Nine What is the meaning of living?
——The final purpose of life
In an era when politics ruled everything, a university professor expressed decadent thoughts. He said, "What's the point of living?" and was therefore criticized. Classified as right wing. What he means is that he doesn't feel any fun in living. But this sentence also contains a bigger question, the most fundamental question in life, what is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of life?
In an earlier era, Hu Shi wrote a book called "Hu Shi Wen Cun". In the first volume, there was an article "What is the purpose of life", which said: Hu Shi had a friend named Chen Ziping is a person who likes to get to the bottom of things. The biggest question in his mind is, why do people live? What is the purpose of life? He was so puzzled that he forgot to eat and sleep, almost to the point of going crazy. He claimed that people called him "madman". He wanted to get the answer from an expert scholar, so he came to the contemporary philosopher Dr. Hu Shi to get a satisfactory answer. Unexpectedly, the doctor gave him a reply that greatly disappointed him, saying, "I don't know why people are alive." The article is not continued, and I don't know what happened to Mr. Chen.
The basic question of what is the purpose of life will arise in the mind of every thoughtful person, especially those who have gone through vicissitudes of life, have seen the world, and are older. "What's the point of living?" can be heard everywhere. But you may say, I think many people live quite interesting lives, they are happy and full of energy, and they are not troubled by this kind of thinking. But if you analyze it carefully, in terms of their motivations, there are only the following types of people: young and ignorant, just starting out, who have not seen the world, do not know the mountains and rivers ahead, and have the illusion of an infinitely bright future. They only instinctively obey the desire to survive and have not yet put the purpose of life on their agenda. Some people are intoxicated and numb in life because of temporary success, and they only care about eating, drinking and having fun in front of them. They say that "there is wine today and you will be drunk today, and you will be worried tomorrow." This kind of person has no ambition in his heart. He is happy for a while and has no time to look back. There are still some people who are blinded by fame and fortune, either because they want to make a fortune or to stay famous forever. There are also people who are driven by fun, and some scientists without profound thoughts mostly fall into this category. However, no matter which category, when things are changing and when you encounter setbacks and frustrations, you still think of this question: "What's the point of living?"
Don't envy those who get promoted and make money, live and drink, and enjoy themselves to the fullest. People, they are actually spiritually empty, without a master, and they are just living in the Spring and Autumn Period. What will be the end of them? Please take a look at some famous sayings left by people who have experienced it: "Water Margin" quotes such idioms: "Everything in the world must have its successes and failures, and every person's prosperity must have its decline"; "A man cannot be good for a thousand days, and a flower cannot be red for a hundred days"; "Too much refreshing food will eventually lead to illness, and too much pleasure will lead to disaster." "The Scholars" also said: "The winds and clouds are scattered, and the talents, talents and beauty are all in vain." Moreover, it is often "extreme joy brings sorrow", which is what we have often experienced. This kind of saying is not only found in China, but also in foreign countries. As the French saying goes: "Those who laugh in the morning cry in the evening." The title of Psalm 73 is: “Their laughter shall turn to weeping, and their joy to sorrow.” Sometimes reality is a blessing but a curse. "Laozi" says: "Misfortune lies at the base of blessing, and blessing lies at the base of misfortune." "Wu Yue Chun Qiu" also says: "The door of good fortune is the gate of misfortune." "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" quoted Cui Qi's poem as saying: "Don't call me noble, God will destroy you; don't rely on always being good, because your appearance will fade; don't be a parent who is always lucky, because you will be late." Historical records say: "Drinking too much will lead to chaos. , extreme happiness leads to sadness, and everything is like this. "What's more, good times don't last long and disappear in a blink of an eye. The talented Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once lamented: "There is so much joy but so much sadness, so young and old!" (Autumn Wind Ci). There are also "Where are the bright eyes and white teeth now?" (Du Fu's poem); "If you don't see the jade ring and the flying swallows (the two beauties) are all dust" (Xin Qiji's poem); "It comes like a spring dream for a long time, and goes like a morning cloud with nowhere to find" (Bai Juyi poetry).
Human happiness does not lie in the happiness of the body. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said: "If happiness lies in the pleasure of the body, then it should be said that the cow is happy when it finds grass to eat. "The ancient Roman scholar Cicero said: "You need to eat in order to live, but you don't live to eat." If people live only to eat, aren't they like pigs and dogs?
In fact, if you cut open the outer skin of those who indulge in pleasure, they will be full of troubles and pain in their bones. Just from the perspective of "the human heart is incompetent and the snake swallows the elephant", they are not satisfied. When you get to Long to look at Shu, you get an inch of your life, but your desires are hard to fill, and you will never be satisfied. What's more, suffering is innate and suffering is inherent. "If you don't have long-term worries, you will have immediate worries." People can't live without suffering. Liang Qichao once said: "The world is not going as planned." (That is, eighty-nine times out of ten). Du Fu once wrote a poem: "How can I grow old when I am young? I have always had so many sorrows and joys." (The compound word "siele" has a partial meaning, but it actually only refers to sadness.) Li Bai even said: "If life is not satisfactory in this world, raising a cup to relieve your sorrow will make you even more sorrowful." Nalan Xingde, a big bureaucrat in the early Qing Dynasty, enjoyed all the glory and wealth, but he said: "Floating life is always like water." The modern French writer Sartre achieved success in his life. He got the happiness of love and career success that ordinary people hope for. . But in his later years, he said: "Life gave me what I wanted, and at the same time it made me realize that it doesn't mean much." Li Yu, the late leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty, summed it up in one sentence: "It's just that life grows and hates water.
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Does a person have happiness when he has power and status? In Chinese history, we often see emperors with outstanding martial arts who met a tragic end; Duke Huan of Qi, the first overlord of the Five Hegemons in the Spring and Autumn Period, showed off his power throughout his life , was abandoned on his deathbed and died of hunger and cold in the cold palace; Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty was forced to hang himself on Meishan; Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty was so sad that he wanted to become a monk because of the loss of his concubine Dong. The Holy Roman Emperor of the West, Charles V. He entered a monastery due to frustration; the arrogant eccentric Napoleon died of depression on the island of St. Helena; his predecessor Louis XVI was guillotined. History is full of tragedies throughout the ages. If you are happy all your life, it will be nothing more than "the passing of a hundred lives is like a lantern in the wind" (Su Shi's poem). This brings us back to the most fundamental question of life: "What's the point of living?" ”
Nowadays, science is extremely developed. Some people say that science can solve all problems. So can science give a satisfactory answer to the purpose of life? We quoted the representative book " The book "Science" says: "For those who ask 'why' they (scientists) follow the scientific method and devote themselves to revealing the laws of nature, no scientist has an answer. "This is: people have not figured out the final purpose of scientific research, let alone the final purpose of life. In fact, the problem of life is not within the scope of natural science, it is a philosophical problem, as Professor Huxley said ’s: “Science is neutral to morality.” A scientist cannot and will not give a correct answer to the purpose of life if he is not also a philosopher. Yes, scientists can deduce from the order of the universe. A god who created it, but here it has been elevated to a philosophical issue, and scientists have been elevated to philosophers. In fact, many great and profound scientists are also great philosophers, including Descartes, Paskar, Einstein, and Plan. He is a scientist and a philosopher. So what is the purpose of life and where to find it? The answer is: "Truth" gives you the "answer" in a few minutes. The answer, I can simplify it to a truth formula:
Science—→Philosophy—→Natural Theology—→Religion
A little explanation: From the harmonious order of the universe (Science ), you can infer that the universe must have a master (philosophy) who created it and managed it; this master must be personal (that is, have reason and will), have infinite truth, goodness, and beauty, and be human at the same time. The Great Parent (natural theology) and human beings are his people, so they should know him, love him, and serve him (religious life). Human beings turn to worship their source and the master of the universe—God, who is the source of humanity and life.
It turns out that religion is nothing but a proper relationship between man and his origin, God, who created him. The infinite existence of the source of all things, the absolute existence, the absolute master, is the root of all goodness and beauty, the great parent of mankind. Everything that mankind has and all the benefits it enjoys come from this heavenly father. It is natural and natural for people to be grateful to their conscience, worship him, respect him, and serve him. Mencius is not a religious person. But he said something like this: “Keep your mind and nourish your nature, so you serve heaven. "(See the chapter "Exerting Heart"). "Book of Rites" quotes Confucius as saying: "Being a benevolent person is like doing things to relatives, and doing things to heaven is like doing things to relatives. "This is a natural expression of gratitude and love for God, and a discovery of conscience. Lu Jiuyuan, a Confucian of the Song Dynasty, once said: "In the world of life, a human being should fulfill his humanity. "It is the way of humanity to treat Heaven as one's relatives. Furthermore, a wise person requires a spiritual life, otherwise his status will be lowered. Only communicating with God and taking God's will as his will is the highest spirituality. Life.
Children who honor their parents must try to please their parents and try to understand their parents’ wishes. A person who respects and loves God must also know more about God’s affairs and His wishes. When you carefully explore the history of human religious thought, you will find that the relationship between God and man does not remain in a loose relationship (the so-called natural religious state), but there is a more intimate direct communication, which is revelation. Religion. Direct revelation and direct leadership from God are beneficial, appropriate and necessary for people. They give us a door to enter, a way to follow, and detailed creeds and precepts to follow. There is a correct religious order to join, and the scattered natural religion can be improved into an order that specifically worships and serves God. This is the reason for the existence of Catholicism - a comprehensive entity of reason and faith.
Catholicism. It points out to you the final purpose of life and the highest goal of life, the meaning of life in this world and the eternal happiness of the next life. Only serving the infinitely great and ever-living God, and therefore serving the people he loves, is the highest and most important. Glorious behavior has eternal value. In this way, we find the final goal, which also gives us endless hope (the meaning of life lies in hope, Dante said: "Our only sorrow is life." There is no hope among desires. "People without hope become a dead tree!" This makes every action and every work of ours have permanent value and permanent meaning. In this way, we will not be unstoppable under any circumstances. Trapped in pessimism and despair, even an old man suffering from an incurable disease and losing all abilities can still do valuable work and still has unlimited hope.
This can be called true optimism with a practical basis! This kind of life is meaningful!