A valuable life is usually measured by successes in one's life. In our everyday society, our general culture views success as being a financial state. To us, especially as Americans, we would define someone with a lot of money as being successful or happy. However, this is obviously not the case. When people view a life and try to measure the success in it, the successes and achievements have to go deeper than the job a person had, the amount of friends they had, or the money they made.
Upon deciding how valuable a person's life is, we take into account their age and how much they have accomplished. Usually those seen as valuable (or really seen as successful) are older, well-accomplished people. They have been to many places, and seen many things. They have accomplished many tasks, and have over all found themselves in victory through most stages of their life. However, not only the aged are seen as "valuable". If someone is young but yet has been wealthy or popular throughout their life, they are seen as very valuable, perhaps more so than an elder would with the same experiences. To be young and with money and other things is somewhat unheard of. This factor of uncommonness can make the person's life more valuable.
With this aside, our society needs to look deeper than the successes in one's life. The true value in one's life is the meaning they have found in it. Someone who has captured the values and happiness in life is of greater success than those with money. Someone who learns how to love and bring happiness to themselves and those around them despite poverty has had a successful life.
I personally do not look to have any sort of materials that I obtain throughout my life. The most important things to me would be having a family, surrounding myself with loved ones, and finding happiness beyond having a large sum of money. With these circumstances, I know for sure that I will never regret anything in my life, and will not look back upon it with disappointment.
As a society, striving for such accomplishments would not be a bad idea. Currently our society finds most if not all importance in finances. People commonly look to money in search of happiness. If society as a whole were to attempt to accomplish happiness as I do, we would find ourselves a lot more comfortable in life, and our entire world would be changed. Many people argue that many of the wars our country has been because of a desire for power. This power may be in the form of land, money, etc. Had we not strived for this power, we may not have been in these wars, and many Americans would not have lost lives. This is just an example, but the effects of searching for such happiness would create a long list.
Whatever the case may be and no matter where people can find value in their lives, happiness is surely the most important acheivement. In this, I feel that people in general will find their own lives of greater value.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Long Live The Accomplished
Though we like to wish differently, we all know that at some point in our lives we will reach the end of the road. We all know that someday we will have to end our journey and we will in fact die. There is no stopping this process, though many have tried. The great Gilgamesh was one of those who tried to reach the "deathlessness" we call immortality, but he too was denied access into such an elite fraternity. Upon his search for immortality, Utnapishtim told Gilgamesh that "There is no permanence." From this point on, we as humans have realized that we will die, and there is no such thing as being a permanent figure.
To those out there that wish they could be immortal, this is a clear disappointment. But what does this really mean for humanity? This means that there comes an end to everything, on a more literal sense. This means that though we may strive to conquer all and be the best, we will become overthrown by a force that is not controllable. Even if a great hero in our lives could be undefeated in his life, he too will be conquered by death. For humanity, this is quite a downfall. We now lose a lot of the confidence we have as humans because of this knowledge of mortality. This obviously affects our everyday lives. Everywhere we go in our world there is a sense of mortality. If we could not die, there would be no such thing as helmets, or railings, or whatever else may help us in near death experiences. Each day, though we don't do it on purpose, we find ourselves running away from this dead end.
However, there is a way that Gilgamesh reaches a sense of immortality on his journey. Though we may die, we too can find immortality in one form or the other. Gilgamesh found his by being such a dominant hero and living such a great life and journey. Through this, he achieved respect and honor from his people. With respect and honor he would go down in history with all of posterity. Through these such things, like making a name for ourselves, we can become "immortal." We can create a sense of eternal life by achieving something. It does not have to be a big accomplishment, but anything noticed by others has potential to be an "immortal" story.
Though death will come our way at some point in our lives, Gilgamesh showed all of humanity that there is hope for immortality. Not physically staying alive, but staying alive in society, through the actions and achievements in your lifetime. Like James Taylor said, "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." If we enjoy our lives and make something of them, we have conquered mortality itself.
To those out there that wish they could be immortal, this is a clear disappointment. But what does this really mean for humanity? This means that there comes an end to everything, on a more literal sense. This means that though we may strive to conquer all and be the best, we will become overthrown by a force that is not controllable. Even if a great hero in our lives could be undefeated in his life, he too will be conquered by death. For humanity, this is quite a downfall. We now lose a lot of the confidence we have as humans because of this knowledge of mortality. This obviously affects our everyday lives. Everywhere we go in our world there is a sense of mortality. If we could not die, there would be no such thing as helmets, or railings, or whatever else may help us in near death experiences. Each day, though we don't do it on purpose, we find ourselves running away from this dead end.
However, there is a way that Gilgamesh reaches a sense of immortality on his journey. Though we may die, we too can find immortality in one form or the other. Gilgamesh found his by being such a dominant hero and living such a great life and journey. Through this, he achieved respect and honor from his people. With respect and honor he would go down in history with all of posterity. Through these such things, like making a name for ourselves, we can become "immortal." We can create a sense of eternal life by achieving something. It does not have to be a big accomplishment, but anything noticed by others has potential to be an "immortal" story.
Though death will come our way at some point in our lives, Gilgamesh showed all of humanity that there is hope for immortality. Not physically staying alive, but staying alive in society, through the actions and achievements in your lifetime. Like James Taylor said, "The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time." If we enjoy our lives and make something of them, we have conquered mortality itself.
The Hero
A man who is tough, courageous, strong, and selfless. This is what most use to define a hero. However, a hero is rarely ever given a concrete definition. Heroes can change according to those who see them as heroes. My hero may be strong and smart, while someone else’s hero may be giving, and wise. A hero is created by our minds. We can turn any form of character into a hero, if they are what we would consider one. For example, if I see someone who is courageous, I may see them as being a hero. However, other people may not see them as being a hero, but rather just a very brave person. That is exactly why heroes are merely undefined.
A hero is usually one who endures. The perseverance is shown in almost all heroes. Even modern day people can be considered heroes for their perseverance, like Cal Ripken Jr. for example. Though he is no super human with incredible strength, many little kids and baseball fans look up to him like a hero for what he endured, and his perseverance, through thousands of baseball games played over his years in the big leagues. Therefore, a hero is only what you make of it.
For generations nearly beyond recorded history, these heroic figures have shown up. Whether it be in a book or just a tale told around a campfire, heroes have existed wherever creative and imaginative humans have. These heroes are so unique that we pass down there tales throughout the centuries, for our posterity to adore and idolize. These heroes have been created because of human demand. People, and even society need a hero. With no hero to turn to, society would be a mess and people would lose their morals and confidence. As Bertold Brecht said "Unhappy the land that needs heroes." He literally means that any society without heroes to guide it's people and show them the way to conquer will not be successful. The people in these societies will not be happy, and the society will not flourish. The hero has appeared in times of duress, to show us how to get out of the trouble, and conquer "evil." The enemies that the hero faces are even created but what we see as being the evil figure. Many times the arche nemesis stands for what we fear or oppose in our lives.
Since heroes began, the hero has always been a masculine figure. This is most likely due to the fact that for most of our past the woman figure has never had such control or power. In addition, the woman's role in life has been to take care of children, and feed the family. This, however, does not mean that women have not played the role of a heroine in our literature.
Throughout time the hero has appeared as we have created it: a strong, enduring and courageous figure who overcomes all odds and defeats evil as we see it in our lives. The support of the hero will last through eternities, leading those to conquer their insecurities and difficulties in the road that they call life.
A hero is usually one who endures. The perseverance is shown in almost all heroes. Even modern day people can be considered heroes for their perseverance, like Cal Ripken Jr. for example. Though he is no super human with incredible strength, many little kids and baseball fans look up to him like a hero for what he endured, and his perseverance, through thousands of baseball games played over his years in the big leagues. Therefore, a hero is only what you make of it.
For generations nearly beyond recorded history, these heroic figures have shown up. Whether it be in a book or just a tale told around a campfire, heroes have existed wherever creative and imaginative humans have. These heroes are so unique that we pass down there tales throughout the centuries, for our posterity to adore and idolize. These heroes have been created because of human demand. People, and even society need a hero. With no hero to turn to, society would be a mess and people would lose their morals and confidence. As Bertold Brecht said "Unhappy the land that needs heroes." He literally means that any society without heroes to guide it's people and show them the way to conquer will not be successful. The people in these societies will not be happy, and the society will not flourish. The hero has appeared in times of duress, to show us how to get out of the trouble, and conquer "evil." The enemies that the hero faces are even created but what we see as being the evil figure. Many times the arche nemesis stands for what we fear or oppose in our lives.
Since heroes began, the hero has always been a masculine figure. This is most likely due to the fact that for most of our past the woman figure has never had such control or power. In addition, the woman's role in life has been to take care of children, and feed the family. This, however, does not mean that women have not played the role of a heroine in our literature.
Throughout time the hero has appeared as we have created it: a strong, enduring and courageous figure who overcomes all odds and defeats evil as we see it in our lives. The support of the hero will last through eternities, leading those to conquer their insecurities and difficulties in the road that they call life.
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