Life has meaning by showing God’s love through service to others needs.
When attempting to answer the question of the meaning of life each person will give a different answer, one that would reflect their age, religious beliefs, personal history and current circumstances. For many the meaning of life can be best described as meeting a person’s basic needs for survival, as observed by Simone Weil. She classified the needs of the body as food, shelter, clothing, and physical security, whereas, the needs of the soul were meaning and value, rooted in freedom of choice (Ambrosio, 2008). On a smaller scale, parents making daily sacrifices in order to care for their families can be equated to the same philosophy and is the view that currently resonates with this writer.
In module one Dr. Ambrosio introduced and developed the images of the hero and the saint. He described heroes as unselfishly living in the pursuit of self-fulfillment and saints as living for others, accepting love from God and man while showing love in return. Heroes overcame their fate and were best represented in Homeric epics of Greek tragedies as the citizen hero. In representing both the hero and the saint one can come closest to deciphering the meaning of life as stated in the thesis. In this writer’s opinion, humans will fall into what the professor called “mutated versions” of a hero or saint (Ambrosio, 2008). For example, many saints in the bible were murderers and thieves who were repentant, converted and forgiven. Through this they became heroes of the Bible and devoted their lives to the love of God. The ways of both were marked with self sacrifice which agrees with this writer’s understanding of the meaning of life.
In module two the central figures s...
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...ber 15). From the Servant General - Servant Leadership. Website of Couples For Christ Foundation, Inc.- District of Pasig. Retrieved November 19, 2011, from http://cfcfflpasig.tripod.com/id53.html
Psalm 16:5 NIV 1984. (2011). Genesis 1 NIV. Retrieved November 19, 2011, from http://niv.scripturetext.com/psalms/16-5.htm
Psalm 16:9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure. (2011).Online Parallel Bible: Weaving God's Word into the Web. Retrieved November 19, 2011, from http://bible.cc/psalms/16-9.htm
Stadler-Jensen, L. (2009, June 10). Søren Kierkegaard on the most important thing | an American in Denmark. An American in Denmark | Contemplation and Useful Information by Laura Stadler-Jensen. Retrieved October 2, 2011, from http://thenordicmovement.com/2009/06/10/s%C3%B8ren-kierkegaard-on-the- most-important-thing/
Father LaTour assumes his role of leadership, impacts the lives of those he encounters, displays great courage, and above all is self-sacrificing. He does not hope for personal gain in his actions. Ultimately, Father LaTour exhibits many heroic characteristics in an unassuming manner that leads to the addition of this quality to the working definition of the heroic.
In Miguel de Unamuno’s novella San Manuel Bueno, Martyr, readers learn about the life of Don Manuel, a Catholic priest secretly holding atheist beliefs and doubts in the afterlife. Despite these disbeliefs, Don Manuel works tirelessly to help his community and is regarded as a saint by all who meet him, hence the handle “San Manuel,” which literally translates to “Saint Manuel.” Don Manuel’s struggle and affiliation with sainthood receives further analysis and context from Francisco LaRubia-Prado, who parallels Unamuno’s novella to elements of Greek Tragedy and heroism. Drawing from Unamuno’s background with Ancient Greek playwriting and Sigmund Freud’s Totem and Taboo, LaRubia-Prado argues that Don Manuel should be seen as a representation of Christ and must suffer in silence in order to play the role of the dying, tragic hero that saves the
Susan Wolf, born in 1952, is widely considered one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th and 21st century. One of Wolf’s most renowned works is The meanings of Lives, which drew a lot of attention in the philosophical world for a number of questions that arose from it. Arguably her most widely debated and questioned assertion in The meanings of Lives is “If you care about yourself you’re living as if you’re the center of the universe, which is false.” This however I don’t not believe to be true. Every human being, no matter how successful or unsuccessful, has the right to care for them sleeves and not believe they are the center of the universe while doing so.
The story of Perpetua revolves around this young woman and how she was one of five Christians convicted to death in a crowded arena that contained seats filled with people. Perpetua along with her companions depict a true story of martyrdom, and how this five devout Christians struggled against the societal norms and neglected their families in order to stand up for their religious beliefs. In this essay I will describe and analyze the theme of family pertaining to both Perpetua and Felicitas, as well as what role families play in the lives of martyrs, which in this case is the fact that martyrs are willing to disassociate with their families, in order to fight for their beliefs. Also, I will discuss how martyrs, including Perpetua, who neglects her father, and Felicitas who neglects her newborn baby challenge their family obligations. In the case of these martyrs, Christians have changed what the word family means, as family does not have to be someone of the same blood, but rather those who agree with your beliefs and stick together in times of turmoil. Perpetua and her companions were the first of few people in the year 203 to actually go against pagan views and express the importance of their own individuality and beliefs, and for this reason they are worthy of admiration. If it was not for their bravery and courage to break away from beliefs that did not wish to pursue, than thousands of other people would have never followed their example later on and fought for their own beliefs as well.
In a Catholic society, such as Valle di Sole in Lives of the Saints by Nino Ricci, it is common for people to be named after saints, making Hagiography, a study of the lives of the saints, a study of high importance. Essentially, in Ricci’s novel, the characters draw many parallels from their name saint, such as personality, notable events, and martyrdom, which eventually leads to living a life comparable to their name saint, as if destined by fate.
All human beings develop at different rates physically and mentally. Furthermore, there are some special characters that gain the ability to flourish in which they acquire a deeper understanding of life. This is usually as a result of one’s profound religious beliefs. Such as the disciples of Jesus Christ, they at some point of their life followed the teachings of Christ; subsequently, their beliefs allowed them to gain a deeper meaning of life. In this reading we will focus on the life of Francis, specifically on how he flourishes into Saint Frances. Saint Francis was an interesting character, which allows us to visualize how he matures from his self-indulging lifestyle into a humanitarian.
When comparing a meaning of life text (“The Death of Ivan Ilych”) to examples of popular culture (Batman Begins and Batman Beyond), it can be determined that when one finds meaning in life, it is the climax of that individual’s life. Also, everyone finds his or her purpose in life at different times, or not at all. More importantly, there is a strive to find meaning in life, and it is up to the individual to find what his or hers is.
In his work, Who is Man, Abraham J. Heschel embarks on a philosophical and theological inquiry into the nature and role of man. Through analysis of the meaning of being human, Heschel determines eight essential traits of man. Heschel believes that the eight qualities of preciousness, uniqueness, nonfinality, process and events, solitude and solidarity, reciprocity, and sanctity constitute the image of man that defines a human being. Yet Heschel’s eight qualities do not reflect the essential human quality of the realization of mortality. The modes of uniqueness and opportunity, with the additional singular human quality of the realization of mortality, are the most constitutive of human life as uniqueness reflects the fundamental nature of humanity,
To view the links that are instilled between mortals, immortals, and fate in The Iliad, it is worthwhile to examine each on its own to observe how they connect. The characteristics of the three are inherently unique in relation to each other, though in some areas there is overlap. Man is defined as a mortal, someone who can die from old age and disease. Products from mortal and immortal procreation, such as the hero Achilles, fall into a sort of category all their own, but Achilles himself suggests that he would die from old age if he were to return home (9:502-505). In this weakness of the flesh they differ from the immortal gods, who cannot die from natural causes. Nevertheless, the gods share the imperfections of man: disloyalty, deceit, anger, and even lust. They see themselves as above man, and yet their actions are often as selfi...
Is there a meaning to life? First, to clear up any misunderstandings in the next few paragraphs you are about to read, I shall explain a few things. I am not talking about the individual people in our lives, that mean so much to us, or individual lives. That is a whole other matter. What I mean by the "meaning of life", is the greater picture. There are people all over the world, doing their own thing, living their own lives, in their own areas. Is there a point to this? The people themselves, benefit from learning and having experiences while they're alive, but then they die, and all they have accomplished, ends. Then the process begins all over again with the next generation. So one purpose for life is established. We are here to reproduce. It has been genetically coded into us, and with little prompting, we continue to produce tiny versions of ourselves. But, is there a POINT to this? Well, I solemnly believe not. Some people say the point of life, is to have fun and make others happy. Righto then. Sure, that's a good thing to do, I don't disagree with that. But in terms of the big picture, what does it exactly accomplish? A person lives their life, has fun, and perhaps has the knack of making lots of other people happy in the process, then that person dies. And so eventually, do all the other people they brought happiness to. And through different generations come people who have the same philosophy....same thing, just happening later in time, with different people. Nothing has been accomplished...So, this obviously cannot be the point of life, unless it's inventor has the same intellect as that of pond scum. I would like to think otherwise, so I am interested in finding another answer. Other people belie...
In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible.” Frankl conveys his feelings toward the thought of people questioning what the meaning of life is. He comments that one should not question this, but realize that they are the ones being questioned on the topic. He wants the reader to understand that life itself challenges each person in life and they must answer by doing the tasks that are responsible and necessary. It seems that this topic is important to Frankl’s life. Also, it appears that he may have questioned what the meaning of life is and he realized how to answer that question correctly
“Life has no meaning a priori. Life itself is nothing until it is lived, it is we who give it meaning, and value is nothing more than the meaning we give it” (Satre 51).
This article “What is Life Worth” is putting a price on life its own self. It is challenging the readers to think deeply on how they value their own life and how they cherish the little pieces of it. Roger Ebert seen life in different perspective but when he got diagnosed with a cancer in his jaw he valued life a whole different
With all aspects of relating the meaning of life to ones personal setting, one can find themselves still with more questions then answers. This is one aspect all discussed situations have in common. We may have found a true meaning, but it always becomes questionable as to if the right decisions were made and the right paths taken base on the outcomes that follow. Although one may never find themselves with a true understanding for the biggest ‘why’ question of them all, the pursuit is always life changing. Life has, for most, always been a choice of free will, to do with what you please. Some choose to embrace this fact and pursue meaning never once imagined, and some choose the more comfortable, yet unsatisfying one of someone already travelled.
The details of this life have been retold since the days when men lived in caves, so much so that some of them are more backwards than the enemy of the Church himself; but God in his wisdom, recognized that this was a part of the human nature, and so, he has given us a treasure in which small details are just that, and they do not greatly affect the larger image, as long as the mile markers are kept in mind. So, it is one of these episodes of the growth of the Kingdom of God amongst men, which we are to focus on, a time when controversy surrounded the very occurrences which led to one of the strongest systems of beliefs that exist today. Yes, there are many episodes of such nature in the Catholic religion, but one of great significance was the initiation of the papacy, when people from many cultures began to come together, whethe...