The Meaning of Life

“'The meaning of life is happiness.'” He raised his finger, leaning forward, focusing on her as if she were the only person in the world. 'Hard question is not, "What is meaning of life?" That is easy question to answer! No, hard question is what make happiness. Money? Big house? Accomplishment? Friends? Or …' He paused. 'Compassion and good heart? This is question all human beings must try to answer: What make true happiness?' He gave this last question a peculiar emphasis and then fell silent, gazing at her with a smile."

      The Dalai Lama's answer is just cryptic enough that one may now have an idea of the meaning they're searching for, but it is entirely up to them to find how to achieve happiness.  Knowledge of the desired end result is clear; it is the path to reach it that each individual must discover.  
      I consider myself to be a happy person.  I do a lot of conscious things to maintain this state, but I think the greater factor is my genes.  Certain people have it way easier biologically to be happy.  Why should something pretty far out of our control be the meaning of life? 
        Some of the things I do that I think make me happier: Express gratitude, Laugh even when other people aren't laughing, Connect with people, Do work that will benefit other people, Meditate, Don't hate unnecessarily, Stay busy.  
      Happiness is a logical state to desire, and I think those who are happy are more likely to acknowledge meaning in their life.  At the very end of "The Stranger," Meursalt feels ready to live life again.  He is able to relate to the world's indifference and finds that he was and is happy.  Other people have determined that Meursalt's life should not continue, but even in his last hours he has come to understand his own meaning and happiness. 

Thankful for a Classmate

      Every day when I leave the philosophy classroom, the conversation seems to only have just begun.  This is thanks to Jacqueline and Abbey, who are always willing to dive even deeper into whatever we've been discussing and to acknowledge faults in the class discussion.  Since 7th grade, Abbey and Jacqueline have been challenging me to think harder, maintain perspective, and to support my ideas.
      I'm really grateful to Jacqueline for always being able to pick up where we left off, even if it has been a while.  But thankfully I get to see her more this year! She is receptive and open if there's ever an issue and she is so supportive of me. Our post card count is pretty impressive, and I hope it continues for a long time. Thank you for always listening and for introducing me to Half the Sky/Nicholas Kristof.  I really hope that some day we will combine our medical/humanitarian skills to do something great.  By the way, her hugs are therapeutic.
    Abbey is another friend for whom I am truly thankful.  First period gym is actually enjoyable because of her.  She makes me feel comfortable saying anything and is one of the best listeners I know. I am thankful for her honesty and for laughing with me.  I think she offers great insight into the books we read or topics we discuss; well, she's basically insightful all around.  I've grown so much because of our friendship and it is one that I absolutely cherish.  
 

Into The Wild

          My favorite aspect of this movie is probably the glimpse into the kindness of humanity that does indeed exist.  Chris' ultimate goal is to escape from all of society, but in reality I think the true beauty is portrayed in his experiences on his way to Alaska. The joy he shares with Jan, Rainey, Ron, Wayne, and apparently some nudists, is pure.  He escaped the ills he saw in his own parents and discovered the genuineness that thrives in certain other people.  Yet this manifestation of joy is not what Chris seeks, so he continues on his journey to be truly alone in the wild.
      Ironically, I think in some ways Chris' selfishness is a reflection of the society that he so despises.  He hasn't yet understood the value of inter-human experiences, and so he writes off people who care deeply about him.  His transience seems to actually diminish the potential meaning he could find in life from building relationships and learning to care about another person.
     The change in Chris' parents is fascinating.  I think Chris' intentions in leaving were for his personal escape from the confines of society, but as a result, he ends up having a large impact on those he leaves behind, and now the millions of viewers of this movie.  The forced reflection inflicted on his parents is a necessary step that every member of society should take.  It follows with Socrates' living an examined life instead of becoming a robot of society.

We Still Haven't Figured This Out Yet!

    I was once presented with the idea that without evil, good would not exist.  It is the absence of evil that allows us to understand something as good.  I see this philosophy running our society and world in many ways.  For instance, some people see great success and wealth even as others remain in conditions of extreme poverty.  We haven't figured out a way to eliminate the evil while maintaining the good.
    It seems that success comes with side-effects.  Even as we progress and develop incredible technology, there is always the fallout.  We can create cars that park themselves and wear computers on our heads, yet we can't manage to stop the 46.5 million people living in poverty in the United States (world hunger.org).  Is it moral to continue our technological advancement when so many people live without their basic needs met? Maybe the only advancements that should continue are those in medicine.
   In my opinion, we haven't yet figured out how to get our priorities straight.  It could be true that with good there is evil, but that doesn't mean we should help further the reality of this statement.  We haven't figured out how to make all citizens care more about those dying from hunger than the release of the newest iPhone.  For every apple ad you've seen in the past month, imagine it replaced with one of an organization working to interrupt the poverty cycle.  Let's use the brilliant minds creating the iPhone 7 to instead create a model that will greatly decrease the number of Americans living in poverty.

How Do I Know What I Know?

     By the end of Chapter 2, Siddhartha doubts that one can learn anything at all.  He thinks there is Atman, knowledge, within everyone, but that more knowledge cannot be learned.
     I definitely think I know what I know because of knowledge I have learned, not that has always been within me.  There are certain conditions in my life that make my "knowledge" different from the next person's.  For instance, I "know" that gay marriage should absolutely be allowed the same as any other marriage, yet this knowledge of mine isn't a universal truth.  I know something that I deem true even though it is not true for everyone.  Therefore, I know what I know based on the family, society, religion,  and culture that I have grown up in.
   This makes me think of what I've read of the many failed attempts by outsiders to address the issues facing people in other countries or communities.  We go in with our knowledge and try to fix problems without considering how limited our knowledge may be in that situation. With knowledge must come the perspective to understand different knowledge.  I think the person who questions what he knows for his whole life is the wisest.  Education is always changing because knowledge is not constant.  My parents and I may have both taken a physics class, but I'm sure I learned things that weren't part of the general knowledge when they took the class. We know what we know because of where we come from, but to grow as global citizens we need to challenge what we know and gain new knowledge.

The Garden State: New Jersey

Car ride to Beloit, Wisconsin:

Me: I just finished Candide.
Aunt Lainie: Oh isn't that the one about the garden?
Me: Yeah, that idea was just mentioned in the final pages.
Aunt Lainie: I read that years ago, but I still live by that line.
Me: What is it that you live by?
Aunt Lainie: The idea that we each need to take care of our own little spot. Instead of getting involved in big battles, do your work, and cultivate your garden.
Me: Interesting. That is different than I what I thought it to mean.  I was interpreting it as the idea that in order to feel fulfilled we must help provide growth for something.  When we work to nourish development, we take a more active role in our lives instead of just waiting to judge the outcomes as good or bad.
Aunt Lainie: Uh oh, have I just twisted it to fit my life for all these years?
Me: No. I think what you're saying comes from the old man who explains to Candide, Pangloss, and Martin that he stays uninvolved with political affairs of his city and is happy just to sell his fruits there (p. 92).
Aunt Lainie: Ok. So the overlap in our interpretations is the necessity of work.
Me: Right. In both, it is work that can save us from "the three great evils: boredom, vice, and necessity" (p.92).  Instead of being fulfilled by things we think we need, we can instead look to find this fulfillment in staying busy and committing to some work.  Just as gardens vary in what is grown, how it is organized, etc., we can each personalize the garden that we wish to sustain.  Maybe in Candide's final words "That is well said, but we must cultivate our garden," he is telling Pangloss that instead of hoping for things to turn out for the best, we have to take action to affect the result.
Aunt Lainie: Cool. Let's go to Arby's.

Candide's Punishments, Do They Fit the Crime?

    I think Candide's punishments all stem from the naivety in his actions as Voltaire makes fun of Leibniz' "all is for the best" philosophy. Thus, the punishments are fitting in order to convey Voltaire's point.  The first punishment Candide faces is being exiled from Westphalia after his "experiment" with Cunegonde.  In the frame of Voltaire's satirical voice, this punishment absolutely fits the crime.  No more happy-go-lucky life for Candide, for he only had proof of 71 quarterings.
    Next, Candide is given the choice between being whipped by every man in the regiment or taking twelve bullets to his skull because he has taken a walk at his own leisure.  Of course this punishment isn't fitting for what he's done but, again, it is fitting in Voltaire's goal to make fun of Leibniz' philosophy.
    Even after these punishments, Candide's crimes continue and worsen.  He now kills two men in the name of love.  His punishment is to again be separated from Cunegonde right before they were to be married.  This punishment is all the more fitting because I think the reader has lost any respect there ever was for Candide and his optimism.  The punishment is humorous, as Candide still has not learned to deny the lessons he's learned from Pangloss.
    When the Baron turns on Candide in disgust for wanting to marry Cunegonde, the punishment seems to come round full circle to Candide's original exile.  His punishments started because of his love for Cunegonde and here he is killing the Baron for the same reason.  There seems to be no crime nor punishment too large to stop Candide in his pursuit.

Modern Day Gadfly

    I think that a modern day gadfly is Edward Snowden.  A couple years ago, he exposed a number of government secrets.  He is a gadfly because he did so with no attempt to hide his identity.  He thought there was nothing wrong with his actions and that it was simply information that the public deserved to be aware of.  Though aware that he would suffer from his actions, he felt it was worth it to reveal the government's privacy encroachments on American citizens.
    As any gadfly, Snowden received both support and negative responses for what he's done.

Is the Unexamined Life Worth Living?

   
     

     To examine life is to take into question that which we encounter.  When people examine life, they grow as individuals by understanding what motivates them to do something or why something is a certain way. I would equate a worthless life to one without meaning.  We are unique in our thought and emotion, and without that, we may as well be zombies.  I'm not sure that I understand how two people could even make a true connection if they were not examining life, for if they weren't, what makes them individuals?  It is our perceptions and self-awareness that allow us to express that self to another person.  The individual is definitely a Western concept, but in the society that I've grown up in, it is the strong individual that examines the world and can bring something new.
       Nothing comes of an unexamined life.  Our human experience is distinguished by our ability of mental awareness and to examine our own existence.  Examining one's life allows one to feel emotions, on both ends of the spectrum, to the fullest.  For instance, when someone examines what they are grateful for or finds the beauty around them, they are able to feel joy far beyond anyone who has not examined these pleasures.  Also, when one reads into his or her own faults, those of the community, and of the world, they may feel far deeper remorse than one living an unexamined life.  It is these powerful emotions that give humans the drive to impact society and make meaningful connections with one another.
   

Me

     My name is Adina Cohen, and I have lived in Chicago for all of my life.  I love this place, and I always try to take advantage of everything there is to do here.  My older sister, Sarah, is a Special Education/Spanish teacher in the Bronx, and  my brother, Adam, is currently in his 3rd month out of 2 years in the Peace Corps in Togo, Africa.  I am very close to both of them-hopefully some day we'll all live near each other.  

     A huge part of my life has been being a part of the Chicago Children's Choir.  I joined in 3rd grade and entered the top ensemble in 7th grade.  The purpose of the choir is to bring together a diverse group of kids from all around the city and to promote peace around the city and world.  We rehearse a ton in order to be able to have an impact through our music.  Since 7th grade, I have traveled to Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Italy, and India with the choir.  These trips were life-changing, and the opportunities I've had to sing around Chicago have also given me a drive for social change.  

     I want to do some human rights/social justice related work.  My full year senior experience is with a humanitarian organization, and it's incredible so far.  I am working with their social justice book group to write discussion questions and present what work our organization is doing in the conflict region discussed in the book.  

    Over the summer I worked as a counselor at a sleep away camp in California.  My campers were 8-10 years old...insane little people.  It was very tiring and difficult, but also fun and rewarding.  It was interesting talking to kids with such malleable minds and being able to have an impact on them through the relationships I built.  

    I'm happy to be in classes that I really got to choose this year.  I'm grateful to be at Whitney Young, and I will try not to let my senioritis get in the way of that too much.