Why Do Humans Exist (philosophy)

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---written by thewriter197

----paid by Ashford University

Why do humans exist? The question that lingers in our minds from century to century. The question can not be answered with mere science. Writers from the Romantic era and Victorian era try to answer this question with literature. From the Romantic era to Victorian era, the idea of human existence changes almost completely. Writers would often use images from nature and industrial objects to explain why humans live on earth. The writers from the Romantic era would generally say humans exist to enjoy the view. The writers of the Victorian era would generally say that the existence of humans is to search for power. The truth is for you to decide. Writers from the Romantic and Victorian era try to explain the purpose of human existence with literature images of nature and industrial objects.

The purpose of literature from Romantic to Victorian era changed which impacted the purpose of human existence. The Romantic period was comprised of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain (Kern, 2006, p.327). Writers would focus on enjoying the things you like about life and dealing with the pain in between. One day later, science was adopted as the new standard of thinking and the Victorian era started (Kern, 2006, p.327). Writers started to write with real world thinking instead of imaginary thinking (Kern, 2006, p.327). This caused writers to write in a world view that relates to every day problems. In general, most of the writers adopted the real world thinking policy to avoid looking like someone who didn’t know what they was talking about. Science became the new “God” and everything else was considered “dumb talk.” The world went from a place were humans should find happiness in the mind to a place were humans should find happiness in material objects.

William Wordsworth, a Romantic writer, suggest that the purpose of human existence is to realize that nothing moves faster then you (Saunders, 2012, p.258). According to Wordsworth, we go through life assuming that walking in one direction is moving forward in life. However, we are never moving forward in life with our eyes because our eyes are the only thing that is moving. Wordsworth writes (2012), “…..the train was whizzing north along the trails……” and “And the things I gazed at---with affection I might add---were really the ones that were doing the moving (p.258).” Wordsworth believes that humans spend their whole life trying to change what they see, but they only end up changing what they see with their eyes (Saunders, 2012, p.258). Humans should realize that you are meant to enjoy what you see in front of you. You are not meant to spend your whole life chasing material objects for satisfaction. You should focus on changing your mind and your heart because that is what give you true happiness. Your mind and heart is what makes what you see in front of you enjoyable.

George Gordon once wrote “So We’ll Go No More A Roving” to represent the love of life (Byron, 2007, p.1). Gordon believes that humans need to take time out for love before it runs out (Byron, 2007, p.1). Sometimes, we become so fixed on work that we forget to watch the clock. We could use time for love making or for something we love to do. Time does not always need to be used for work. Gordon writes (2007), “Through the night was for love making, and the day returns too soon (p.1).” Each day has a ending and we are suppose to enjoy what we love before the day ends. Gordon writes “Through the night…..” because every day has a night that was meant for something lovable (Byron, 2007, p.1). Days go by fast and most of us forget to have fun in the night or at all. Gordon wants people to realize that time is always running and you can’t wait for the nice shiny object to show up. You have to say “enough is enough” and go have some type of fun. You don’t need nice things to have fun or to experience love.

A Victorian writer named Rudyard Kipling believe that humans exist to find power. Humans are suppose to go through life looking for more and more resources to feel important. A human’s satisfaction in life depends on how much material stuff he or she obtains. Kipling writes (2007), “To serve as types of progress.” and “All mortals have their share (p.180).”

Kipling believes that the purpose of human existence has changed from enjoying life to gaining resources. All humans have their share of resources depending on how much work they put in. Your happiness in life depends on how hard you work to obtain objects. Every object you obtain will make you happy and make you feel like you have did something in your life.

Wordsworth disagree with Kipling view of human existence by believing that humans should enjoy life because they do not know what is real (Ross, 1992, p.635). Wordsworth assumes that humans do not even know what they see half the time. Are humans looking at a fiction of their own reality or a past memory? Wordsworth writes (1992), “Many times I grasp at a wall or tree to recall myself from this abyss of idealism to reality (p.635).” We are programmed from birth to think that we only live once in this world. We are also programmed from birth to think that what we see with our eyes is the only reality that exist. So, most of us go through life doing what we see others do because we assume that it is normal to do. In Wordsworth eyes, we do not know what we are looking at and why should we try so hard to please the industrial machines that programmed us. Trees do not work hard in life to exist, so why should we? Trees are used in Wordsworth’s literature to explain that maybe humans were not meant to work hard to provide meaning for life (Ross, 1992, p.635).

20^th Century Victorian writer Thom Gunn thinks that man was destined to be trapped inside a box (Saltmarsh, 2015, p.38). Gunn grew up in the 1960’s which was a time period stuck in the industrial era (Saltmarsh, 2015, p.38). Gunn think most men choose to spend life in a box because that is what society teaches them to do (Saltmarsh, 2015, p.38). His poem “On the Move” tells multiple meaning which support this belief. Gunn writes (2015), “He wants to withdraw into a small place like the cupboard under the stairs where the vacuum cleaner is kept, so he can wait, and doze, and get in nobody’s way (p.38).” Gunn writes “He wants to withdraw in a small place” to represent the apartment or the house that an average person works for (Saltmarsh, 2015, p.38). Men in the modern world need money to have a place to stay. Gunn believes that men do not have a purpose much beyond making money to live in a box (Saltmarsh, 2015, p.38). Gunn also write “Get in nobody’s way” to assume that most men do not want trouble from other men (Saltmarsh, 2015, p.38). Men secretly know that a house is a safe place. Every time a man walks outside, he is at war with anyone that wants war (Saltmarsh, 2015, p.38). It’s hard to be at peace when you live in a place where violence and discomfort is allowed. Men do not want violence or discomfort because they assume it will lead to death. Furthermore, Gunn continues to suggest in his poem “On the Move” that men are waiting for death because it is the least painful way to experience death  (Saltmarsh, 2015, p.38). Men do not want to die fast because dying fast means to experience more pain and having less time to enjoy things on earth. Gunn is generally saying that for most men living on earth, the reason they are alive is to wait to die. Waiting to die is the least painful form of death. On the contrary, waiting to die is not going to prevent death from occurring. It might be the least painful, but it won’t stop a man from leaving this planet to another plain of existence.

In my personal opinion, waiting to die might be the majority decision that most men choose for their entire life. But, live does not have to be this way. Yes, modern men of the year 2017 follow the code that Gunn assumes. They get up for work and go home to watch T.V. They repeat the cycle over and over because they have bills to pay. Their motive for following the “circle procedure” is understandable. But, they fail to realize that time is running out. Time is always running out. I do not think a man should devote his life to live inside a box. Sleep in a box and never see what the world has to offer before he stops waking up one day. Would be a tragedy for a man to spend his whole life in a box and never wonder what beautiful things the world has to offer. It would be safe for a man to live for paying bills, but it would also be boring. Bills should be seen as something you pay to keep living.

Victorian writer Evan Boland believe in a concept that is connected to the Romantic writers for the existence of man (Greening, 2008, p.407). Boland believes that man’s purpose in life is to realize that this life is a temporary book (Greening, 2008, p.407). Boland wrote literature that expressed illusion that we make for ourselves. We need material objects to be successful or that we need to make a lot of money to be happy. Boland writes (2008), “I took a book down from a shelf and stopped to read and found myself (p.407).” Boland writes “Stopped to read and found myself” to say in a secret metaphor “Life is a book” and not T.V. show you see on telly (Greening, 2008, p.407). Life is a book that someone will open one day when you die (Greening, 2008, p.407). Boland thinks a man is suppose to write his own story in his own way. The purpose of man is to cut his own path. He is not suppose to do anything he doesn’t want to appear in his death story. We all have different beliefs and ideas for what we are suppose to do in life. But, nobody really knows the answer to that question. Boland wants man to live his life like a story and do not worry about what other men say about it (Greening, 2008, p.407). Do not worry about what other men hate about it. A story is not suppose to be about what the audience wants to hear in the story. An interesting story is a story that you want to tell and only a few people want to read it (Greening, 2008, p.407). A man’s purpose in life is to write a story in his own way.

In my personal opinion, I agree with Boland’s view of human existence. A man should write his own story. Everything changes fast. The clothes you wear and ideas that people consider normal change. It is hard to keep up with the world that changes quickly. There will come a time when you pull the plug and run your own race. You will get tired of running the “world race.” You will realize that these ideas are not what you want to live by. You will realize that these lifestyles are the not the lifestyles you want to be known by. These actions are the not the actions you want to perform. There will be many people who will hate you, but at least when you tell the story of your life and it will be interesting. Boland believes that the purpose of human existence it to live your live like a book you wrote and I agree with that concept.

Human existence according to William Wordsworth means to realize that Earth has nothing to show you and you need to take action (Nichols, 2016, p.100). He doesn’t mean that earth does not have pretty things to show you. He suggests that the world tries to give you this fake reality of what life looks like to be successful (Nichols, 2016, p.100). The true reality that Wordsworth mentions in “Beyond Romantic Ecocriticism” is taking action for action is the purpose of humans (Nichols, 2016, p.100). Wordsworth writes (2016), “Earth has nothing to shew more fair: Dull would be of soul who could pass by a sight so touching in its majesty (p.100).” Wordsworth mentions the word “shew” to represent the fake reality that the world shows you to be happy (Nichols, 2016, p.100). The real reality is the reality you see with action for action. The reality you see once you choose to imagine or choose to take physical action. The reality that you see with your mind or physical self is connected to action. Wordsworth often wrote about being one with nature and realizing that your mind can go further then your body. Wordsworth is trying to infer that you don’t need material things to make you happy. What you need is to take some action and open your mind. You eyes are the only thing that move when you move from one point to another. But, your mind can move anywhere and at any point in time. Your mind is an infinite bubble visions locked in a box (Nichols, 2016, p.100). You can see them anytime you want. The concept of human existence from Wordsworth is a little out of the box. In general from Wordsworth perspective, the concept of human existence is to take action for action (Nichols, 2016, p.100). Your mind can see anything so just take action to know that you can do it (Nichols, 2016, p.100).

Victorian writer Kipling think man’s existence depends on what the Christian God has to say (Lackey, 2007, p.17). Kipling wrote a poem called “The Mary Gloster” which tells the life of man who is fed up with following the rules in the bible (Lackey, 2007, p.17). The main character was married to a woman who wasn’t a good wife (Lackey, 2007, p.17). He decide to kill her to free himself from marriage slavery. The main character did what God said and he wasn’t rewarded in full. He felt that God gave him half of what he expected in marriage  (Lackey, 2007, p.17). The character decided to only follow the rules he liked (Lackey, 2007, p.17). Kipling writes (2007), “I believe in the resurrection, if I read my bible plain (pg.17).” Kipling writes “If I read my bible plain” to indicate that man can find purpose in life if he looks at the bible and follow what rules he wants (Lackey, 2007, p.17). In life, there will be times when the “right thing” is not the pleasurable thing. Life won’t always give you what you want for doing what you need to do. Sometimes, rules need to be broken to achieve what you really want (Lackey, 2007, p.17). A person that follows the bible completely will find themselves in a lot of messed up situations. Life doesn’t always go by the book. Kipling wants man to understand that existing in the world does not mean you have to always do what you are told or follow all the rules (Lackey, 2007, p.17). The rules can prevent you from being happy. Kipling believes that a man should only follow the rules that he or she likes in life. A man should not follow everything to the letter and end up becoming a miserable individual in the end (Lackey, 2007, p.17).  

In my own personal opinion, following the book does not always get what you want in life. We all want to exist in life. But, there comes a time when we need to realize that existing is connected to action. It is not connected to material objects. Some people get caught up into thinking that obtaining material objects will give them happiness. Happiness can only be obtained from action. It doesn’t really matter what you get from performing a particular action. You have to connect your happiness to the actions that you performs. It is nice to have material things to remind your self of how much money you make. But, money does not change what you did in life or what you tried to do.

Philip Larkin, A Victorian writer, wrote a poem called “A Nocturnal” because he believed that men exist because they are suppose to do loving things to bring the world back to life (Gudas, 2015, p.91). Larkin writes (2015), “For I am every dead thing, In whom Love wrought alchemy (p.91).” Love is the key to making live seem more enjoyable (Gudas, 2015, p.91). From the moment you step foot on earth, you feel that it is already dead. You see people turning on each other. Nobody cares about someone’s future unless money is involved. It feels like it is dead already. As a result, someone needs to fill the love meter in the world in order to keep earth alive. The existence of man from Larkin’s perspective is to fill the world with love (Gudas, 2015, p.91). Love keeps the world alive and stops people from hurting each other. The world is full of so much suffering. Somebody has to step in and be the guy to bring the world back to life with love (Gudas, 2015, p.91).

The existence of humans will remain a mystery to those who don’t believe in something. Wordsworth believed that humans are meant to enjoy what is shown in front of them and change their minds to become a better person. George Gordon believed that humans exist to experience love before their time is up. The days have nights and they must be enjoyed to remind us of being human. Kipling disagrees with humans existing to just enjoy life. He believes humans exist to work and obtain resources. The resources give humans power which keep them alive. Kipling also believes humans are suppose to follow some rules that God gives them to follow. He suggests that humans can’t follow all the rules because the world is unfair. It does not give you what you want for doing what is needed all the time. Larkin believed that humans exist to bring life to the planet. The planet is dead and it needs humans to bring it back to life with acts of love. Gunn believed that humans exist to find a place where they can avoid people. A man can have have peace if he is put in a box where his enemies can not get him. Boland believed that living your life like a book is the meaning of being human. All the writers have a common belief between doing what the world expects you to do or doing what you believe you should do. There does come a point when you realize when the world is not acting in a way where you can just agree with it. If you want to exist in this world, you are going to have to make a choice between your individual beliefs or nothing.  The actions you commit in life last for eternity. The material objects you have in life will only last for a short moment. Time wise, enjoying your own life will outweigh any material object that you will have in your entire life. You want to exist in life and if you want to exist in life then you got to follow your own beliefs. The world is not always going to tell you what you need to hear. Take the Romantic writers’ advice and enjoy what time you have left on this planet because science builds things. It doesn’t tell you why you should be alive. Live for your beliefs of what it means to be alive or die for something you do not care about. Make your choice.

Reference:

Byron, G. G. (2007). 'We'll Go No More A-Roving.'. Hutchinson Literary Extracts, 1.

Greening, J. (2008). Poetry Chronicle Evan Boland, Tom Disch, Anne Stevenson, Mary Jo Salter, etc. Hudson Review, 61(2), 407-415.

GUDAS, E. (2015). In the Dark with Donne and Larkin. Raritan, 35(2), 88-101.

Kern, S. (2006). When Did the Victorian Period End? Relativity, Sexuality, Narrative. Journal Of Victorian Culture (Edinburgh University Press), 11(2), 326-338.

Kipling's 'The White Man's Burden' and Its Afterlives. (2007). English Literature in Transition, 1880-1920, (2), 172.

Lackey, M. (2007). Kipling's poems. Journal Of Modern Literature, (3), 12.

Nichols, A. (2016). 'Urbanatural Roosting' in the poetry of Seamus Heaney. Wordsworth Circle, (2-3), 100.   

Ross, D. W. (1992). Seeking a way home: the uncanny in Wordsworth's 'Immortality Ode.' (William Wordsworth). Studies In English Literature, 1500-1900, (4), 625.

Saltmarsh, H. B. (2015). Thom Gunn Undone. The American Poetry Review, (4). 37.

Saunders, J. P. (2012). Literary Allusion and Poetic Economy: Billy Collins's "Albany" and William Wordsworth's "I wandered lonely as a cloud". Connotations: A Journal For Critical Debate, 21(2/3), 256.