Meaning of Life

More than anything, death illustrates this notion of impermanence.  No living organism survives for eternity.  When a tree is formed it will inevitably either be cut down one day or be conquered by other forces whether it’s an invasive plant or a forest fire.  Even when a child who is beaming with life is born, that child is guaranteed a death whether it is sooner or later.  Material objects also demonstrate the impermanence of our world: a chair is made and in the future it will break either under the weight of a person or by decay over time.  The first example of death in the Epic of Gilgamesh occurs when Enkidu passes away.  His death makes not only the reader, but Gilgamesh extremely aware of and suddenly very sensitive to the concept of death.  He immediately begins to realize the fact that much of his youth is gone and this bothers him so much that he strips himself of his worldly goods and heads into the wild. 

So the question is why do people bother at all to live?  Strictly from a biological point of view, we have an instinct to simply live.  Our gut screams to us to do whatever it takes to extend our life on Earth and not take into account the fact that we can’t live forever.  Putting aside this basic behavior, perhaps it is simply the fact that we CAN live that we go on living.  Since we are alive and we are capable of experiencing life, even a supposedly meaningless one, we just do and try to make the best of it.  One could go so far to say that it is from this “trying to make the best of it” that mortal humans try to derive meaning.

I personally believe that the meaning of life is simply to be happy, and happiness is the goal of many.  However, this doesn’t satisfy many people’s desire for immortality.  Because to live forever is truly impossible, glory and fame represent the few manifestations of immortality that many search for.  If people remember and know my name for the rest of time, am I not immortal?  The knowledge of my character and my accomplishment are still known to others.  A contemporary and real-life example of this is Lady Gaga.  She has said multiple times that all she wants is fame.  Her Fame Monster album and songs have reiterated this desire.  Her incessant desire for fame and attention culminates into a desire for immortality.  If nothing else, Lady Gaga probably wants to be remembered for her fame. 

So much of self-value is placed in the judgments of others and so long as other remember me, I live on.  Gilgamesh, after grieving Enkidu’s death, begins this search for immortality.  He originally seeks to physically live forever, but when a serpent steals his plant of youth Gilgamesh fails.  However, on his way home Gilgamesh comes to the realization that he will live on through the greatness of Uruk, his city.  In essence, the serpent frees Gilgamesh from the idea of physical immortality and gives him the gift of immortality through others.  Today we read his story and talk about his greatness – he is indeed immortal.  He had won this when he slew the forest guardian and the Bull of Heaven and when he went on his quest for immortality.  His story will likely continue to be read or talked about until the end of humanity.  However I must repeat that for so many or at least myself, order and meaning of life derives from happiness.  I live to enjoy life. 

Above all, a hero is someone who sacrifices himself or herself for some other cause.  The hero may dismiss his or her own desires or even give up his or her life, but the hero will always have to sacrifice something.  As so often portrayed in novels and movies, heroes are stereotyped with superhuman strength or other such powers.  Others may say it is the journey that every hero must go through that defines such a person, but I believe it is that final act of using the knowledge gained from the journey that ultimately creates a hero.  Heroes can’t just be strong and kill monsters; they must have the right motivations.  That final act of sacrifice for some greater good is what people can look up to and admire.  For example, in the Harry Potter series, Harry consistently puts his own life in danger for the sake of someone else.  He entered the Chamber of Secrets and fought the Basilisk to save Ginny.  He doesn’t think of the reward, he is only concerned with rescuing Ginny and he does so by using the knowledge he gained from Hermione.  In stark contrast in Beowulf, Beowulf puts his life in danger to kill the evil monster Grendel.  Although Beowulf is technically sacrificing his life for the safety of the people terrorized by Grendel, I don’t believe he truly is a hero.  His acts are motivated by a search for fame and “immortality.”  Heroes are role models and if their acts are motivated by selfish desires, then they aren’t heroes. 

There are also the issues of heroines versus heroes such as Hermione.  She knew very well the perils of what Harry got involved in.  She gave up her last year of school to help him destroy all the Horcruxes and was certainly not dull enough to be oblivious to the risks.  She clearly takes on the role of a hero.  However, Hermione is a rare heroine in a world in which males predominantly are the heroic figures.  In Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Odyssey, and The Lord of the Rings the women are either being saved or are situated safely far from the action.  In the Raiders of the Lost Ark we see Marion kidnapped and gagged.  In the two other stories, both women are at home, waiting for their men to return.  Yet, the women play a different crucial role in which even Hermione falls into.  She and Arwen are these wells of wisdom on which the male heroes depend on at some points.  Other times the woman can act as the motivating factor for the male hero’s success.  Throughout time and literature, this has been the role of women: to serve the males.  Luckily, with some more modern writings women have started to come to the forefront and become more and more heroic.  Lara Craft, the Tomb Raider heroine, is just one example.  A new CW television show features Nikita, a woman who used to work for the government as a type of “hit man” is another. 

Bertolt Brecht has said, "Unhappy the land that needs heroes.”  I must disagree though.  Although there must be some sort of problem or danger in order for someone to act heroic, challenges are a necessity of life.  Everyone and everything has something that can be improved, including heroes.  Heroes allow those he or she helps to grow and change, and I consider changing a virtue.  Change helps everyone move towards something better.