Nurturing
Does art give meaning to life? Does it influence the way you think and act? The painting depicts a devastated earth and is a reminder that when we nurture the land we can bring it back to life.
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 or do you want to make changes? When contemplating this my life, I began to wonder what it means to live well. This question is one philosophers have debated since ancient times. What is happiness? Does human life have a purpose? There are times I think that life could not possibly be better. But, then 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.” He believed the highest goals to strive for are personal well being and happiness. I wonder if he would say that today after reading news clips of politicians and mobsters who act for personal gain and happiness at the expense of others.
Martin Heidegger from Germany went a bit further than Aristotle and wrote that it wasn’t possible to live 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 search of freedom. It’s not long before they realize they are not free. Strings of their past hold them tight, making it difficult for them to evolve and prosper. They usually need professional help before they can participate in adult society.
I remain fascinated by the early American Transcendentalists. Ralph Waldo Emerson 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 is 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 can 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, believed that “most important was the acquisition of friends.” He wrote that friendship more than anything else contributed to a healthy and fulfilling life.
German philosopher Nietzche, was prolific in his teachings. He wrote about morality, religion, good and evil, antisemitism and nationalism. His thoughts about art interests me for 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 paintings impact society but I do try. Occasionally I send a message for others to consider. (see above)
A great many philosophers, psychologists and educations bring insight to this topics. 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, believed life got its meaning from caring for others. She rings a bell close to my heart.
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. Today I am most attuned to Emily Smith’s ideas. Perhaps its a sign of
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 or do you want to make changes? Before analyzing your present situation, it’s important to decide what it means to live well. This raises questions philosophers have debated since ancient times. What is happiness? Does human life have a purpose? There are 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.” The highest goals to strive for are personal well-being and happiness. I wonder if Aristotle would say that today after contemplating politicians and mobsters who act for personal gain and happiness at the expense of others.
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 participate 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.
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 has much of an impact on society. but I do try. Occasionally , my paintings carry a message for viewers to contemplate. (see above)
A great many philosophers, psychologists and educations reflected 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, wrote that life got its meaning from caring for others. Her words ring bells close to my heart.
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. Today I am most attuned to Emily Smith’s ideas. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been blessed with a wonderful life that I enjoy spending hours helping others.
lived a wonderful life that I desire 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 below
References:
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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Art is always for sale. Nurturing is acrylic on board / gold metal frame / 43” x84” / $1,100
To make arrangements contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineartcom.marilynne@eichingrfineart.com
