Have you ever asked yourself: what is the meaning of life?
What is the point of our existence?
Why are we here?
How do I have a good life?
I know how you felt right after asking yourself these questions; you felt just as confused as ever, and you maybe even silently prayed for the perfect answer.
In my blog here I will cover PHILOSOPHIES FOR A BETTER LIFE.
But unfortunately, there is in fact no perfect answer to living a good life, or finding the meaning of your existence. However, there are some interesting philosophies that will not only increase your chances of having a better life, they will also help you find the meaning you’ve always yearned for.
Ready for this adventure? I promise not to make this sound like a philosophy class! Let’s get right to it!
1 Stoicism
You must have heard of stoicism in one way or another, as it is widely regarded as one of the most popular philosophies for a happy life.
But stoicism began way back in Ancient Greece, how is still valid in today’s world?
One interesting quote fully defines it, “Waste no time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”
So rather than wasting time talking about what good needs to be done in the world, how about you go out there and do the needful?
Stoicism suggests that you live a life of wise and moral decisions, and in doing this you’ll unlock happiness for yourself!
The stoics also believe we shouldn’t blame ourselves for things that we cannot control.
This goes further to mention that only our actions and how we react to situations are in our control, but the eventual outcome of whatever we do in life is really not up to us.
But by finding happiness in your actions and attitude, you are putting your key to happiness in your own hands, and not something out of your control!
Want to practice stoicism? Always remember that we cannot control how things turn out, but we can control what they mean for us.
2 Epicureanism
What’s the secret to living a happy life? Well, epicureans believe that happiness can be found in living a life filled with pleasure!
But this pleasure is not the one to be found at the typical spots of food, great drinks, vacations, or sexual activities; it can be instead be found in the art of moderation and abstinence from bodily desires!
Now, this philosophy doesn’t necessarily suggest that you shouldn’t have a life filled with pleasure, what it means is that true pleasure can in fact be found in learning more about our world, friendship, communities, living a virtuous life, and most importantly doing everything in moderation.
Living by this philosophy will teach you the importance of knowing how much of everything is needed, and also how happiness can be found in the quest for knowledge.
Simply, this teaches us to live moderately, adopt a modest style, and find knowledge, as these are the secrets to true happiness!
3 Taoism
Taoism is an ancient philosophy whose teachings are still valid in today’s world.
For starters, this philosophy teaches three important lessons; simplicity, compassion, and patience.
It advises us to be simple in thinking and in action, then it reminds us to always be patient with friends and family, and most importantly, we must have strong compassion towards ourselves!
This suggests that you should always strive for simplicity, but more necessary is this: you must love and believe in yourself!
But Taoism goes beyond that; it also advises us to go with the flow! Does this mean we should never make plans and instead act spontaneously?
Definitely not! What this means is that we should never try to change things that are out of our control, instead just let them take their natural course!
So when next you are faced with a dilemma, or you have no idea what you need to do, the best decision is to do nothing!
However, as soon as you see the right opportunity for a move, you should definitely take a shot!
Furthermore, Taoism teaches us to let things go.
This philosophy argues that if everything in life is subject to change, would it make any sense to try to hold on to something forever?
Of course not! When we accept the facts of life, the fact of life and death, the fact of change, it helps us live a life of freedom, and this freedom is key to having a better life.
4 Hedonism
If the Epicureans’ definition of pleasure didn’t sound too fancy to you, then hedonism definitely will. Hedonism teaches us that true happiness can only be found in our pursuit for pleasure, and yes you guessed right, this pleasure could be anything in the world!
This is quite an interesting and fascinating way to live, and it is defined by the simple boundaries of “If you want to be happy, you might as well only do things that pleases you!”
Hedonism further tells us to always live in the moment; the past is gone, the future is buried in a smoke of doubt, so the present is the only thing we’ve got, the only thing we can control, so wouldn’t it suck if we allowed the present moment to pass us by?
Rather than let the moments pass you by, do that thing you’ve always wanted to. Create bucket lists and make an effort to turn them into reality! All we’ve got is now, let’s make it count!
5 Existentialism
If you are familiar with existentialism, then we are pretty sure you are wondering how it can help us live better lives.
Let’s take it from the start; existentialists believe that all humans are bothered by something called existential angst.
This angst is seen as that period in our lives where we search for meaning and purpose, that period where we try to know ourselves, and how we fit into the grand scheme of the universe.
Now, existentialists believe that to find this meaning, we must be willing to become self-aware, create our own values and meaning, and live based on these values.
This suggests that our lives are fully in our hands, and finding meaning and purpose in this world is entirely dependent on us.
Existentialists remind us that God, government, our parents, teachers, or even friends cannot give us meaning in life, except the ones we give ourselves.
What then is the first step to finding your purpose? It is a journey to finding out who you really are; what are your dreams and aspirations?
Your deepest fears? What are your strengths and weaknesses? By finding answers to these questions, you are slowly on your path to finding meaning for your life.
6 Aestheticism
Have you ever stopped to appreciate how beautiful the world really is? Take a look at the mountains, the endless oceans, a vast sky of stars, rainfall, and the beautiful trees. There is art all around us, we just have to be willing to look!
Aestheticism is a philosophy that helps us see the connection between pretty things and happiness. These philosophers believe that visual pleasure is something we should always pay attention to!
And hey, this isn’t just because pretty things can be quite fun to look at, there’s also scientific evidence that shows that looking at pretty things have a direct impact on our happiness!
So, if you find yourself constantly finding beauty in everything around you, you will notice that you are happier than that person who refuses to see beauty in the world.
Start to stare at more beautiful things, it will surely make you feel better!
7 The David Foster Wallace Philosophy
In 2005, David Foster Wallace, one of the most brilliant individuals of the 2000s, delivered a speech at Kenyon College. The aim of this speech was to teach the graduates how to live a compassionate life, and Foster Wallace explained that we can only achieve true happiness when you have control over your thoughts!
Come to think of it, our emotions are largely influenced by our thoughts! Take for instance, is your mind always filled with thoughts of how difficult things are for you?
Then you’ll be sad half the time! However, if your thoughts fixate on the fact that things will get better, then you’d be happy most of the time!
When our minds are not in the right place, it will have an outward effect on us. But when you gain mastery of your mind, it becomes quite easier to control your happiness!
But as soon as you give power to your mind, you have made the decision to throw your happiness to the wind.
8 Socratic Philosophy of Self-Reflection
In a number of my past blogs, I have hammered on the importance of self-reflection, and fortunately, this sentiment is again echoed in Socratic philosophy.
Socrates was a wise, old man whose philosophies from Ancient Greece shaped our Western philosophy today.
So, if this guy says, “An unexamined life is not worth living,” then we are 100% certain he knows what he’s talking about.
Socrates argues that to live a better life, you must be willing to examine your life from an objective point of view!
This way, you’ll see yourself for who you really are, and consequently you’ll discover where to make necessary changes!
This self-reflection can also be done with a trusted friend, as we sometimes have “blind spots” that we need others to point out.
Socrates believed that in trying to become a better person through self-reflection exercises, we are on the path to genuine happiness and a better life.
9 Skepticism
Skepticism? Isn’t that the philosophical belief that doubts the existence of almost every form of knowledge? Yes, that’s right. How then will it help us lead better lives?
Well, here’s the thing; skepticism questions everything.
In fact, some philosophers have argued that without skepticism, there wouldn’t be philosophy in the first place!
It is the endless search for knowledge, for answers, even when it looks like you are getting none!
But still, how does this affect our daily lives?
Skepticism as a concept teaches us to question our assumptions, our truths, our values, and eventually ourselves.
When we question these assumptions, we begin to form our own opinions about certain subjects, and in doing this we become more self-aware.
By questioning your values, you can also tell if they still matter as much as they used to, or if they’ve slowly evolved into something else.
Life is an endless search for meaning, and by being sceptic, you push yourself to constantly search for answers, and in turn this will provide more clarity on how to lead a better life.
10 Modern Humanism
Ever heard the phrase “The world will be a better place without humans”? Even though this sounds like a phrase from someone who has lost all faith in humanity, we cannot deny that it doesn’t contain a certain level of truth.
Every single thing we have suffered and enjoyed as humans, was caused by our own hands, so yeah, if humans didn’t exist, the world would pretty much be a good place.
Interestingly, this is the core belief of modern humanists, a philosophy which points out that humans are solely responsible for their fate!
This means that we can blame no one for our errors, but most importantly it teaches us to take responsibility for our actions, despite their consequences.
In addition, this philosophy suggests that the key to having a great future as humans will be determined by how we treat and help one another.
It’s the simple rule of our existence: treat others the way you’d like to be treated.
Help others when you can, and look out for other people, irrespective of our differences.
This simple rule is the key to creating a better world for every human in every part of the world!
11 The Philosophy of Perspective
This philosophy teaches that your problem might in fact not be the real problem, but how you look at it! This is basically saying that with the right perspective, you can turn a situation around.
Let’s take a quick example: you lost your job, and you can’t help but think of how this is going to affect your future goals and aspirations.
But what if you think of this job loss as an opportunity to upskill? Or an opportunity to examine your life and see where you can make changes?
At this point, the situation stops being a problem and turns into an opportunity, all because of a new perspective!
We all know I could go on and on, but I am tired of typing and feel as if I have provided enough for today to hopefully move someone on to a better life.
Larry,
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