Although Camus argues that there is no meaning in the actions of life, I would have to disagree. Everything that I do means something to me. It may not have an effect on the universe as a whole, but why does that really matter? As long as I'm satisfied with my actions and they have an importance to me, I'd say there's a meaning behind them.
One thing that I do that means a lot to me is learn. Just recently, I have developed a great desire to learn. I'm not sure if I am simply maturing or if its the fact that I am finally taking classes that actually interest me, but I now love to learn. It is meaningful to me because my interaction with people has now changed, and it will help me with my future plans.
My interactions with people are now based around learning from what they have to say. I realize that everyone has a different opinions on different topics of life, an I love listening to those different opinions. Although I do not agree with many opinions I come across and I also have my own core values, I still like to expose myself to different ways if thinking. This has helped me strengthen my relationships with many people and will help me continue to learn about the world in a broad sense.
I also have future plans I becoming a pediatrician. I realize that there is a lot of schooling that comes along with this goal, and because I've opened up to learning, the experience will be a positive one. I cannot wait to learn all about humans and then use that information to help others. Just thinking about it makes me giddy.
Because learning has and will continue to help me throughout my life, it means a whole lot to me. Relevance to ones life equals meaning. I agree with Camus on the fact that we, as humans, will probably contribute nothing to the universe by ourselves, but I believe that meaning still exists. Meaning is one of the most subjective terms though. This is because it differs between every person you chat with, as it should. Nobody leads the same life, making it inevitable that different things will hold a different importance in different people's lives.
Good answer to a hard question. We as humans pride ourselves so much on individuality, it kind of makes me wonder why we spend so much times trying to ask and answer such broad questions. Two different perspectives, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with you. The meaning of your life is based on what you make it to be not on what society tells you is "normal."
ReplyDeleteI have been going through the same process of maturation that you describe in this post: I am developing more and more of a thirst for learning. As I discover potential in myself that I never thought was there, I want to do more and more with it. I think that is awesome and wish you luck with your personal journey. Also, just like you, I've come to find that every single person has some aspect to their experience that could be valuable to me. Different perspectives matter.
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