Life is meaningless sans purpose

Meanings are at core of our experience and also at core of whatever we do

In Hermann Hesse’s novel Steppenwolf, we enter the turbulent mind of Harry Haller, a man teetering on the edge of sanity. He calls himself a Steppenwolf, a creature adrift between the human and the wild, the civilised and the primal. This introspective novel is a complex and layered exploration of identity, alienation and the search for meaning in a world that feels meaningless. Harry, a middle-aged intellectual, feels utterly disconnected from society. He loathes bourgeois values, finds social interactions stifling and views himself as a wolf trapped in a cage of convention. As the novel unfolds, he grapples with depression, suicidal thoughts and a deep sense of isolation.

However, Steppenwolf is not solely a descent into darkness. It’s also a journey of self-discovery, fueled by encounters with characters that represent different aspects of Harry’s psyche. From the sensual Hermine to the enigmatic Mozart, each encounter unveils a hidden facet of Harry’s personality, pushing him to confront his desires, fears and the very essence of his being. The novel delves into philosophical themes through the use of dream sequences and allegorical passages. Harry encounters a Magic Theater ‘for madmen only’, where his deepest anxieties and vulnerabilities are laid bare. Through these symbolic experiences, he confronts the duality within himself, the civilised man and the wild wolf, and seeks to reconcile them.

Steppenwolf is not an easy read. Its fragmented structure, stream-of-consciousness narrative and philosophical musings can be challenging for some readers. However, for those who persevere, it offers a profound and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition. It prompts us to question our own identities, examine our societal norms and grapple with the existential questions that plague us all.

American author Hunter S Thompson writes: “Every man is the sum total of his reactions to experience. As your experiences differ and multiply, you become a different man and hence your perspective changes. This goes on and on... So it would seem foolish, would it not, to adjust our lives to the demands of a goal we see from a different angle every day? How could we ever hope to accomplish anything? The answer, then, must not deal with goals at all. We do not strive to be firemen; we do not strive to be bankers, nor policemen, nor doctors. We strive to be ourselves. But don’t misunderstand me. I don’t mean that we can’t be firemen, bankers, or doctors but those we must make the goal conform to the individual, rather than make the individual conform to the goal. Beware of looking for goals: look for a way of life. Decide how you want to live and then see what you can do to make a living within that way of life”.

Since the beginning of human history, people have been asking: what is the meaning of life? Why are we here? What is the purpose of existence?

Antisthenes, a pupil of Socrates, first outlined the themes of cynicism, starting that the purpose of life is living a life of virtue. Happiness depends upon being self-sufficient and master of one’s mental attitude; suffering is the consequence of false judgments of value which cause negative emotions and a concomitant vicious character.

Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl has said: “Life is never made unbearable by circumstance, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”

Human beings are the only beings that can put their own existence into question and the biggest quest in an individual’s life is to find its meaning and purpose. Meanings are at the core of our experience and also at the core of whatever we do. It is only through meaning that we make sense of our existence.

American psychologist Jerome Bruner put it more bluntly, nothing that without meaning systems “we would be lost in murk of chaotic experience and probably would not have survived as species in any case.”

Some people believe the meaning of life is to find happiness and fulfillment while others believe life is meant to serve a higher purpose or to make the world a better place. There may be disagreements about the purpose of life, but all the philosophers and psychologists agree that the force of purpose in life is the greatest motivation in this universe.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2024.

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