What Is the Meaning of Your Life?
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People have different goals to accomplish in their life, but it is important for them to understand their value and what they can do to help others prosper. In the case of difficulties, it is necessary for one to avoid unnecessary persistence in the bid to accomplish a particular mission since there are options to take in life, which is easy to achieve. People who persist to achieve a specific goal even if they understand that it can be difficult face the risk of losing their inner happiness. Mostly, they end up regretting when they eventually fail to accomplish their mission. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to value his/her life and give it a valuable meaning to avoid unnecessary stressful situations that can be prevented with ease. If you persist in accomplishing a difficult task, you will be troubled as you have to look for ideas, a process that can be stressful and even unhealthy. My primary goal in life is to live the world in which everybody lives, and not a different one as influenced by my personal struggles and this can only be attained through living a stressful life and avoiding unnecessary persistence.
Once an individual has valued his/her life, it becomes necessary to take the cheapest and most correct course of action that can help solve any difficulty. However, if this is not possible, the person in question will end up with a lot of problems that could have been mitigated. In the film, one week, we encounter Ben, a character who has been diagnosed with aggressive cancer. Instead of taking an immediate action of seeking medical attention, as we all could expect, he decides to take a trip and have fun before considering himself a patient. From this scene, it is clear that Ben wanted to maintain his inner happiness and avoid unnecessary stress, being a cancer patient. On his trip to Toronto, Ben again realizes that the journey is not worth his value and decides to return. Therefore, even if he had personal struggles, the character considered it necessary to focus on pleasing his heart and maintaining happiness instead of allowing himself to be hospitalized immediately.
As an individual who wants to live a comfortable life, free from any form of stress, Ben is encouraged when he remembers that his father had informed him of a creature referred to as Grumps and that whoever finds it would live a happy life ("One Week (2008) HD 720p Full Movie"). Therefore, because of the necessity to maintain personal happiness by being free instead of being admitted to the hospital, it becomes Bens goal to look for the magnificent creature, Grumps. From this episode, it is clear that Ben had unnecessary persistence about life because there was an alternative to being relieved or treated from the ailment instead of embarking on trips, seeking the unique creature, Grumps. For instance, he encountered a middle-aged man who had been treated and recovered from the same disease. This means that Ben had lost confidence with hospitals and decided to struggle in the bid to achieve what he wanted. Even if he had one mission, being free from cancer and having personal freedom, he made a wrong decision.
Another episode that can be used to explain the necessity of avoiding unnecessary persistence in life is contained in the film, into the wild. The film features McCandless, who is the main character, and we have a chance of understanding the personal struggles that he underwent in the bid to have personal happiness. His decision lands him in the wilderness, a place where he has to take life simple as he was left with no other option. People may struggle with a common objective, making life better and having personal freedom, but the strategies and decisions that they make differ significantly. This makes them face different stressful situations or happiness depending on the course of action chosen ("Into the Wild - Trailer"). Just like Ben, McCandless makes a wrong decision of separating himself from his family members as he considered them to be of little value to his personal happiness. However, we see both characters facing similar situations as they undergo unnecessary stressful situations.
McCandless had left home to look for personal happiness, but the outcome was devastating. Life turns out to be too difficult than he had anticipated, all his sources of livelihood run out and eventually realizes that no one can survive as a lone stranger. This is because life is uncaring and harsh and the best strategy to have a piece of the mind is having personal freedom and being ready to stay with others. That is the reason why towards the end of the film, we find McCandless struggling to return home and be with his family and friends instead of being isolated in the wilderness. McCandless had persisted unnecessarily in the process of finding personal happiness, and this can further be illustrated when we learn that he cannot cross the liver, which acts as a barrier for him to arrive home. He has to call the abandoned bus station as his newfound home and can only be considered as a prisoner who cannot control his destiny. It is also unfortunate that after starving for some days, he resolves to eat plants and roots, which he eventually confuses and takes a poisonous one, resulting in his eventual death. From this film, it is clear that even if human beings struggle to achieve their heights of happiness, they should make sound decisions. Otherwise, they will be in all forms of troubles and even death as was the case of McCandless. Therefore, happiness remains to be happiness irrespective of where we find it. People should not subject themselves to stressful situations with the mentality that they will be free from such adverse situations in the future. Let us maintain the spirit of happiness and ensure that the society is a good place to live.
If you value your life and give it a meaning, it will be better for not only you, but also for the family and friends. The book, the Anthem, is based on the concept of togetherness and that it is not necessary for one to isolate him/herself from the rest. This is because the idea of friendship is advantageous and promotes personal happiness than staying lonely. However, as explained by the Equality 7-2521, which stands for the central character in the book, the idea of doing things as an individual has been eliminated, and it is focused on an unspecified future date when technology will be used for every other activity. This makes the central character use plural words such as we or us when referring to himself. Rand explains, We are one in all in all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible forever (12). From this quote, it is clear that the central theme of the book is staying together as a family that has a focus on the future, and capable of making the future a better place to be. There is no need of isolating oneself from the rest as this may lead to a lot of problems that can be difficult for solve. For instance, in the bid to become individualistic, Equality 7-2521 finds himself with the Liberty one in the wilderness, a risky place meaning that they even put their life in jeopardy. There is no need of having an unnecessary struggle about life if better options still exist. Just as a strategy to make themselves comfortable, they change their names while in the loneliness to Pormetheus for Equality, while the Liberty is changing to Gaea.
The society in which we live has some strengths and weaknesses, and it is necessary for us to remain united. This is one of the best strategies that can be used in conquering any form of personal problems that we can face in our daily life. Failure to follow this important aspect will make us isolated and lonely as explained by the three authors above. Nevertheless, personal isolation from the rest can be advantageous in the short-run, but the long-term consequences exceed the advantages. This means that people should not be enticed by the possible immediate success that can come up with having the spirit of individualism in place of collectiveness. To this end, it is clear that every member of the society should understand what needs to be done to remain united. Additionally, it serves as the best strategy for ensuring that everything has been done as expected as the less fortunate gets a chance to benefit.
Works Cited
"Into the Wild - Trailer." YouTube. N.p., 2007. Web. 8 June 2016.
"One Week (2008) HD 720p Full Movie." YouTube. N.p., 2008. Web. 8 June 2016.
Rand, Ayn. Anthem. Champaign: Project Gutenberg, 1990. Print.
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