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“Our Obligation Is to Give Meaning to Life, and in Doing so to Overcome the Passive, Indifferent Life”

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Submitted By sfchurt
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Author Note
This paper was prepared for PHI 100: Introduction to Philosophy
Homework Module #8 Taught by Professor David Smith

1. “Our obligation is to give meaning to life, and in doing so to overcome the passive, indifferent life” a quote by quote by Elie Wiesel, Nobel laureate for peace, Holocaust survivor and author. I do not know, I find times I believe life does not have meaning, and agree with the Nihilists, Taylor and Schopenhauer. There are times I believe I tread my own destiny and find meaning in what I do, like R. M. Hare Self-Chosen Commitment. I still have many questions left unanswered. I think we all, at one time or another ponders the meaning of life.
I have concluded, and it is not 42, Elie is right, my world or my meaning of life is a succession of obligations. I do not know if it is good or not so good. Growing up, I had obligations to my mom and dad, later in life to God, as a solider I sought obligations to my country, then my wife and daughters and now to myself. Could I have lived my life differently and shied away from any obligation? I do not think so; something is side giving you the drive to seek what others will not. I do not know what that is, God? Maybe. So this one I would have to agree with Elie, and Hare, we give our own life meaning, or not

2. Of course human history is progressing, in science, technology, standards of living, socially and governing. Yet there were nearly 10,000 rapes last year and 16,254 murders. Have we progressed from the man sitting by the fire in a cave, where the strong survive and the weak die, where the strong take what they wants, and the weak just take it. I think we are just different without any distinction. We are of course much more comfortable, we do not have to worry if we will be eaten by are lunch, but are we really that much different? Let us take for example, Sarajevo home to the Winter Olympics, 1984, the jewel of the region, ten years later I was part of a peacekeeping effort attached to a special command contingent in Bosnia. The town was in civil war, where one side used rape as an offensive weapon, raping girls as young as ten in order to show the other side, their women will give birth to a baby conceived in another’s faith. The part I find so disturbing, the people were neighbors for the entire time Josip Broz Tito was in power 1945-1980. After the death of Tito, civil war started and neighbor turned on neighbor, not much different from a few millenniums ago. More recent, we have a runaway government that seems to enjoy imposing their will just because they can. I have a dog, I could take to the children’s hospital where my wife works, I had to register the dog and make sure all the shots were up to date, all reasonable requests, then at ten o clock on a Friday night this lady shows up to my house with cops, for a surprise inspection of my facilities where I housed my dog. I asked what is the problem, it is the law I submit to a surprise inspection any time she wished for the simple joy of entertaining a few sick kids. I know in the big scheme of things this is small potatoes, but it illustrates the big bullying the small. I do not think we have changed all that much from the good old days we just are more comfortable when we club someone over the head
4. “The way you love me I wouldn't bet, I'll tell you something it's as good as it gets” Ratt, As Good As It Gets from the Infestation album. Therefore, if Fukuyama is right it does not get any better than this, and I open with a quote from the second reunion of a Ratt tour. It must be bad. I do not believe we reached the top of our game. My belief of “we chose” our meaning of life is true then I automatically discounts Fukuyama theory, but if Fukuyama is true, we are in a lot of trouble. If this is the top, I am very disappointed.

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