Essay Sample on Finding Meaning in Life

Introduction

Occasionally, human beings think about their existence. The ability to think about the nature and meaning of human existence is what distinguishes humans from animals. Existential thoughts often bring about feelings of joy and wonder. However, they also bring about feelings of powerlessness and anxiety as individuals struggle to understand their purpose and meaning in life. Philosophers such as Camus and Sartre have previously posited on the meaninglessness of life. Camus, for instance, believes in the absurdity of life and states that death is the only certain event in life. To this regard, the philosopher believes individuals should always be free to take on any activity that brings about satisfaction. Throughout the course of one's life, individuals are expected to make different choices which they have to live with. A wrong decision at any point of one's life could lead to negative consequences for the individual in the future. In the Death of a Salesman, it is evident that the various characters struggle to find meaning in their life. Similarly, in Kafka's A Hunger Artist, the protagonist seems to derive a lot of meaning from his fasting profession. Sartre's The Respectful Prostitute helps illustrate the fact that some people's lives are more meaningful than others. Human beings are constantly searching for meaning, direction and values in life (Blomme & BornebroekTe Lintelo, 2012). Individuals who do not attain any of these aspects live fearful lives and some even resort to suicide. The Respectful Prostitute, A Hunger Artist and the Death of a Salesman help to illustrate the fact that humans harbor a strong desire to lead dedicated and connected lives.

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The Human Need for Meaning

According to Blomme and BornebroekTe Lintelo (2012), human beings do not feel comfortable without recognizable patterns in their lives. They are constantly looking for meaning even in organizations where they work. Organizations too seem to show a preference for 'meaningful' employees. In the Death of a Salesman, for instance, Willy's organization decides to let him go after he is deemed to be of lesser meaning to the organization. Willy Loman had started experiencing problems with his driving which had prompted him to seek a local office job. It is evident that Willy attached a lot of meaning to his job as he opted to commit suicide after he came to the realization that he would not be able to get the local office job he desired. One category of activities which help in providing a sense of purpose in people's life is dedication to a cause (Blomme & BornebroekTe Lintelo, 2012). It may be family, a political party or science. In the case of Willy Loman, it was his job (Miller, 1949). He did not perceive himself as being able to dedicate himself to any other cause other than the job he held. Similarly, in the Hunger Artist, the artist seemed to be dedicated to his fasting profession and he seemed to be intrinsically motivated to live the life he led (Kafka, 2012). Just like Willy Loman, he had dedicated himself to a specific cause without which his life would be rendered meaningless.

In The Respectful Prostitute, Lizzie had dedicated her life to prostitution due to her need and desire for money (Sartre, 1946). Her life was largely meaningless without prostitution and money. In the play, it is also evident that the powerful white majority placed greater meaning on the lives of the white majority compared to that of the African-Americans living in the city. Viktor Frankl, a psychotherapist places the meaningfulness of life in three categories. One of the categories pertains to the meaning which individuals achieve and give to the world. Willy Loman, after coming to the realization that his life had been rendered meaningless, sought to create meaning for one of his sons as he did not want his child to lead a meaningless life. In The Death of a Salesman and The Respectful Prostitute, it is evident that the characters placed a lot of meaning in their financial wellbeing. Lizzie treated Fred so much better after the realization that he was rich. Contrastingly, she was hostile towards the black gentleman who kept on asking for her help. African-Americans were not as economically powerful as their white counterparts and therefore Lizzie understood she could gain anything by associating with the African-American gentleman. To her, life was meaningless without money and the little joys that come with economic empowerment. According to Viktor Frankl, individuals also derive meaning from their various encounters and experiences.

In A Hunger Artist, the protagonist derived satisfaction and purpose from the fasting experience. He constantly sought to prove to the watchers that he had chosen the profession out of his volition but they did not believe him (Kafka, 2012). Their lack of belief was attributed to the fact that they could not comprehend how an individual could be dedicated to such a life as the one lived by the fasting artist. The hunger artist's life lost meaning when individuals started preferring to visit the menagerie as opposed to the artist's cage. The people did not seem to understand and appreciate the art of fasting. He longed for the times when there would be renewed interest in his activities as a fasting artist but that never materialized. A person's mindset affects their outlook on life. The hunger artist's mindset was negatively impacted by the realization that people no longer cared about his fasting practice. It was this realization that led him to give up. He could not also find meaning in any other activity and therefore he gave up on life. The events in the story illustrate the absurdity of life. Scholars such as Schopenhauer hold the view that there is nothing in life worth living for. The scholars' views are similar to those held by other philosophers such as Camus and Sartre who both believe in the meaninglessness of life. However, while these scholars believe in the meaninglessness of life, they still encourage individuals to find joy, pleasure and meaning from various aspects of life.

Freedom and the Meaningfulness of Life

According to Sartre, individuals who lead full lives are those who remain open and free to exploit various aspects of their lives. The philosopher holds the view that life presents one with a variety of opportunities and that no one should limit themselves to a particular profession or activity. Unfortunately, from the three literal works, it is evident that the characters had not opened themselves up to deriving meaning from other aspects of their life. The hunger artist should have considered another profession rather than despair in the same profession. The prostitute's life would have been more meaningful had she chosen to help out the African-American gentleman. Her decision to side with the senator and wrongfully implicate the African-American left her with an unsettled feeling despite the promises and offers that had been made to her. In The Respectful Prostitute, it is evident that religion played a significant role in the society. Fred constantly referred to Lizzie as the "devil" (Sartre, 1946, p. 162). In many contemporary societies, religion helps create meaning to people's lives. Religious individuals, however, tend to close themselves out to new experiences, especially those which may be considered sinful. Due to this self-imposed limitation, these individuals lack the freedom to enjoy and explore other aspects of life. Without religion, these individuals' lives would be rendered meaningless.

In The Respectful Prostitute, it can be argued that the characters lived meaningless lives due to the fact that they did not respect the teachings of the religion they purported to uphold. Fred, the senator and the police work together to convict and persecute a man who had been wrongfully implicated for a crime. In the play, the senator and the town people seemed to propagate the notion that African-America lives were less meaningful compared to those of the whites. The meaninglessness of African-American lives was evidenced by the wrongful incarcerations and killings of the African Americans.

Conclusion

A Hunger Artists, The Respectful Prostitute and Death of a Salesman all explore the theme of meaninglessness in a variety of ways. A Hunger Artist helps illustrate Camus and Schopenhauer's philosophies that nothing in life is worth living for. The Respectful Prostitute and Death of a Salesman illustrate how individuals constantly seek to find meaning in religion and material aspects of life. Their focus on religion and material things curtails their freedom to explore various aspects of life and therefore these individuals do not find the true meaning of their lives. According to Camus' and Sartre's philosophies the freedom to enjoy various aspects of life is what makes life worth living. Individuals who lack this freedom cannot be said to be living meaningful lives.

References

Blomme, R. J., & BornebroekTe Lintelo, K. (2012). Existentialism and organizational behaviour. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 25(3), 405-421. doi:10.1108/09534811211228120

Kafka, F. (2012). A Hunger Artist. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Miller, A. (1949). Death of A Salesman [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO8q2_SiOQM&t=3s

Sartre, J. P. (1946). The Respectful Prostitute. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203129647