The Meaning of Life is Happiness
Human beings will always continue living lives with various wants. To be happy, people have to identify something that meets their needs and enable them to have a happy life. Generally, some of the things that people need to be happy include good relations and better interactions with friends and family members. Meeting the needs of an individual will also make the person see a meaning in life since the needs of the individual have been fulfilled. Various scholars and philosophers have identified different concepts on the issues that show that the meaning of life is happiness. While comparing and contrasting Swenson and Schopenhauer’s ideas on the meaning of life, I find that Swenson presents a better argument of what life means and the things that an individual needs to be happy. Swenson, in his article, the Dignity of Human Life, he argues that happiness in human life depends on the present, past, and future.
Swenson argues that for people to prepare themselves for the present life, it is important that the young get training on life issues and acquire special skills which will help them and other people. Moreover, Swenson observes that they need something more, which he calls “a view of life.” (Swenson 23). In his explanation, he asserts that one does not acquire the view of life by getting a formal education. The view of life comes as a result of getting self-knowledge and subjective conviction. It is that part of knowledge that enables an individual to answer difficult life questions.
In his article, Swenson denotes that all people want to achieve happiness, and he considers those that are not as people who have “failed to realize humanity.” (Swenson 24). Nevertheless, for people who think happiness is not just a moment of feeling good and enjoying a situation, it is rather something deep. Ultimate happiness in life requires that it is intertwined with a sense of meaning for life. There are some difficult questions that one gets in life, such as what is the long-lasting happiness that one desires? In answering this question, Swenson looks at the idea that Aristotle presents on happiness. He identifies that Aristotle asserts that happiness comprises of having good things that most people desire in life. Some of the things include having good friends, having leisure activities, and having a lot of wealth.
Swenson critics the items that Aristotle considers sources of happiness in life. There are so many desires in life, and sometimes people are happy without fulfilling all those desires. Secondly, Swenson observes that people are captive of needs that are not independent that also depend on other things in the world that no one takes control over (Swenson 26). Therefore, failing to fulfill life desires makes individuals despair in life and fail to get happiness. Additionally, Swenson observes that most of the desires do not have an intrinsic value. Some items, such as good health and beauty, are relative and do not have a specific measure. On the other hand, other items such as money and power requirements that one must know how to use them. Without knowledge, having these items may not result in the happiness of an individual.
Schopenhauer takes a different approach to assess the meaning and happiness of life. In his assertions, he says that “unless suffering is the direct and immediate object of life, our existence must entirely fail of its aim.” (Schopenhauer 391) He continues to argue that the pain existing around the world originates from the needs and necessities of life. He, therefore, says that happiness and fulfillment point towards some form of satisfaction and happiness in life. However, he adds that at the end of the pleasure, one will have to experience some form of pain. Schopenhauer observes that the universe has many horrific sufferings with meaningless cycles of creation. Things such as explosions and implosions keep occurring without a specific reason. And therefore, suffering and misfortune are some of the general rules in life. His idea contradicts that of many philosophers as he proceeds to argue that evil is something real where good refers to a situation in which there is no evil. Using this perspective, one can observe that happiness implies to some state of unhappiness. Schopenhauer also observes that pleasure is not pleasant as people expect it to be, and pain is worse than what people imagine.
Schopenhauer asserts that pleasure does not overweigh pain. He asks people to compare the feelings of two animals, where one is eating the other animal. He continues to argue that “we are like lamps in the field”; therefore, like lamps, the butcher looks at all lamps, and henceforth, he can choose any that he likes and, in another day, he chooses another (Schopenhauer 393). Therefore, in good times of life, people become unaware of the evil that exists. There are things that fate may have in store for people such as sickness or poverty. Schopenhauer proceeds to give clear images that indicate the reality of human suffering. Time keeps moving, and people keep working and suffering even if all their desires are fulfilled. He offers other examples that make him feel that there is no meaning in life. In another example, he says that if people were friends during their youthful days and then later meet in life at their old age, they will be disappointed by the sight of one another since life had promised them so much yet delivered so little (Schopenhauer 393). And, therefore, indicating the hatred that exists in the meaning of life.
Schopenhauer continues to argue that animals appear to be happier as compared to human beings because he says that happiness is just the absence of pain. Focusing on this argument indicates that the main defining factor for happiness in both animals and human beings exists in pleasure and pain. Pleasure comes when one fulfills the basic needs and desires, such as shelter, love, and food (Schopenhauer 394). He observes that people are more sensitive to pain and pleasure as compared to animals. Nevertheless, people have more passion for the things that they desire. Passion in people develops as a result of their ability to look into the past and future and compare the experiences of both times.
Consequently, human beings attempt to enhance their level of happiness by looking for luxurious things and things that give them honor and praise. When comparing people with animals, he finds out that animals are more content with just a normal existence of the present times. Although they suffer, they are not in constant motion to look for various things that bring happiness in life.
It is quite complex to find the meaning of life and happiness while assessing the ideas of the two philosophers. Other philosophers have also contributed some ideas on what they think is the meaning of life. Asking a question of whether one has a meaningful life and whether he has a happy life is different. An individual might have a meaningful but unhappy life. Although few people have assessed to find out if there exists the real meaning of life, their inability to find the reality of life shows that it does not exist. Therefore, the issue of life has various overlapping concepts and ideas with some level of similarity (Metz 22). Hence when people speak about the meaning of life, they may be referring to one or more aspects of life. It infers that there exist some conditions and not just one, which helps to bring some meaning to life.
In conclusion, Swenson appears to have made a reasonable argument on the meaning of life as he focuses on the ethical considerations in discovering the infinite worth of an individual although human beings cannot create meaning themselves as they have to depend on derivatives such as gods, his argument that people can discover the meaning in life through surrendering their will to the gods. The moral realization that all people are human and the ability to identify the meaning in life will enable them to get dignity as they find happiness in the meaning of life.
Works cited
Metz, T., 2012, “The Meaningful and Worthwhile: Clarifying the Relationships,” The philosophical Forum, 43: 435-48
Schopenhauer, Arthur. “On the Sufferings of the World.” Life, death & meaning: Key philosophical readings on the big questions (2004): 393-402.
Swenson, D. A. V. I. D. “The dignity of human life.” repr. in The Meaning of Life 2 (1949): 21-30.