Synopsis
I start with this: what is the point of life? To answer that required a few propositions. First, that a person (every person) wants happiness. So in finding this, one has to define certain terms. Second, that happiness is tied to meaning. A person who has meaning has fulfilment; a fulfilled life is happy. How does one find meaning? That requires answering the fundamental questions that happen to underpin all of philosophy. The Questions 1. [identity] Who are you? 2. [identity/ethics] Who do you want to be? a. Corollary: how do I get there, i.e. how do I want to live? 3. [theology] Is there a God? 4. [metaphysics/ontology/epistemology] What can we know?/What is is. 5. [deontology] What duty do I owe? 6. [cosmology] How did the world begin? 7. [aesthetics] What is beauty? 8. [logic] How do I think? Generally, I hold that personhood is both intrinsic but also mutable. One is born with certain predilections. These likes and dislikes are themselves a prison to the Will. But ultimately, my premise is that as beings with certain talents and fortunes in line (allotment of station/class), we are created by God for a purpose and a duty to see this purpose through. Now the fulfillment of the purpose is less important than the endeavor. To summarize, Arete is my answer to the Curriculum I created. It is my passion project. The Curriculum is in answer to the question of what would be the ideal learning system for myself. Now, outside the general discussion of the development and journey of finding your purpose/passion project, the Curriculum discusses a fulfilled life in more detail. Essentially, to maximize all that life has to offer, one must realize that human beings occupy certain layers or domains, and fleshing out/developing these aspects of your life wrings out maximal enjoyment. Akin to Maslow’s hierarchy, the central concept as also espoused in my Curriculum is that the human being exists as a physical entity with consciousness among other beings in an environment. So one must develop the being themselves, both physically and non-physically (spiritually, intellectually, etc.). They must also develop the skills in relation to both other people and to their environment. The layers are: aerobic strength, anaerobic strength, kinesthetic, martial art, sports (both individual/team), outdoors, creative, philosophical, spiritual, and engineering. The first are to recognize your physical body in space and to develop that. Sports involve being in a state of play (that all humans are created for). Outdoors is similar play, but recognizing human beings are meant to be in nature. Engineering/Creative are two sides of the same coin, as human beings are meant to create. Spiritual/philosophical develop the mental aspects of being. So in summary, the purpose of life and the way to find happiness is to develop yourself as a human being in all aspects while finding your purpose in life through your life’s passion project.