Often times I think about life. I’ve contemplated how unfair life can be. How there’s no justice in this world, no meaning of anything really without someone ascribing a meaning. I’ve thought about the finite nature of life in that there’s a start and an end but no replays or redos. Life is wonderful and it is cruel. It is the best thing in the world and yet all the worst things exist within the context of life; there’s no pain or misery to be had hath it not for consciousness, a life, on the receiving end of it.
Recently, though, I was thinking about how we measly humans squabble about aspects of life such as its origin, its meaning, and its purpose if any, and how these disagreements sometimes create a worse environment for us all. It need not be radical or fundamentalist religion for politics, ideology, ignorance, stupidity, and apathy have lead to comparable degenerative ends.
Unfortunately there’s no school for life. If there were, then we would not be having degenerative conflicts arising from the aforementioned. We don’t have wars over math and science for the same reason that a debate regarding the length of a wall can quickly be decided by using an easily understood, objective, measuring equipment such as a ruler. Discussions about 2+2=22 can just as easily be disproved and taught that 2+2=4. There’s a school for arithmetic yet there’s no school for life.
I don’t think we will ever close the book to fully understanding life and all that it is, but luckily we don’t need to. This is because we have the tools and understanding now to resolve our destructive tendencies to a significant degree. My optimism relies on the realization that most people typically know right from wrong but are conditioned to think otherwise.
For example, (outliers aside) anyone who is physically assaulted with a slap to the face will tell you that they experienced pain and that it was not pleasant nor conducive to their well-being or that of the people around them. We have built-in barometers for well-being such as pain sensors and psychological frameworks like empathy. Although not perfect, we also possess the ability to reason, discuss, and learn. We have matured philosophy and law disciplines. Lastly, we have thousands of years of past experience to look to, that are filled of lessons brought about through trial and error.
Some people claim to have the right answers. Which brings us back to to religion and ideology. I believe that we all should be humble and take a step back to start with a clean slate and rethink what he have learned and believed to be true and to be open and honest about contrary ideas. From this we can form a reliable “fundamentals of life” guide forged by consensus. Yes this is very naive and ideal but it is achievable and I would argue that we are inevitably moving in that direction as we grow more and more interconnected.
It is only a matter of time before secluded schools of thought are completely penetrated by outside influences to the point where the better ideas prevail. Which again, I would argue is already in progress. Seclusion is the intentional protection of sub-par ideas that would be destroyed otherwise. Why would anyone protect a brilliant idea that sells itself? No, only poor ideas are protected so as to preserve their inferiority from destruction in the War of Ideas that is fought everyday in every discussion and in every exchange of ideas.
We don’t have a school for life but we can have a school for living. A school that helps us understand the preciousness and brittleness of life. A school that teaches us how to love and persevere in the face of terrible challenges. A school that gives meaning and dignity to our meager existence.
“Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love and to be loved is the greatest happiness of existence.”
— Sydney Smith
