A Few Philosophical Ruminations on the Human Condition and Choosing to Live Well

Suppose a respected professional, a trusted friend, or a family member approached you and claimed that life is a meaningless waste of time. Would you think this person was joking? Would you be shocked, perhaps indignant? Would you seriously doubt this person's well being? I suspect some of us would be inclined to wonder why any reasonable person should think such a thing. Anyone who has ever waited in a long line at a grocery store or a government office only to be redirected to the back of another long line, or anyone who has spent time sitting in rush hour traffic will undoubtedly agree that at least some of life is a tremendous waste of time. Of course most people accept that life is worth living, but surprisingly few have an easy time explaining precisely what makes life meaningful, and of those who have ready answers a surprising number vehemently disagree about what constitutes a meaningful life. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once remarked, "people are deceived about the knowledge of obvious things" (McKirahan, 1994, p. 117). Could it be that the answer to the question of the meaning of life is really something quite obvious but we persistently fool ourselves as we approach it? In this essay I shall discuss how certain basic assumptions about the human condition inform a conception of a meaningful life that emphasizes the choices people make in the activity of living their lives. Notice first that I have shifted the question from the meaning of life to the meaningfulness of life. The distinction is subtle but important: I wish to avoid burdensome and restrictive questions like "Why are we here?" and "What is the purpose of life?" and so forth--typical ways of asking about the meaning of life. Undoubtedly these are interesting questions to ask, but formulated as such they suggest some natural or divine plan or meaning for humans which if humans were clever or pious enough, we would be able to raise the curtains of ignorance to behold the final Answer. The beauty of considering the topic from the vantage of the human condition is that it focuses the conversation on what is universal and present to all humans, regardless of culture, ethnicity, gender, religion, and socio-economic status. I do not wish to preclude the possibility that there may be various particular ways of living a meaningful life within a general conception of what makes life meaningful.