Arthur Schopenhauer's predecessors argued about the meaning of human existence, wondering, "For what purpose do we live?" Some argued that the purpose of human life is to believe in God, others talked about the development of nature, others convinced their contemporaries that the purpose of life was to find peace, and some even dared to claim that the purpose of life was to search for it forever.
Life goal illusion
Why is Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophy unusual? The fact is that he was the first to declare the meaningless existence of man. We live our lives in turmoil, eternal chaos, in petty problems and die, without even having time to look back and see what has been done in life. What we call the goal of life is simply the satisfaction of our own petty desires, the achievement of which increases our self-esteem and makes us more lascivious. The happiness that we talk so much about as the meaning of life is unattainable. The constant fear of death and thoughts about the shortness of life do not allow us to relax and feel happiness. Schopenhauer's philosophy suggests that we only create his illusion, thanks to religion and faith in a life purpose. Arthur Schopenhauer, whose philosophy was based on the principles of voluntarism, became one of the founders of this trend in Germany. Its essence is that no one rules the world, God, according to religion, does not protect us and does not protect us. No matter how sad it may sound, but chaos rules the world - not subject to, not amenable to any logical calculations. Even the human mind is not able to subdue chaos. Only will, human will and desire are the force that drives chaos.
"Life is suffering, for the cause of suffering is our desires"
This principle is the basis of Buddhist teachings, because everyone remembers their ascetic life. Schopenhauer's philosophy states: following our wishes, we don’t get a feeling of happiness. Even reaching their accomplishment, a person does not feel majesty, but only the devastation of the soul. It is much worse if the fulfillment of the desire to achieve was never succeeded, and thoughts about it bring us suffering. And what, in essence, does our life consist of? Of the desires to be near someone, to find something, to buy the necessary thing ...
Suffering from the loss of the person we need, because we want to be with him, touch him, look into his eyes.
Schopenhauer's philosophy finds a way out of suffering: renunciation of desires. Asceticism, preached by Buddhists, argues that having lost the ability to desire, we are immersed in a state of nirvana. In other words, in a state called "nothing." Nirvana has nothing, nothing is done, and nothing is wanted. But again the question: "How can a living person stop wanting?" After all, the force that moves humanity makes us get out of bed in the morning, and this is also a will, a desire. What will remain in the world if a person ceases to desire? What will happen to the world?
Schopenhauer's philosophy proposes to train yourself and practice meditation as a way to renounce desires. Meditation helps only for a while to plunge into the state of the so-called "nirvana". But if you ask a Buddhist monk: "Have you managed to renounce the ability to desire?" It is unlikely that he will sincerely answer this question. After all, the fact that a person does not fulfill his desires does not mean at all that he has ceased to desire ...