“What is the meaning of life?” A deep and thought-provoking question that many of us struggle with answering. This question was posed to young men studying Level One English as part of the emphasis on Character Education. While young men studying at that level will not have a complete answer, the intent of the activity is to encourage them to think critically and to begin to develop an answer – one that will no doubt be modified and developed as they do. Thanks to the young men who had the courage to share parts of their answers – hopefully their work will help to spark some dinner table conversations in our school community.
“For me family are one of the key things that make life more enjoyable because they make me enjoy myself and create good memories. A good Family will always be there to support you or help you with anything. A study in 2017 by Science Daily shows that kids and teenagers from the ages of 12 to 17 are more likely to commit suicide if their parents didn’t interact with them in certain ways like saying they were proud of them or showing them that they care about them. This shows that without the love and warmth that comes from a good family we don’t feel like life is enjoyable. My Mum and Dad always comforted me in my youth. When I did my homework wrong or could not understand how to spell the spelling list my parents helped and supported me. Good parents do this because they love and care about us and want to make us feel like we belong. They also make us feel great when we get into the top class or get a good report card. Good siblings are also one of the things that makes us like we belong. Little siblings are always ready to play a board game or go on the trampoline which is good because you can bond with them and have fun. Big siblings can help you get better at math's or with homework. A good Family makes life worth living because they make you enjoy life, feel like you belong and help you whenever you need anything.”
“Overall, even though the specific thing that gives life meaning may change over the course of one’s lifetime it can often be described broadly as having fun. In other words, the thing that gives life meaning can be called fun. This is because, a major factor in the decisions made by a person, is whether it is fun. Because if something is not fun then nobody would, by choice, partake in it. For example, this can be seen in people that choose to take their own lives. They make this decision because they are depressed, this means they are unhappy. Because happiness is often linked to having fun, it can be said that they are having an extreme lack of fun. This strengthens my point because it shows that humans do things to have fun or need to experience fun regularly because without it there is no point in living. This can also be seen in the things that give our lives meaning throughout our lives as they each allow us to have fun. The truth of the matter is that having fun adds meaning to one’s life. Additionally, it is one of the reasons that makes life worth living.”
“Happiness is one of the major reasons why life is worth living. It could be a favourite book or a game that sparks happiness in us, or it could be a person whom we love. Happiness can be a constant reminder of how great life can be when things might not be that great. It makes life more enjoyable, more worthwhile. Aristotle once said that “Happiness is the only thing that humans desire for its own sake, unlike riches, honour, health or friendship.”. The meaning of it, says that happiness is the only thing that people will try and get because of what it is. He points out that “Many aims are really only intermediate aims, and are desired only because they make the achievement of higher aims possible. Therefore, things such as wealth, intelligence, and courage are valued only in relation to other things.” For many people, love is the easiest source of happiness. But for some people, they are too apprehensive to approach females. Some individuals, are lucky, and they serendipitously find love. But those who are too apprehensive, they might never be able to find love and will lead an unhappy life. These people without happiness often find that they do not have much to live for. This leads to things like depression and suicide or results in things like drug usage, as they cannot find a source of happiness, they will create their own one. These people also lack motivation as they feel empty when they achieve something because no one can say “Good job!” to them and may find it pointless to do tasks.”
