Biswas Baral

No one could possibly be happy if they acted against their better judgment. And he who knows how to achieve happiness will do so. Therefore, he who knows what is right will do right. Because why would anybody choose to be unhappy?”

Exactly! The above lines by Socrates hold true in an ideological realm. But unfortunately, this world is anything but an ideological epitome, far from an idealist’s Nirvana! It is exceedingly hard to be happy, unless our senses are trained to chaff out the unhappy factors from our contiguous milieu. And that is impossible!

For instance, I believe that such pious ethos of our human lives as humanity and brotherhood shall always exist; no matter what kind of government is in place, no matter how deep we plunge into the profound darkness of materialism. But an existentialist will invariably stand against my stance to prove his point — that only the absurd is true. Humanity, brotherhood, society, culture are merely cooked up notions to placate our unremitting rebellion against the irrational absurdity.

Albert Einstein makes a very credible point in the book Ideas and Opinions; the man who

regards his own life and that of his fellow creatures as meaningless is not merely unhappy but hardly fit for life.

I could not agree more. If there is nothing in this world you feel strongly about, what is the point of living; or barely existing, in that case? The development of modern philosophy has its very origin on most humane beliefs: from Thales’ belief that “all things are full of God,” to later day philosophers like Kant, who was deeply religious himself. Hence, I think a tenable ideological realm with enough room for concepts like humanity and belongingness grants meaning to life.

It may be argued that I am an entranced humanist to overlook the likes of Camus and Nietzsche. But I am not. Nietzsche, though a popular anti-Christian, believed in the superhuman resulting form unrestrained efforts that seek for self-understanding, self-dominion and self-discipline. But I was anything but convinced after finishing Camus’ The Stranger, where the protagonist lives in an absurd world with no meaning, and shoots a man for no good reason!

The sole point I strive to make is that life is meaningful and happiness, however elusive it may seem at times. It is just round the corner. The ideological realm I am trying to establish here shall entertain all philosophical angles but, we shall always be wary of speaking against the notions of humankind, fraternity, belongingness, and meaning to our lives. For if the contrary happens, the absurd shall prevail.

I will not be outlandish enough to suggest happiness is a choice — it is not. I think true happiness springs when we endeavour to attach a definite meaning to our lives, all the while bearing in mind that sorrow is another unavoidable facet of all mortals. What we can do at best is exploit our reasoning abilities to concoct the more of the former.