The Natural Futility of Life

Once, there was a time when being human was no different than any animal. The invention of writing had not yet come along, and early humans were not plagued by the brevity and meaning of their lives. But, as Leonard Shlain discussed in his book, The Alphabet Versus The Goddess, the invention of the written language pulled us away from our simple, natural roots and thrust us into a mode of thinking that has seemingly complicated, in general, our lives. Before the innovation of the written language, humans could be satisfied and happy with their existences. But, this invention of writing was not intended to become a great divider between our natural roots and modern existence. As David Abram explains in his book, The Spell of the Sensuous, that the early writing systems came from a type of "sympathetic magic" in which copying a footprint of an animal or a picture of itself onto a medium would influence it in some way. Over time, the images began to represent an aspect of the animal, then was associated with a sound we could make. But before the written language had dominated our ancestors' brains, the oral language and tradition, with its many myths and stories, was the main form of communication. As John Bowker mentions in his book, God: A Brief History, that myths offer solutions to the questions that physics, math, or modern science cannot prove, such as, "Why do we suffer?" Before the time of true civilization, humans were content, with their larger right brains, to explain their world through mythological stories. Over time, however, the gradual increase of size in the left brain, the invention of writing, and various other changes altered the mindsets of our predecessors into one that will not be satisfied with mere stories that could not be proved.

Some cultures, such as the Aborigines, developed complex mythologies and mystical explanations of natural events to satisfy themselves, for there was no one to question these beliefs with scientific theories. Their myths, including the idea of Dreamtime, established their strong connection to nature because the knowledge of caring for the earth was passed down orally from their ancestors, whom the Aborigines believed had received that knowledge from the creator beings during the Dreamtime. The right brain of the human seeks an understanding of the world, and often uses the notion of a higher power than ourselves to direct it. The cave paintings in Lascaux were the expressions of a deeper connection to nature and to those animals they represented in their art. Like Abram's earlier description of "sympathetic magic", these humans wished to influence and control the actions of those animals while indirectly strengthening their connections to nature. As in both The Tempest and Michael Montaigne's essay, "Of Cannibals", the argument of whether man is considered better if he is "civilized" or not. Montaigne argues that civilized actions are no more barbaric than cannibalistic and other actions by non-civilized cultures. In The Tempest, there is debate as to whether Caliban's natural urges and instincts are more evil than what he had been taught of civilization. One cannot be entirely human if he/she has no connection the earth of which he/she came, and one of the qualities of being a human must be that emotional, empathetic connection to nature and all that it encompasses. We have no basis to call the actions of others "barbaric", for deep down, we have been created by the very same materials and we all have some of the same natural instincts.

Beauty is a quality that has endured the passage of time because it is necessary for survival; it attracts the attentions of mankind and offers the promise of a healthy being who is likely to continue the survival of our race. In Stokstad's Art History book, an early image of beauty is seen in what is now called the "Venus of Willendorf". This small statue emphasized what was seen a beautiful in the time of its creation through its physical aspects. The female reproductive organs (breasts, vagina, etc.) were all emphasized because the concept of beauty of that time was a women who had a great potential of birthing new life. Over time, the image of beauty has changed, but the concept remains constant: Beauty emphasizes the qualities that lead the observer to believe that those who express those qualities are healthy, capable of making new life, and may pass down their knowledge. To the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, beauty is not just the emphasis of attractive qualities; beauty is the combination of Apollonian and Dionysian aspects. In short, Nietzsche believed that beauty had emotional, chaotic aspects as well as precise and ordered aspects (A bit of chaos and order, if you will). Another philosopher, Immanuel Kant, had a much different view of beauty than Nietzsche. To Kant, and object is only beautiful if it has these four qualities: it is beautiful because one thinks it is and not because it gives pleasure, everyone must believe that it is beautiful, we must believe that every one's concept of beauty is the same as ours, and that the object must seem to have a purpose when it may not. Kant's idea differs from the rest because he tries to objectively explain what makes something beautiful. Although he may contradict himself at times, his still creates a cohesive view on the objective qualities of beauty.

One of the great questions of humankind is, "What is good and what is bad?" We use our personal moralities to judge what is good and bad, especially in the actions of others. Friedrich Nietzsche had a very distinct idea of what is good and bad, and called those moralities "Master and Slave Moralities". The Master morality defines actions that influence others and collect power as good, while subservience and loyalty as weak and bad. Nietzsche says that the Slave Morality is one of the products of the rise of Christianity, and that good qualities are those such as humility, piousness, and empathy, while actions that raise oneself above others are considered bad. Nietzsche referred to Slave morality as a kind of revenge that the weak take upon the strong. In the film, From Jesus to Christ, it is discussed that the birthplace of Jesus, who later went on to preach what Nietzsche calls Slave morals, was under the rule of Rome. Jesus' moral construct may have been made to combat the ruthless, power-seeking morals of Rome. In the book, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the main character, Rodion Raskolnikov, has a set of morals similar to that of Nietzsche's Master morality. Both believe that only a few people could transgress the law and perform actions to better the lives of everyone. Humans seek a set of morals, for the morals attempt to categorize their world and make it simpler to live. By marking things as good or bad, one reduces the energy he/she gives into investigating the purpose of an object and focuses his/her energy into the other problems that follow our humanity.

To ruminate on your own existence, as well as the reasons why everyone exists, is truly a great feat. On that path, there is often the tempting descent into Nihilism, of which it is hard to return. A hero, or the enlightened individual, is similar to that of Nietzsche's "Overman". Both must transcend the mental limitations of the common people and must look into themselves for knowledge and guidance. As in Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Plato argues that those who are bound to the system in which they reside will not attempt to seek enlightenment. Instead, he/she will muddle about and focus on the meaningless trifles in his/her life because the search for enlightenment may seem too arduous and painful. Many people may not seek the truth to matters such as the afterlife or the meaning of their lives because the truth may be too painful or debilitating to live with. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh wishes to fight the terrible inevitability of death by doing what many of we do: make a mark on the world. To Gilgamesh, as well of many of us, the prospect of dying alone and unremembered is an intense fear. In the absence of a definite afterlife, we and Gilgamesh cope with our mortality by making ourselves immortal in history and the eyes of others. In The Myth Of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus, another insight into the meaning of our lives can be seen. Many of us are content to shuffle about in this mortal coil, working and repeating our actions like mindless drones. It is only when we realize the futility of our actions when we reach agony and despair. Like what has been said earlier, those who muck about doing little do not wish to become conscious of our condition, for the realization may be painful and there may be no escape from a life full of redundancy. It would seem that the human impulse is to stay the course and refuse to acknowledge the true meaninglessness of our lives, but through the years of our existence, there have been the few to learn the truth of life and have to bear it upon their backs for the rest of their lives like an unlucky Atlas.