Man's Search For Meaning

A relationship between a father and a son is a sacred bond, one created at birth and strengthened over time. This paternal relationship is core to the value of family, a likewise bond of faith and trust. Such bonds are tested during times of hardship and pain, seen most clearly during times of war. During the events of World War II, and the gruesome events of the Holocaust, this truth was never more true. Through works such as the memoir Night, by survivor Elie Wiesel, and the artistry of the 1997 film Life is Beautiful, directed by Roberto Benigni, these times of hardships are kept alive in common memory. Through contrasting the lives of Elie Wiesel, and the fictional character of Giosue from Life is Beautiful, in the concentration camp, the evolution of the father-son relationship over time can be seen.

Marked by the dehumanizing and horrific genocide of the Jewish people, the Holocaust was a significant conflict that fueled the militant period of the twentieth century. As the spearhead of the Nazi Party of Germany from 1934 to 1945, Adolf Hitler sponsored the brutal persecution and genocide of around six million Jewish individuals, along with many other casualties. Subjugated to the tyranny of the concentration and labor camps where they were stripped of their identity and liberty, the individuals that survived the Holocaust will carry the burden of their traumatic memories through their lifetime. In his memoir, Night, Elie Wiesel explores his harrowing experiences imprisoned in multiple concentration camps as a teenager during the Holocaust.

It is a human instinct to prioritize one's well-being before others. We are constantly confronted with situations where we as humans have to take action for our own contentment. In the book, Night by Elie Wiesel, he shares his own traumatic experience of the Holocaust, which was a mass murder of 12 million Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, basically anyone who is different and wouldn’t fit into Adolf Hitler’s image of a perfect society. Despite how ruthless the Holocaust was, the Elie and his fellow prisoners fought and fought for their freedom, displaying how much humanity will fight for survival. By looking at the following examples: A child kills his own father for a loaf of bread, a son leaving his father behind during one of the march so he would not die, and Elie debating if he should let his father die so he could have a higher chance of surviving. It becomes clear that Elie Wiesel`s commentary on human nature is that, during extreme circumstances, people are selfish and would achieve anything for their own survival.

To find a man who has not experienced suffering is impossible; to have man without hardship is equally unfeasible. Such trials are a part of life and assert that one is alive by shaping one’s character. In the autobiographical memoir Night by Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, this molding is depicted through Elie’s transformation concerning his identity, faith, and perspective. As a young boy, Elie and his fellow neighbors of Sighet, Romania were sent to Auschwitz, a macabre concentration camp with the sole motive of torturing and killing Jews like himself. There, Elie experiences unimaginable suffering, and upon liberation a year later, leaves as a transformed person. His story displays how, though experiences affect decisions, it is the individual who chooses to either find purpose when there does not seem to be a clear objective, or allow one’s anguish to be fruitless. This concept is further explored with psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s idea of logotherapy, and discussed in Elie’s interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey decades after the Holocaust. In Night, Elie is overwhelmed by his suffering, as he experiences a deprivation of individuality, degradation of faith, and drainage of emotion, but he manages to find a way to channel this affliction into productivity and become a survivor rather than a victim.

Have you ever wondered why life was created and what your purpose is? Well, you probably have, you just don’t remember it. We ask ourselves a variety of questions every day. It might be a simple or hard question you are facing throughout the day, but the answer is the main thing you need to remember. The meaning of life is more than just a simple question like the others we ask ourselves. If you have read the book Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass then you would know not everyone has the same answer to that question. Everyone has different thoughts and answers, but Daniel Fink’s answer is the best solution to the problem. His answer is unique and very creative. He embraces his life and lives it to the fullest. Daniel Fink’s

Philosophical thinking uses three acts of the mind: understanding, judgement, and reason. In order to have a sound argument all of the concepts must be applied. Socrates didn’t want to please the people by saying or doing what they wanted him to say or do. Socrates thought it was not important to seek wealth or fame; he was concerned with truth and virtue. He wanted to create an impact on humanity by relying on the truth and shining a light in people’s lives, even if they put him on trial. Socrates defended himself and showed the truth by standing up for what he believed in. By doing this, he was put to death. Socrates effectively used the three acts of the mind to rebut the charges made against him at trial.

Life is the most simple and the most complicated thing throughout the whole universe. Every single day people are looking for meaning in their lives. However, not many people are able to find out what the meaning of their life really is. Some believe that there are multiple meanings for each person’s life. In the following books, each of the main characters are looking for the meaning in their own lives: The Catcher in the Rye, Into the Wild, In Cold Blood, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These books show that each character have different meanings to their lives and they want to find out what it is.

The memoir “Night”, by Elie Wiesel provides insight into the terrors of the holocaust, a genocide of the jewish race and is described as “A slim volume of terrifying power” by the New York Times. One of the most important aspect of “Night” that differentes it from other World War II novels and causes it to receive such praise and acclaim is its ability to pull readers in and cause the readers to empathize with the characters in the book. One of the methods by which Wiesel achieves this is through his use of themes, such as the theme of loss of faith in god. Wiesel incorporates the theme of loss of faith in God in order to allow readers to empathize with the traumatic experiences of holocaust survivors. One such example of this is the apparent

According to Plato (2000) Socrates claims that “Wealth does not bring about excellence, but excellence makes wealth and everything else good for men, both individually and collectively.” (p.10). There are different answers on the question: What is wealth? Wealth is to have money, to have knowledge, or to have family. There are people who does not have money, does not have much knowledge, or does not have family. Hence, they consider wealth of money, knowledge, or family. Moreover, excellence is the same as wealth, it has different types such as beauty, genius, or power. Although people differently think about the word of excellence and the word of wealth, they usually consider that “excellence” is when an one person or an one thing is more beautiful, stronger, more intelligent, or more cunning than another the man or the object. However, Socrates who is wise philosopher means that “excellence” is something like goodness, and “wealth” is a money. How Socrates (2000) mention above that wealth does not create a wise person, but a wisdom creates the good deeds for people. (p.10). Consequently, his meaning about excellence and wealth is correct because excellence is wisdom, justice, and virtue and these things can not be bought for money.

Through many of Plato’s works, such as the Republic, the Gorgias, and the Apology, the person that Socrates was and his personality shine through in his dialogue. Socrates was a man who asked many questions and always pushed not only his students but the whole city of Athens to look for more than just physical things. Many people claim, that Socrates went about teaching in the wrong way and that he is an arrogant fool and not an extremely wise person. However, I disagree with this claim. I believe that Socrates was a man who looked beyond the physical world and strived to gain as much knowledge as he could through asking questions and continuing to learn from others and in turn teach others, thus making him wise and striving to live the best life.

Plato’s work reads like an offbeat conversation between curious minds. The questions he poses are deeply profound, often leaving his converser lost for rebuttal as the meaning behind his statements can be, at first, difficult to decipher. A comparison can be drawn between the topics Plato discusses and the way in which he discusses them; just as it can be sometimes arduous to understand the connotation behind the assertions Plato makes in order to bolster his arguments for or against a certain issue, it can be just as (or even more so) difficult to understand the issue

Life is a very precious thing to have. Every person begins his or her life new, innocent, and curious. As people grow up, they gain a lot of experiences and knowledge, which may or may not be useful to them when they reach early adulthood and start living in the “real world.” Whether it be good or bad, these experiences help tell the story, more specifically the life, of an individual. At one point in every person’s life, there comes a time for reminiscence of these experiences, but why do we have these experiences in the first place? Why do we exist? Does it have any meaning or purpose? The movie Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life attempts to answer these questions and express these meanings and purposes of life by touching mainly on two

Virtue is defined in many ways. Some say that it comes from the Latin word ‘virtus’, meaning virtue or courage, which comes from the other Latin word ‘vir’, which means man, meaning that virtue is the qualities of a man, such as courage. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines virtue as, “conformity to a standard of right [and/or] a particular moral excellence” (Merriam-Webster 899). With all these definitions floating around, it is hard to determine what virtues really is and what it really means to have virtue. In Plato’s Meno, Socrates and Meno discuss the definition of virtue and whether it can be taught. They conclude that virtue cannot be taught, “that virtue comes to the virtuous [(those who possess virtue)] by the gift of God” (Plato

I remember when I was little girl and I would always ask myself what the meaning of life is and is they’re really a god. But I was never able to answer my own questions until now. I was born and raised in a Christian household and we was taught never to ask questions of that of nature or doubt our faith. The world is the way it is because that is how god made it. I’m quite religious, so I tend to find meaning in life through service and allegiance to god. We all have our personal thoughts and view of philosophy of life.

However, when we give meaning to our life I believe we have to understand that whatever we choose to based our life on, should also be something that will make us happy even when it 's no longer there. For example, if you based your life 's meaning on being the best mother to your kids and providing them with happiness and security. One must also understand that they might not always be around. So, what 's your meaning of life now? Therefore, When we give meaning to our life, I believe we also have to be realistic and focus on our meaning for living and set concrete goals. If we set our meaning of life to becoming the biggest super model in the world yet you 're not working towards it or you just set an unrealistic goal. Then eventually that 's going to alter your life 's meaning and cause you to live in Denial, and unhappy. Our life 's meaning comes from within us it 's something we have to think hard