-notes, 2020). But, Kierkegaard states that this decision must be based on one’s conscious decision rather than the effect of conforming to a belief (PHILO-notes, 2020). Thus, Kierkegaard claims that by being more of an authentic individual through conscious decisions and full self-awareness before God, one can truly live and be fulfilled with their life (PHILO-notes, 2020). As Kierkegaard said “To have faith is precisely to lose one’s mind so as to win God” (1849, as cited in Lib Quotes, n.d.).
Betancourt (2021) claims that Friedrich Nietzsche introduced the concept of the “Superman”. The Superman refers to a person who went above the traditional concept of morality by loving their destiny. Therefore, a Superman is a person who welcomes any event that they encounter in their life, whether or not it causes them pain and suffering (Betancourt, 2021). Additionally, a Superman creates a new system for their values instead of following the long-established rules for morality (Betancourt, 2021). Nietzsche argues that the common rules for what is right and what is wrong is outdated (Betancourt, 2021). He claims that we should not abide by any universal rules on morality (Betancourt, 2021). Instead, we should attempt to become a Superman, a being who transcends ethics, morals, and rationality, because the values that we follow only exist among us humans (Betancourt, 2021). So, through our own actions, we can create our own values (Betancourt, 2021). Furthermore, Nietzsche claims that because of the belief of God and religion, numerous individuals believe in ethics and morality that are impossible to justify (Betancourt, 2021). Thus, by believing that “God is dead”, we can put an end to the common notions about morality and ethics (Betancourt, 2021). Additionally, Neitzsche believes that by not following any religion, we can live a peaceful life because we are not enslaved by their consequences (Betancourt, 2021). Therefore, by overthrowing the traditional moral system, we can live a more meaningful life because we do not serve a higher purpose, but serve a purpose for our own life instead (Betancourt, 2021).
Albert Camus’ idea about the purpose of our lives focuses on the belief that our lives are meaningless (Einzelgänger, 2020). He states that unless you become irrational, for instance by believing in the afterlife, your life does not really have any meaning (Einzelgänger, 2020). To illustrate, according to Camus, the world does not treat anyone differently (Einzelgänger, 2020). So, no one is more valuable than others, and at the same time, no one has any value given by this world. Therefore, we exist with no purpose in life, even if we desperately seek the meaning in our lives (Einzelgänger, 2020). Thus, Camus refers to this as “The Absurd” (Einzelgänger, 2020). Humans naturally look for the point of living, the essence of being born into this meaningless world, and the purpose of their existence (Einzelgänger, 2020). But, the universe does not give them an answer because their existence does not have any known purpose. However, Camus argues that this is not necessarily bad for us (Einzelgänger, 2020). He states that we should view this as an opportunity and a chance to define the purpose of our existence rather than viewing it as a source of our misery (Einzelgänger, 2020). Moreover, Camus believes that since the world does not have any given rules and purpose, we should take this as a chance to fully live our lives freely (Einzelgänger, 2020). Furthermore, by living and giving your own meaning to life, you rebel against the senseless and meaningless world (Einzelgänger, 2020). Thus, you fight the Absurd and truly live a more meaningful life.
The three philosophers discussed the essence of living through their understanding of one’s way of living their lives. Kierkegaard believes that by taking the leap of faith and consciously making a decision with a full sense of awareness before God, one can truly live a meaningful life. While, Nietzsche thinks that by trying to be a Superman, a being who surpassed the traditional moral system and creates values through their action instead, one can live life that is actually worthwhile. And, Camus believes that by living your life to the fullest and giving it meaning despite it being meaningless, one can have truly lived. Based on these arguments, I can conclude that I have not truly lived yet. I am still around the aesthetic stage and the ethical stage, with regards to Kierkegaard’s stages of life. Moreover, I have not yet surpassed some of the traditional moral systems that I was raised with. So, I am still far away from becoming a Superman. Lastly, I believe that I am not living my life to the fullest. Therefore, I have not truly lived my life yet, but hope to in the future.
References
- Betancourt, A. (2021). Nietzsche’s superman theory: What is it and how does it connect with the modern world? Medium. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://medium.com/bottomline-conversations/nietzsches-superman-theory-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-connect-with-the-modern-world-594ba78c8f54.
- Einzelgänger. (2020). How to live it? [The philosophy of Albert Camus]. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hJZEq61KeM.
- PHILO-notes. (2020) Kierkegaard’s existentialism. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u22wV_E_nQ.
- Lib Quotes. (n.d.) Søren Kierkegaard quote. Retrieved December 9, 2021, from https://libquotes.com/s%C3%B8ren-kierkegaard/quote/lby6p3k.