deepstash
Beta
The Meaning of Life in 15 Wise Quotes
“Life is meant to be fun, and joyous and fulfilling. May each of yours be that.”
Jim Henson
124 SAVES
SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
8
Key Ideas
The Meaning Of Meaning
The meaning of life generally means the relevance, significance or value of the same.
The quest for meaning is not a simple one, but a rabbit’s hole of further queries, making the concept of ‘meaning’ confusing even for positive psychologists.
Terrestrial Vs Cosmic Meaning
The question of meaning can be applied both to the individual (Terrestrial) and the world (Cosmic).
- Terrestrial meaning tries to offer an answer to the question of the meaning of one’s own life.
- Cosmic meaning delves into life in general, with religious and spiritual dimensions, looking at the macro-view.
"A Meaning" Vs "The Meaning"
- ‘A’ Meaning is the fluid, ever-present and ongoing mechanisms of cognition, behaviour and life-cycles.
- ‘The’ Meaning, on the other hand, is concerned with the integrated reference point inside the individual, helping him or her navigate life.
4
Key Ideas
We don’t ask big questions
Big questions referring to is the meaning of life matter deeply because only with sound answers to them we can direct our energies meaningfully, but most of us get shy expressing them. - Alain de Botton
Philosophy = thinking for yourself
Philosophers are interested in asking whether an idea is logical–rather than simply assuming it must be right because it is popular and long-established. - Alain de Botton
Philosophers were the first therapists
Philosophers teach us to think about our emotions, rather than simply have them. By understanding and analysing our feelings, we learn to see how emotions impact on our behaviour in unexpected, counterintuitive and sometimes dangerous ways. - Alain de Botton
7
Key Ideas
"Society tames the wolf into a dog. And man is the most domesticated animal of all."
Friedrich Nietzsche
Depression in the era of infinite possibilities
Although we are currently experiencing the highest living standards in the history of mankind:
- Depression rates are constantly rising in the US since the mid-1930s.
- Approximately 40 million American adults are dealing with anxiety disorder.
- Over 600,000 children of 5 and under are on some type of psychiatric drug in the US.
Depression and anxiety
According to the existential psychologist, Rollo May:
- “Depression is the inability to construct a future.”
- "Anxiety comes from "not being able to know the world you’re in, not being able to orient yourself in your own existence.”