The Girl Who Couldn't Kill

Chapter 2.5- Rory's Thought Journal #1

Mr. Volkov's weekly assignments

Topic: Meaning Of Life

The meaning of life is to find understanding in the value of belief and take action to arrive at the outcome you desire. To prove my notion, the philosophical beliefs of atheistic existentialism can discuss that there is no inherent meaning in life but rather a construction of your own abilities and actions. One must seek meaning in the universe and create a reality one wishes to replenish.

I would like to say that I am a believer in atheistic practices. Most of my relatives and grandparents are strictly Buddhists, but growing up, my parents raised me to think open-mindedly and creatively. I don't think I have many thought processes that are derived from religious or constricted reasons. Therefore I believe the universe is an endless cycle of possibilities you create for yourself. I believe the word "meaning" is based on what you hone yourself to believe. One personally decides for themselves how much meaning they would like to put in the word "meaning."

So what is "meaning?" How can we know for sure that everything we do has a purpose? I believe this question is controversial, nevertheless, I agree that big events come from small happenings. For example, you get into the school of your dreams. That alone seems like an extremely meaningful milestone, but the fact is that it holds an empty meaning. Who says getting into your dream school can ensure happiness? Isn't it absurd to have your sole purpose justified by going to your dream school? No. That's why I believe it's the build-up prior to the acceptance of the dream school that grasps a purpose. It's the hours spent cramming the work, it's the stress you had to endure, the amount of sleep you've lost. All that seemed like suffering and agony was to triumph in the goal of success.

Whilst reading "The Myth of Sisyphus," I ponder about the realities that shape our lives and the criticism that follows. After tricking and cheating Death, Sisyphus is sent to the underworld where he continuously lifted a boulder just for it to fall back down each time. When faced with this tragic task, one would be in despair. How can anyone gain satisfaction from doing the same repeated motion each day? What is the purpose?? Well, Sisyphus proved everyone wrong. On the contrary, Sisyphus found motivation through his torture due to his passion for life. But because he was able to experience that pain, he was able to witness his true emotions, therefore, he created meaning in his life. The process of hauling the rock is symbolic as it acts like a stepping stone, (although the cycle repeats) an experience or activity that leads to a bigger event, which in this case, is when the rock reaches its highest point.

Though how absurd it may seem to receive pleasure from hauling a rock, Sisyphus found joy and victory in succeeding in a gutwrenching task. To further argue my point, the meaning of life is "when the call of happiness becomes too insistent; it happens that melancholy arises in the man's heart: this is the rock's victory, this is the rock itself" (Camus 2). Conscious emotions are what make humans real, true being that exists to experience opportunities in life. Coming to my other point about modern society, happiness is a very contradicting topic. One thing is social media/technology. With the constant usage of technology, our mind is wired to become addicted to dopamine. But because a simple scroll through Tik Tok or Facebook can generate neurotransmitters, we easily feed on the temporary splurge of happiness. But does this happiness really have meaning? Can a simple action really maintain a long-term effect of exhilaration? The ultimate answer is no. In the short term, our brains receive rushes of dopamine from the excitement of our phones, which no doubt induces fleeting satisfaction. But in the long-term, social media cannot ensure one's continued happiness, at least, happiness that is not derived from true experiences and deep connection.

Likely, I believe it is crucial for us as humans to go on a dopamine detox every once in a while. Like taking a walk in the park, going out, or just interacting with friends and family. Because these are true human experiences that generate serotonin in the body, a way of healing the mind and soul. A preparation to stand back up again to continue the purpose of your life.

On the other hand, I would like to discuss nihilism. As it is a broad topic, many people choose to believe in this belief system carelessly. Whether they've been in a traumatic situation or had a rough upcoming. I believe everyone has their own set of nihilistic beliefs.

The Seth Material was something I've recently come in contact with this past year (my information might be slightly wrong, but it was taught by Tien-Sheng Hsu). What he believes in was that our identities and roles on this earth have been decided before we birth. But this does not include our actions and the way we think because ultimately that is up to us. But I believe his claim is especially interesting because his beliefs contradict each other, his atheistic beliefs and nihilism. Though absurdism is visible in his teachings, he explains that our destiny is what we decide and the roles we are assigned are not set in stone. Essentially, the reason we receive new roles each time we reincarnated is that in each life, we have a purpose that we have not fulfilled, and this cycle will continue until we fulfilled every last one and that is when we go into another realm. If something is assigned to us before we are born, can our life possibly have any meaning? I believe is it definitely possible. Though the decision may seem like a destined fate, ultimately it is still a decision based on probability. Much like randomization, something that is generated. Similarly, when choosing a decision, it is still comprised of many possibilities, especially of the higher power, there are certainly endless possibilities. Therefore, I believe that even if your identity and roles are decided before birth, your life still has a purpose as you grow up, age, and propel yourself forwards...until a cycle ends, and a new one begins.

9/10. Very Bold statements Rory. I'd like to think that the events in life never play out the way we expect them to. Or at least slightly different from what we expected. Sometimes we lose the important things in life to gain new insights or people in our lives to further help us grow. It can be painful but it will be worthwhile to trust the process. Good job for using the materials and concepts from our last lesson. I'm impressed!