Tuesday, April 06, 2004 ::: The Answer to the Problem of Human Existence:
In Erich Fromm's "The Art of Loving," he defines the problem of human existence as "the anxiety that comes with the realization that we are all alone," and that the answer to that problem is "to form a loving union with the rest of humanity."
In studying ethics, I realize that the root of evil is the anxiety of being alone, which leads us to exploit others to empower our sense of self-worth.
In studying free will and determinism, I realize that the purpose of suffering is to remind us that we are alone , and to overcome suffering we must find a purpose in our lives.
In studying the epistimology of metaphysics, I realize that the anthropic principle proves that there is a predetermined purpose in all of existence.
In falling in love, I realize that our ultimate purpose is to love each other ...
... but we still have the will to choose whether or not we want to follow that purpose, but any alternative to love will only lead to more suffering because it involves exploiting others and being exploited ...
... ergo, the only way to be happy is to follow the purpose that has already been laid out for us ...
