The question of what may be the purpose life for an individual, is something that most ponder during their lifetime. This question has a significant amount of influence on a person, as it can be the difference between a feeling of emptiness or motivation to achieve a purpose. It has been a widely debated topic, going back centuries and written of by some of the most influential beings of those times. Plato, Aristotle, and The Book of Exodus are only some of the many beings and stories who dedicated their time to questioning and deciding what the answer to “life” may be. While there may be a variety of answers to what the purpose of life is, I believe that the purpose of life is to strive for the common good. To seek for the common good, we are given a purpose higher than ourselves and are able to help those around us as well.
Aristotle looks at honor in his piece, Nicomachean Ethics, and makes a statement on what he truly believes that honor means to one. “…Depend on those who bestow honour rather than on him who receives it, but the good we divine to be something proper to a man and not easily taken from him.” (2) For him, seeking honor itself is something greater than receiving it. Seeking honor means that one is looking within themselves and seeing something worthy of honor. Therefore, it is something that is good inside a person, whether or not it is rewarded with honor or not. This is part of the purpose of life, which is to be the greatest one can be in order to not only help themselves but others. It is something that can possibly benefit a person, but ultimately is selfless as it will usually involved the act of good or something honorable. Those who bestow honor do so for a meaningful reason and whatever that may be, it is something that has an impact. To impact the world, in a way that may benefit others, is the true purpose.
Searching for answers about oneself, or bettering oneself, is something that ultimately impacts the overall good of society. To become a better version of yourself, you must learn new knowledge about yourself and apply it to your life. In Allegory of the Cave, there is a theme of exploration of oneself and everything that we believe we know. Even the reading itself gives the reader the freedom to believe and take what they want from the story/thoughts. Reading this it seems like there is a clear “enlightened” being, when in reality it is just one person who was able to explore beyond his own beliefs. To be forced into seeing something does not set one free, it simply blindsides them.
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To find this place, or the light, yourself, is to set oneself free and that is one more person who has been bettered in the world. “It is the task of the enlightened not only to ascend to learning and to see the good but to be willing to descend again to those prisoners and to share their troubles and their honors, whether they are worth having or not.”(pg) If one were to look at each aspect of the story in terms of symbolism, it is clear that those who are chained beneath the surface are there by their own choice. For they choose to not see what they could, which is the light. The light, to me, represents the good of the world, justice, and a higher being. Without this, one is empty and without purpose, such as those in the cave. Working for the great good also includes trying to help yourself. You can work towards helping others, but never force them to follow your own lead. You can only try. So to seek that freedom, or light, is to work towards the greater good starting with yourself.
When you wish for the greater good, you are looking for the promise of a better life or a better world for all. Whether this is made or found is something that is up for debate, but The Book of Exodus gives one some insight around this idea through the idea of the ten commandments. Through the ten commandments, a group of people is asked to follow a set of rules in order to receive blessings among other things. There is a collective effort that had to be made in order to reach a better place, and in this case it is done. So to reach a goal, or place, the people in this reading had to look towards a higher being than themselves. In The Book of Exodus, it states, “…all the people answered together, ‘Everything the Lord has said we will do.’” (pg. 25)
For the common good, they had to obey a set of rules and because of this, they were able to collectively achieve something much greater than they could have individually. Going back to the thesis, this is the type of example that directly shows how the focus on a collective group of others brings a meaning that cannot be found by simply trying to do it on your own. Their one common goal, which was for the safety and good of each individual, was what guided them. Without this common goal and belief, they would have never achieved what they did. Striving for something greater for themselves is what allowed them to have motivation and purpose despite their struggles.
This question has a significant amount of influence on a person, as it can be the difference between a feeling of emptiness or motivation to achieve such a purpose. It has been a widely debated topic, going back centuries and written of by some of the most influential beings of those times. Plato, Aristotle, and The Book of Exodus are only some of the many writers and pieces who dedicated their work to questioning and deciding what the answer to “life” may be. While there may be a variety of answers to what the purpose of life is, I believe that the purpose of life is to strive for the common good. For to seek for the common good, we are given a purpose higher than ourselves and are able to help those around us as well.
The purpose of life cannot be found within just one person, it is something that one finds in themselves and then in others. Plato, Aristotle, and The Book of Exodus all seek to give insight into what one’s purpose in this world may be, but it also brings more questions. Despite seeing similarities in each, they also have their differences which also help one find their own version of helping the common good. There are smaller and larger ways one can help those around them, but as long as there is a commitment to the greater good, then there is a purpose.
