loving art, science and creative kids

NURTURING

Does art give meaning your life? Does it influence the way you think and act?

As the environment is devastated, we must remember that each one of us has the power to nurture the land. 

acrylic on board/ gold metal frame,/43” x84”/ $1,100

A Life Well Lived

The New Year is a time to take stock of your past and plan for the future. Are you pleased with the way you live?  Do you want to make changes? Before analyzing your present situation, it’s important to decide what it means to live well, a question philosophers have debated since ancient times. What is happiness? Does human life have a purpose? At times I think that life could not possibly be better. But, there are instances when it feels like my actions are for naught and I wonder why I roam the earth. I decided to seek help from the sages.

Aristotle wrote, “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” By that he meant that flourishing, living well and having a good life was the purpose for existence. Of course, people have different ideas of what a good life is. Some want wealth, others power.  According to Aristotle there are two types of desires, those that are acquired and those that are natural, revolving around food, drink and shelter. The good life encompasses activities and possessions that are really good for us.  He encouraged people to develop good habits or virtues of mind, body and spirit.  I am sure Aristotle wouldn’t condone today’s politicians and business moguls who act for personal gain and happiness at the expense of others. But he also would question why I succumb to advertisers luring me to purchase gifts that may be put into the recipient’s back closet. 

Martin Heidegger from Germany went a bit further than Aristotle and wrote that it wasn’t possible to have a good life if you weren’t living authentically. By that he meant, happiness could only be obtained by directing life on your own terms rather than the expectations of others. His thought rings a bell with me, though after watching anarchists and libertarians in action, I wonder if this is the way.

French existentialist, Jean Paul Sartre, considered freedom to be life’s highest goal. He said, “Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you.” His thinking is meaningful when I think about the homeless youth I’ve been investigating. Impacted in childhood by abuse, they run to the streets in search of freedom. It’s not long before they realize they’re not free. Strings from their past hold them tight, making it difficult for them to evolve and prosper. They usually need professional help before they can function in adult society.

I remain fascinated by the early American Transcendentalists. Ralph Waldo Emerson , for instance, bade us to take each day in stride and not to be burdened by worries about past or future. “You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” Emerson was a Unitarian, as am I. At the end of each Sunday service the minister reminds congregants, “This is the day you have been given. Go in peace, practice love.”  It does feel good to start with a clean slate.

And then there was French philosopher and novelist, Albert Camus. He warned against over-thinking and over-analyzing. He thought life in general to be absurd and didn’t  believe people could be happy if they’re always searching for meaning in everything they do. Simply put, Camus would enjoin us to just live, take things as they come and enjoy our days. 

To fully enjoy life, though, and to experience happiness, Epicurus the Hellenic philosopher, concluded that “most important was the acquisition of friends.” He wrote that friendship, more than anything else, contributed to a healthy and fulfilling life. Now that I help people who are ill and/or dying, I realize how important it is to develop and maintain friendships. I remember a song I sang in elementary school. “Make new friends, but don’t forget the old. One is sliver and the other is gold.”  We need to help each other go through life’s passages.

German philosopher Nietzche, was prolific in his teachings. He wrote about morality, religion, good and evil, antisemitism and nationalism. His thoughts about art interest me. He wrote that creation and enjoyment of art are the things that make life worth living. “We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once,” and, “the creative powers of the individual could overcome social, cultural and moral contexts to develop new values and aesthetic health.” I don’t think my art impacts those around me, but I do try.  Occasionally, my paintings carry a message to contemplate.(see above)

A great many philosophers, psychologists and educations reflect on the meaning of life.  American philosopher, William James spoke of a will to believe. He wrote, “Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.” And, French philosopher, Simone de Beauvoir, thought that life got its meaning from caring for others. Her words ring bells close to my heart. Eastern philosophy also adds ideas for consideration. 

More recently, New Criterion columnist and best selling author, Emily Esfahani Smith makes a distinction between a happy life and a meaningful one. She explored psychological studies and concluded that happiness is an emotion of the moment that fades rapidly. Meaning, however, is enduring and connects the past to the present to the future. Smith writes, “meaning comes from giving part of oneself away to others, from making a sacrifice on behalf of the overall group, from investing oneself in something bigger than oneself.”  

Through the years I’ve moved from one philosophy to the next, collecting and savoring bits of wisdom to call on when needed. Today I am most attracted to Emily Smith’s ideas. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been blessed with a wonderful life that I enjoy spending hours helping others. 

What about you? Join the conversation and share what you think a it means to live well. Respond on my blog site at eichingerfineart.com/blog.

References:

Retrieved from website. 2013. Aristotle on the Good Life. Reason and Meaning: philosophical reflections on life, health and the meaning of life. retrieved from  https://reasonandmeaning.com/2013/12/19/aristotle-on-the-good-and-meaningful-life/

Gregoire, C. (2017) Living Well, According to Some of the Wisest People Who Ever Lived.  Life.  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-truest-things-ever-sa_n_3798034

Friedrich Nietzsche. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/

Smith, E.E. ( 2017) The Power Of Meaning: Crafting a Live that Matters. Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penjuin Random House LLC, New York.  ISBN 9780553419993

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