quote:
Define "true purpose".
In response, an essay I wrote this year in a French language/history/philosophy class at my high school on existentialism, and a very famous existentialist book "The Little Prince", this post is probably hit or miss.
What Gives Value and Meaning to Things?
**** We are born into a world that we know nothing about, that is a mystery to us. We know only from what others have told us. We have no known purpose, and our lives fulfill no known meaning. We are, and that is all. We can think and understand and communicate, we can fulfill roles within society, we have free will, and we can do whatever a human being can do.
But what gives value and meaning to what we decide to do is through every choice that we make. We decide what our purpose is. We make our destiny, we determine our fate. We give our lives purpose. As we are in what Albert Camus said this "absurd abyss of existence".
The characters in the Petite Prince represented all of the men on Earth. Some become businessmen, and spend their lives gaining wealth. This gives them purpose, but only in a superficial way, it is ultimately a meaningless existence because what one can gain in material wealth is gone when we die.
Some give their lives meaning by studying the planet, the geographer, but is again meaningless because of the lack of anything important in the numbers and measurements of the Earth, that too is only temporary. Because when we die nothing will remain besides our spirit and God.
The man who studies mathematics is similarly leading a life without true purpose. Because the laws of the Earth, and measuring tools and numbers devised will not be important at death. This is a purpose of sophistication, and genius, but no genius would spend time discussing mathematical values, true genius' have discovered why we are here, and how we got here, the meaning of life. Those who seek truth, seek answers to questions that of which the scientists and mathematicians can only give up and reply that they are dealing with matters of consequence.
Most humans deal with matters of consequence, most humans do not give thought to what is really important or true, most "go with the flow", and live lives simply to live, and become a part of a system that they blindly accept called society, and take jobs to be accepted, and make money to be "happy", but happiness has nothing to do with money, happiness is when the Buddha smiled into the river, and transcended what was real. That is true happiness, but most humans/adults may laugh at truth, and they may simply walk away thinking about tomorrow, or their job.
The Tippler is a strange character who is harder to see within daily life. He drinks to forget that he is ashamed of drinking. It is a sad state, and I do not know many tipplers. But I think that the point Exuperie was trying to make was that people are so saddened by this world and lacking a definable purpose, and being born into something they know nothing about, that they try to forget it, and they spend their lives living as the tippler. Almost denying purpose, and denying life because it saddens them. This is the person that I think the tippler represents. One who tragically tries to forget that he is alive. This is not a viable purpose, because one cannot live as a tippler and have purpose, or do anything good for anyone.
The lamplighter was a landmark character, because the lamplighter was the first person that fulfilled a purpose that pleased the Prince, and was not selfish, was not meaningless. Because it served a righteous cause. He lived for others, and he lived to serve. The Prince called it "beautiful".
But believing in something, and giving a purpose to one's life through actions and choices is not the only way one can give life meaning. As in the story, the fox meeting the Prince shows another correlation to the question. That our relationships as humans are vastly important, and that these instances that go beyond everyday interaction, to heartfelt love for one another, true friendship, gives meaning and fulfillment in life. As the fox was tamed we are tamed by everyone who has ever become a friend to you. The Prince took the time to care for the flower and although there are millions of flowers that were identical, she is important and unique and special to him because she is one in all the world that loved him, and who he loved. Just as the rose is a million times the same, so are we, we are 1 in 6 billion, the only way to be truly special is to be tamed. And that is so amazing.
So the question is why would God create us if we are seemingly in an absurd abyss, and we don't know why, I have a feeling that is has a lot to do with the relationships that we have, and the purpose and value that we as individuals can give to our lives. Life is not without meaning, and every single one of us determines that. *****
And for the guitar part. I want to be like Hendrix or Frusciante, that sums it up. California would be the place to go from what I've read.
Edited by AdminAsgara, : edited name out at owner's request
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