Essay Sample on Leopardi`s Essential Truths About Our Existence

Introduction

Likewise, Leopardi argues that another reason for the unhappiness experienced by man is that he can never be satisfied. Humanity strives to be better through all walks of life, and therefore, as each goal is met, and happiness seems to get closer, there is again a wanting for more. He states that if indeed there was a person who achieved true happiness, they would be worse off than anyone else because there would be nothing else. That is when a man meets a particular goal, he goes ahead to perfect what he has acquired to make it even look better, and it is what keeps the person moving. Therefore in the process, one might end up losing what he or she had achieved leading to a sad life at the end of it. In any case, there is an achievement of more there is joy and happiness among the people who have achieved.

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However having read Leopardi's work on human life, I do not entirely agree with him. This is since he makes some valid points about humanity's inability to ever be truly satisfied with the experience. I do think that we can attain a certain degree of happiness, as life is what you make it, but I agree that we always want more from life. No matter how good we have it, we want more or the next best thing. Therefore, it is difficult, if not impossible for us as human beings to lead fully happy lives.

However, I am a firm believer in seeing both sides of things in all aspects of life, philosophy included. Therefore, I believe it is healthy to acknowledge the pessimistic views that Leopardi holds, and give them thoughtful consideration, but I think that to think only in this way is unhealthy for the human mind. As long as it does not devolve into completely delusional thinking, I believe that "looking at the bright side" is necessary to maintaining our sanity ("Miguel de Unamuno," n.d.). For instance the idea of life being better as an animal than as a human being, I most definitely disagree. I think the prospect of being magically transformed into an animal for a brief period would be insightful and exciting, but to be one for a lifetime would not be better than life as a human. Human life has meaning. The struggles and hardships of life are what make our lives as humans unique.

All animals have struggled in their existence, but we are the ones who are truly conscious of them. This may make things difficult to cope with sometimes when we are faced with the complexity of our existence, but it is what makes us human. To avoid the pain and suffering of life would amount to avoiding what it means to be human. It may sound cliche, but I believe that without pain, there is no pleasure or gain. If life was always pleasant and comfortable, we would not only never appreciate how good it was but also never find joy in it. The lows and struggles in life are what make the highs so beautiful after achieving our dreams. That is an individual has to struggle to attain an absolute success, but on the verge of completing it he or she finds it easy to relax and look at what he or she has achieved finally getting to appreciated his or herself.

From what one has learned from Leopardi regarding essential truths about our existence, one can, therefore, conclude that these truths are not the only truths about human life. Life to some extent is full of good and bad experiences that one at some point is likely to experience either. As humans, we have to do what we think is best for us to acquire high achievement, while at the same time acknowledging the darker side of things along the way that may hinder us from reaching the point we are aiming. One should however not forget the more mysterious side he or she experiences and how to conquer them. In doing this, one can lead a life worth living.

References

Miguel de Unamuno. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Miguel-de-Unamuno

De Unamuno, M. (2005, January 5). The Project Gutenberg eBook of TRAGIC SENSE OF LIFE, by MIGUEL DE UNAMUNO. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/14636/14636-h/14636-h.htm#III