Humans fundamentally are social animals and imperative to survival and overcoming the demands of life, have always needed each other. In the early beginnings of man, the forming of groups was necessary to ensure protection from environmental dangers. Though advancements in civilization and societies has changed the pressures faced in everyday living, humans remain social beings. Relations with others have shifted from providing physical defense mechanisms to offering support more focused on satisfying deeper psychological needs (Blieszner, 2014). Popular beliefs attribute value on relationships in order to make sense of the world and each other. Expressions of gratitude, joy, and fulfillment as products of healthy relationships aid in the reduction of uncertainty and reassure of a greater life’s purpose; asserting the idea that we live for others. Healthy friendships promote senses of belonging and meaning, enhance overall happiness, increase well being, provide emotional security, and create a space in which self actualization is encouraged and may be achieved (Mcleod, 2007). Additionally, it is beneficial to conversely recognize how unhealthy friendships can also serve a pivotal role in advancement of the self and actualization. The endurance of a negative relationship provides individual opportunity to develop emotional intelligences of mindful awareness, forgiveness, and empathy. Unpleasant experiences demand growth in order to move past them. After overcoming a broken
Close friends often have a major impact on the choices that people make. A close
of achieving our purpose in life can be a daunting but awarding task. Christopher McCandless
As humans, it’s in our nature to look for the meaning in our lives. Our minds are very complex and allow us the gift but also the despair of contemplating our existence and purpose in this world. Nowadays, it’s common for us to go on journeys to find the purpose of one’s life and to discover themselves and find direction for their future. In the article “Authentic purpose: the spiritual infrastructure of life” by Corey L.M. Keyes, Keyes explores the reason on why finding a purpose has become so key to one’s health and the different ways that we find purpose in our lives.
Lennie and George, the inseparable pair, are always travelling together. Some people living in 1930’s California find this fact a little bit odd, but to George and Lennie, it is second nature. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the traditional views of friendship are challenged when the reader meets the main characters, one of whom is suffering from a disability that prohibits him from being able to learn and comprehend basic concepts such as remembering facts or following directions. The other friend, George Milton, grows increasingly frustrated with having to deal with the disability, and continually complains about it; regardless of that, Lennie Small and his lifelong friend George
While we are often unaware of it, Forsyth argues, that our performance and motivation can be directly linked to the groups we have chosen to associate with, which can have a significant impact on the development of our identity and future decisions. The author discusses different social theories that can relate to our understanding of group
Two people of different ages and genders can form solid friendship, which becomes their spiritual dependence and compensates their lacking of emotional care. Also, the end of friendship further demonstrates the importance of it. This paper will focus on Okyō and Kichizō’s friendship in “Separate Ways,” by Higuchi Ichiyo, and Park So-nyo and Lee Eun-gyu’s friendship in Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin, to analyze the form and end of their friendships.
In “The Meaning of Lives,” Wolf asserts that the question “What is the Meaning of Life?” is inherently unintelligible because it is uncertain what the question is asking. In other words it is too general because it has no specified context. Wolf then acknowledges, however, that there is value in examining the meaningfulness of a life. This is because she observes people wanting meaning as an unchangeable fact. While there is no grand reason for meaning, she suggests that we can create value through what we do in our life. In her work, Wolf constructs a framework on how to obtain meaning in one’s life. I will examine her view, then critically discuss the positive attributes and the shortcomings. Wolf does a sufficient job to outline a possible way to achieve meaning. However, I will argue that a definition for the meaningful life that does not include morality and happiness is not sufficient. Lastly, I will express the subjective and objective tension that weakens her stance.
Many philosophers, throughout centuries of human existence, have deciphered, or at least attempted tried to cast some light on to, our purpose. Consulting their findings could give several answers on whether we should live to maximize our pleasure, minimize our pain, avoid frustration or achieve greatness. In my own considerations, though, sorting through the tumultuous noise and clutter of the world around me for the some obscured or hidden meaning was not necessary. To me, the noise and clutter is the meaning. I do not live for what is hidden; I live for what is all around me. My experiences are not tools that assist me in find some truth. Rather, they are the truth. In other words the Good in my life is, in fact, life in its entirety.
Grouping is cause by a biological stain, meaning that humans have been stained with this instinct. It is a survival tactic that goes to show that there is still a sense of survival against others today. Groups are also used as reassurance and confidence for the people included. While the people excluded are mentally or physically harmed by the group. The purpose of a group is not only survival but reproduction, once again a primitive instinct where the weak and feeble are left out of groups to, inevitably, die without a
Finding one’s purpose in life essentially gives meaning to the existence of each individual. Some existential philosophers argue that each person has a predetermined purpose or reason for existence which they must discover on their own as they live their own lives. However, such reason is not an absolute certainty; instead, it is significantly
1194), and is oftentimes experienced when an individual has had something kind done for them (Algoe, Fredrickson, & Gable, 2013). Research indicates that feeling grateful increases comfort in expressing concerns about one’s relationship (Lambert & Fincham, 2011), increases overall relationship satisfaction (Schramm, Marshall, Harris, & Lee, 2005), and fosters a greater desire to maintain one’s relationship (Gordon, Impett, Kogan, Oveis, & Keltner, 2012). Additionally, feelings and expressions of gratitude in relationships promote pro-social and helping behavior (Bartlett & DeSteno, 2006; McCullough, Kilpatrick, Emmons, & Larson, 2001; Tsang, 2006) and foster positive reframing of negative situations (Lambert, Graham, & Fincham, 2009). In light of this literature, it would be appropriate to infer that high feelings of gratitude towards one’s partner would transfer to high feelings of relationship satisfaction by the partner feeling grateful. However, there is a substantial gap in the literature concerning the direct link between gratitude and relationship satisfaction, so the current study aims to explore this
Over the span of our life, we are on a constant search for meaning or purpose. When we finally resolve to call our life meaningful through participating in some “external activities” as suggested by Wolf, we are still haunted by “the feeling of the absurd” as described by Camus (Wong 2, May viii). For example, even if we follow Todd May’s advice and successfully identify some narrative values in our life such as steadfastness, intensity, and inquisitiveness, we may still hold reservations regarding the meaningfulness of our life. The fitting fulfillment and narrative values are essentially limited because they merely focus on the external activities with life, not our mindset which truly shapes who we are and decides whether we are
The purpose of life is to be happy; to seek a microcosm of something, and there find the slot where your piece fits. Once a person has become a part of something, happiness is achieved - and life is fulfilled; the priest finds the parish, the athlete finds the field, and the baker finds the bakery. Happily do they continue on with their lives, and to them, life is fulfilled. A haze of joy and mirth shields the everyday man from the reality of their insignificance; some admit it and manage on, but others crash and crumble under the weight of the truth: for what it is worth, the deeds of a man matter as much as the grime on a snail’s shell. This truth is not entirely grim; however, it does allure. Many have been drawn to find, for themselves, the truth of human worth. Existentialists focus on the question that is a concrete human existence, and the conditions of such existence; they do not dwell on a hypothesis for human essence, instead they stress that this essence is determined by an individual’s own life choices. Although humans live in the world, a distance is created in order to add meaning to the disinterested world; however, this meaning is fragile and can be disturbed by tragedy or insight. When this disturbance occurs, and humans’ precarious lives crumble, the true nature of the world is revealed; a nature that shows little importance for humans; this way of
Managing friendships can be a complicated process as it is a multifaceted topic with various needs depending on the relationship you are dealing with. Many people are shy or diffident in their abilities when it comes to social networks and do not know where to start when interacting with others. There are plenty of guides and words of advice that focus on romantic relationships and being a better partner, but what is often left out is how to be a better friend. Even looking within friendships, though, there are various, complex aspects of it, ranging from the degree of similarity between two people to the extent of honesty and trust between them. But what these facets are rooted upon is expression - how to express these similarities, how to convey trust and loyalty, how to reveal appreciation, and so on. In a sense, then, the foundation of friendship is communication. As a result, this guide will focus on the nuanced aspects of communication in order to facilitate strong friendships. Delving into this sphere and explaining the critical, applicable research on communication will help you decipher strong communication tactics versus types of communication that can break friendships. The beginning part of this guide will cover the main ways of self-disclosing, or sharing information and feelings with others, because this is often how close friendships start. Looking into why self-disclosing is beneficial and then exploring the research on being on the receiving end of
The bond you grow with a person, getting to know them, feel comfortable with them is the best bond to create, a real friendship. Various people have experienced the loss of a friend, whether it be, that their friend moved away or perhaps passed away. Most have not experienced what it feels like to be left with an empty hole in their heart by the cause of a person simply deciding to leave their life with no excuse. Having a friendship could be one of the best experiences in this life, sharing moments together, moments that are meaningful along with unforgettable. They’re things that are best kept in your memories, for the reason that when your friendship ends, the memories stay. The memories that are kept, can bring a smile on your face or