One of the toughest and deepest issues in life is the purpose of man. This issue
can never be simply answered. Many historians have dissected the subject and
have come up with many different ideas. One of these historians, thought to be
the greatest of all, is Aristotle. He stated that each person has his own
“telos” or goal in life. Each individual human has there own purpose in
life, whether they know it or not. Most people believe happiness is their goal.
Others, such as Christians, think that serving God and being accepted into
heaven is the goal of life. Aristotle is thought to be one of the greatest
historians. Aristotle based his ethics on human nature. Aristotle got most of
his work from one of the greatest Catholic philosophers, Thomas Aquinas.
Aristotle claims that everyone’s goal is happiness. He stated that there is
only one way to achieve true happiness and that is by living a virtuous life. He
said that if one is not living a virtuous life, then they are not truly happy.
Being happy is one of the biggest goals in life. Some people have tons of money
and live very lavishly, but they might hate what they do. That is why many
people choose not to become businessmen or lawyers, some become policemen or
priests. If people did what makes them happy, they wouldn’t be so stressed out
and there wouldn’t be as many suicides. Almost all of the people who commit
suicide are unhappy with their lives. This statement holds true with me, because
whenever I am happy I look forward to the next day and having fun in life.
People, who are selfish and greedy, usually are not happy in their lives. They
don’t really have a purpose in life except the desire for money. But people
who give and lead a virtuous life tend to be happy and strive toward helping
others. The wise statement, give and you shall receive, is very true. I think in
my life if I didn’t give and help other people I would be very bitter and
spiteful. Whenever I help out someone worse off than I am, I am not only helping
someone else, but in return I am giving myself something in returnt. Knowing
that I helped someone less fortunate is very gratifying. My goal in life is
getting to heaven. My actions strive to achieve this place in my after life. God
put us on this planet so that we could serve him and help out others. If we do
not listen to what God has taught us, we could be sent to hell, and I surely do
not want to go there. From my perspective you have two choices in life; lead a
good life devoted to God or lead a sinful and Godless life. The later will lead
you straight to hell. My purpose as a junior at Jesuit High School is to make
good grades and set a good pathway for college. Also, I must try to keep myself
happy and focused, even though at times I seem to get distracted. I have to try
and lead a virtuous life, such as participating in service hours, which also
helps me lead a devoted life with God. As a junior I kind of know what to
expect, which will make it a little easier on me, than if I didn’t know. Most
juniors my age have not decided what they want to do in their lives, but every
junior should know and realize his purpose in life and at Jesuit High School. My
“telos” as a junior would have to be to try my hardest and never give up.
The issues in life that applies to me and I hope to everyone else are goals in
life. Life is not about one specific goal, rather it is many complicated and in
depth goals. One example, getting to heaven is not simple. To be accepted into
heaven you must be devoted to God and never loose focus on being a kind and
generous person, even though you will face many obstacles in life. My goals in
life give me demands, such as always striving to be a better person. Without
demands in life people fall off track and start on a downward spiral of
destructing their lives. Then if it is bad enough something terrible could
happen, like going homeless or suicide. There are also certain consequences to
the actions you make in life. If you lead a corrupt life full of deceit and evil
you will have to pay the consequences. Whether being locked up in prison or
spending the rest of eternity in hell. There is also another side to this, if
you lead a good life you will be rewarded. One of the rewards might be, having
good friends. To put it very simply, there is no clear-cut answer to what man `s
purpose on earth is. Every man `s goal or “telos” is different, but in the
end each person should choose to do what makes them happy. Deep down inside each
man knows what he wants and what he strives for. It is then up to him to make
the decision whether to accomplish that goal or not. Without a goal in life a
person is hopeless and empty. But, if that person realizes his dream in life and
strives for it, then that person will become a better human being.