“It concerns us to know the purposes we seek in life, for then, like archers aiming at a definite mark, we shall be more likely to attain what we want.”
Aristotle
You aren’t going to find the meaning of life in philosophy
People claim to study philosophy for all sorts of reasons, but there are really only two. Either they are fucked up and need to ‘figure life out’ because they are concerned about meaning and purpose, or they are joyless losers who go into analytic fields so they can feel superior
“Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed, but still, you find reasons to keep living.”
Osa, Princess Mononoke
Douglas Adams on Life, Death, and Puddles
“…imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, ‘This is an interesting world I find myself in – an interesting hole I find myself in – fits me rather neatly, doesn’t it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!’ This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it’s still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything’s going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise.”
“Life is a quest for truth, love beauty, goodness, and freedom; life is the art of becoming human through the cultivation of the human soul.” – Rob Rieman
from Nobility of Spirit