Thoughts of Orace Guglielmini
The brutal question: what do we seek in life?
The simple answer: Meaning. Fundamental meaning for all our actions.
Without meaning in our lives, we are like a vehicle without fuel. Clear enough? Well then, it is meaning which we seek. How? Where? Briefly, along five paths.
On the first of which, one learns about the physical world, this path is an easy one to follow. One begins with the origin of the universe, the big bang, and goes on to learn about all that has occurred since. Easy enough, no?
The second path way leads to the study of man, his physical, cultural, institutional and political evolution. Again, simple enough, it is a matter of a little bit of history, nothing more.
On the third path, once the physical and historical world is understood, then we are almost immediately emancipated, already giving an individual some meaning to life possible from acquiring only a basic and complete knowledge of the planet we live on.
The fourth path is that of salvation, which is achieved, and only done so, with proper effort from one’s brain, the dominant muscle of the body, because no one, if he wants to be a worthy son of the universe and a worthy citizen of the planet, can live and die with someone else’s contrived truth.
The fifth and final path, is the art of living. The art of living is the point where you have arrived, and life is nothing if not art, so enjoy it my dear reader. Life, that amazing, wondrous thing!
Translated from the Italian by franc sgambelluri, canadian