Sana Iqbal

UWRT 1104

04/19/2017

Life

Reflection: As I began my thesis, I realized it was a lot harder than I initially thought it would be.

I had a difficult time starting the essay and I did not really know how to progress. Once I finally

began getting a flow into my thesis, I finally felt it coming together. The only problem I realized

myself facing was a difficulty being strictly factual, but that is a problem I can easily fix as I

progress with my paper.

Reflection 2: As I finished my paper after the peer review I found it to be much easier to get my

paper to flow as a whole. Once I included my personal opinion on the meaning of life, how it has

changed and my sister's opinion it definitely made my paper more personal and easier to write as

a whole. I realized that having my annotated bibs with me made the paper much easier because I

had a source to go to when my mind went blank and I could use information straight from it

because it was my own. Overall, the paper was not as difficult as i thought it would be.

From the beginning of time, we were always taught one thing; to live simply means to

breathe and be alive. As we grow up, however, we begin to gradually realize that the meaning of

life does not have a definite answer, rather several propositions. Each individual has their own

personal definition to describe what life is, or what the purpose of life means to them. The

problem with this is there is no correct answer, no room to argue, or debate on the meaning

because it is infinite. Several books, journals, magazines, talk show hosts, and articles debate on

the different definition of the meaning of life and its purpose.

 As a child I was always taught the meaning of life was simply to have fun. Children

typically do not think deep into the subject, rather just know to be happy is to live. Through the

years I grew a deeper understanding of the topic, I began to realize that simply to live does not

mean you are alive. I remember being a very spoiled child that thought the meaning and purpose

of life was to be able to afford anything and everything, as well as maintain a humble personality

and always remember religion is an important factor. Clearly, it is not an easy task to be humble

while living a lavish lifestyle, but as a preteen this what what I believed the meaning of life was.

I remember sitting and thinking that the day I could afford everything I desired would be the day

I fulfilled everything I needed to in life. This is how a child or preteen would imagine the

meaning of life to be, but others have a different opinion. These different opinions brought me to

my very broad but often questioned thesis: What is the meaning and/or purpose of life?

My initial source I would like to introduce would be my sister, Sania Iqbal. She is 23

years old and a UNC Charlotte Alumni. When asked what she thought the meaning of purpose of

life is, she initially stated I really do not know, I have never thought of it really so this is a tough

question to answer, (Sania Iqbal). After given some time she further stated that her meaning of

life is to live every day happily with the people you love, truly enjoying every moment, and not

taking anything for granted (Sania Iqbal). When given the second statement, she continued to

say defining the purpose of life was a difficult task, it is usually just something you do

unconsciously. This goes to show that what she values plays a large role in what she finds to be

the meaning of life. When I asked her how she came up with her definition she reminded me of

our childhood, when we were little kids without a worry in the world and the slightest thing from

our parents gave us the utmost joy. She stated that having that same mentality as we did as kids,
as we grow up is the key to living a happy life and if everyone thought of life in that way, then

everyone would find their meaning of life and they would find happiness.

Before the elaboration and depth into the topic of the meaning or purpose of life, I would

like to highlight that each individual has their own personal meaning, thus being said no person

or persons opinion is more correct than the other. The meaning of life comes from the rather

understanding and appreciation of life. Take Erwin Schrodinger for example, Schrodinger is a the

author of a novel titled, What is Life? The Physical Aspect of The Living Cell: And Mind and

Matter. More than an author Schrodinger is rationalist and states the meaning of life is not every

nervous process, nay by no means every cerebral process, is accompanied by consciousness

(Schrodinger, 95). As Schrodinger progresses through his book, he states his realist opinion of

the meaning of life is by examining various representatives of physiologically very similar

processes, all playing within our own body, it ought not to be too difficult to find out by

observation and reasoning the distinctive characteristic we are looking for (Schrodinger, 95).

Schrodinger is a firm believer that there is a reason and meaning behind life, although it cannot

be all proven, it just needs to be discovered. He supports this statement by saying any

succession of events in which we take part with sensations, perceptions and possibly with actions

gradually drops out of the domain of consciousness when the same string of events repeats itself

in the same way very often (Schrodinger, 95). As a realist, Schrodinger brings to attention what

an average person would state the meaning of life to be. He states Biological value lies only in

learning the suitable reaction to a situation that offers itself again and again, in many cases

periodically and always requires the same response if the organism is to hold its ground,

meaning biology is not everything when it comes to the direct meaning of life, rather it is a

repetitive process (Scrodinger,96).

 What is Life?:Philosophy Now: A Magazine of Ideas a magazine topic written by many

doctors as well as average everyday people. Although the sources scatter and voices change, this

magazine reveals many individuals purposes in life which stood out to me. When the authors

introduced the central idea of What is Life, they approached it as What is the meaning

(purpose) of life. They followed and answered this question initially with a motto Do good, be

good, but also receive good (What is Life). This is an intuitive power that every individual

should carry. This question was further answered by individuals around the world, although there

is not much background information on them provided, their quotes managed to stand out. Dr.

Harry Fuchs from Flecknoe, Warwickshire states his medical definition of life to be self-

organizing chemistry which reproduces itself and passes on its evolved characteristics, encoded

in DNA. In thermodynamics terms it has the ability to reduce local entropy or disorganization,

thus locally contravening the third law of thermodynamics (What is Life). He followed his

professional definition with a personal one, which he states is a meaningless accident arising

from the laws of physics operating in a meaningless universe or it is a step in a planned

experiment. I completely disagree with Dr. Harry Fuchs because personally, I believe life has

a purpose and we are here for a reason and nothing about the life I am living is meaningless to

me.

Another way the meaning of life has been studied is through a process of dividing

humans into three age groups. This comes from article known as Purpose, hope, and life

satisfaction in three age groups, which has a thesis that states the main idea to be A growing

body of theoretical and empirical literature suggests that having a purpose in life contributes to

optimal human development in a variety of ways (HolmesPurpose, 501). This journal states

that maturity takes a large toll on the body and mind of a human being. As a body grows and
matures, the understanding and appreciation of life develops. Therefore, on a less sweeping but

perhaps more immediate level. Another route to improving life satisfaction might be to be more

attentive to the timing and types of supports for purpose offered during the life-course, meaning

once an individual becomes aware of their age and mental ability, their appreciation for life may

become more enjoyable, due to accepting and valuing events happening during that time in an

individuals life (HolmesPurpose, 508).

Time period in a person's life is an important concept to grasp, therefore many

researchers have studied the human life into three age groups. Similar to the article Purpose,

hope, and life satisfaction in three age groups, the journal Meaning and Purpose in Life and

Well-Being: A Lifespan Perspective agrees that life has a different meaning when it is divided

into three age groups. The approach to understanding the meaning of life based on this journal is

based on a Purpose in Life test, which is designed to measure the degree in which an individual

experiences an awareness of meaning and purpose in life. The test measures and defines low

scores to be due to low psychosocial adjustment problems. This test is also based on LAP, which

is known as the Life Attitude Profile created by Reker and Peacock. The Lap consists of seven

parts which are Lifes purpose, existential vacuum, life control, death, acceptance, will to

meaning, goal seeking, and future meaning. Based on their research, the authors mutually agree

that several dimensions of life attitudes change over the life course (Meaning, 47).

Some individuals state they have difficulty finding their meaning or purpose in life.

Adam Leipzig is a producer, executor and distributor as well as founder of the Los Angeles

Theatre Center known for his youtube channel with TEDTALKs. Leipzig created a 5 minute long

video titled How to know your life purpose in 5 minute, on February 1, 2013. This video created

by Leipzig states individuals need to know five things to understand lifes purpose; who they
are, what they did, who they did it for, what those people wanted/needed, and what they got out

of it/changed as a result (TEDxTalks). Leipzig states that if you are solely examining, you are

not living. I agree with Leipzig in this case because it is difficult to enjoy a meaningful life if you

are primarily a bystander in your own life. In his video, he further states and explains that within

the five things, there are two that are solely about yourself, the three remaining focus most about

others. Happier people make it appoint to make other people happy and do things that make

them feel well taken care of and secure. If you make other people happy, life teaches us that we

will be taken care of too, (TEDxTalks). This quote reveals that the purpose of life is to not be

self-centered, rather to give back and do for others. Leipzig reveals the meaning of life is more

than your own personal life, but others as well and I could not agree more.

For those individuals previously stated that do not know the meaning or purpose of life,

could take notes for Leipzig's video, or they could take notes from Janice Thayer's article titled

The Purpose of Life, Where Have All the Heroes Gone? This article takes a very unique

approach to the purpose of life, she targets her audience through a casual approach that every

individual can relate to in certain ways. She quotes columnist Leo Rosten the purpose of life is

to matter, to count, to have it make some difference that we lived at all, (The Purpose).

Thayer declares she agrees that the happiness and purpose of life comes through putting others

first, rather than yourself. Thayer states Responsibility, respect, religion, and right-doing whats

right! We must teach these principles and we must live them for it is not so much what we say as

we do, (The Purpose). By this Thayer means the four aspects she states are the reasons we

have to live and the things we should focus on more than anything else. A quote from Thayers

piece that I believe strongly supports her meaning of life, and the meaning of life in general is

Lets sum it up like this: fortunate are the persons who in this can find a purpose that can fill
their days and goals to fill their mind. For in this world there is a need for those wholl lead the

rest, to rise above the average life by giving their best! Will you be the one, who dares to try

and challenge by the task, to rise to heights you;ve never seen or is that too much to ask? (The

Purpose). From this quote you can infer that Janice Thayers purpose in life is to make a

difference and put others first, this relates directly back to Adam Leipzig who also revolves the

purpose of life to be around making a difference in other individuals lives.

After concluding and putting together all of my research and information, my

interpretation of life has completely changed as a whole. I now realize that I will never have a

definite answer or response to what the meaning of life really is, but it will evolve essentially

from the same topic; finding joy and happiness in everyday activities. I agree with many of the

authors I included in my paper, although I disagree at some points too, which I stated when I did.

I believe the meaning of life is to live it to the fullest, although it will evolve and change, you

must always find the happiness in the little things. This does not mean to forget the bigger things

such as God and family, rather to include it and make time for everything you possibly can. Life

is not an eternal thing, it comes to an end and we as humans must make the most of the time we

are given. I would like to end my paper with a quote to think about from Janice Thayer, maybe

this will inspire your meaning of life as a reader It is a truism that everything which has ever

been done in the world has been done by somebody. It was Adam, who when he ate the

forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, laid the responsibility of Eve, (The Purpose).
 Works Cited

Cotton Bronk, Kendall, Hill, Patrick L., Lapsley, Daniel K., Talib, Tasneem L. and Finch,

Holmes'Purpose, hope, and life satisfaction in three age groups', The Journal of Positive

Psychology, 4: 6, 500 510. 5 April 2017.

Gary T. Recker, Edward J. Peacock, and Paul T.P. Wong. Meaning and Purpose in Life

and Well-Being: A Life-Span Perspective. 1987. The Gerontological Society of

America.

Sania Iqbal. Personal Interview. 24 April 2017.

Schrodinger, Erwin. What Is Life?: The Physical Aspect of the Living Cell: And Mind and

Matter. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1967. Ebook.

TEDxTalks. YouTube. YouTube, 01 Feb. 2013. Web. 05 Apr. 2017. From

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVsXO9brK7M>.

Thayer, Janice. The Purpose of Life. Vital Speeches of the Day, Vol 67 Issue 13. 2000.

"What Is Life?" Philosophy Now: A Magazine of Ideas. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2017. From

<https://philosophynow.org/issues/101/What_Is_Life>.