From the very inception of civilized life, human beings have strived to understand the universe and different universal phenomena. They have succeeded in it to a great extent and now we can find piles of knowledge and education and various other achievements that prove the fact. However, there are many facets of the universe that are still a mystery to them. They have only come to know that they are living on a small planet revolving around the sun in a cosmos that has millions of stars much bigger than our sun. Their gigantic, yet limited, knowledge has not been able to confine the universe and they may keep on striving to understand it indefinitely.
Apart from the universe, human beings have also strived to understand their own existence and yet they remain mystery to themselves. There have been religions, scientific knowledge, prayers and meditations, yet the mystery of human existence has not been fully understood. Yes, they have developed remarkable knowledge regarding the physiological features, yet they are not able to understand fully the marvels of human emotions and feelings. Scientifically they are able to dissect human beings, describe each part, understand the functioning of different organs, cure most of the diseases, transplant different organs and perform many other amazing things, yet they are not able to understand the human existence completely.
As a matter of fact, the questions regarding the meaning, nature and functions of human existence have been mostly answered by philosophy. There are many philosophers who have strived to answer such questions; however it would be better to divide them in different school of thoughts (as philosophy itself does) and understand their ideas regarding the issue.
For Solipsism (a school of thought in philosophy) considers human existence as a mystery and says that the only meaning known of it is the one derived by an individual himself. And an individual cannot know anything about the external world that exists around him; even if he comes to know, he will not be able to transfer it to others.
An important school of thought in philosophy – Epicureanism – suggests that humans exist so as to gain maximum pleasure for ‘self’, which is only possible when there is absence of pain and fear. The main sources of pleasure, according to Epicureanism, are knowledge, virtue and friendship.
The Determinists in philosophy believe in what Einstein had said, “Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as the star. Human beings, vegetables or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.”
In Absurdism, there is no meaning in the universe and, therefore, in human existence. And if there is any such meaning there is no meaning in pursuing it; as said by Albert Camus, “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life”.
Nihilism, in the similar fashion, refutes any objective purpose of live. It even considers life meaningless. Life for Nihilists is nothingness.
Secular Humanism in philosophy holds that the true meaning of life has to be discovered in human terms and the absolute truth and morality do not exist; therefore, they are totally subjective.
And Objectivism considers human beings just another integral part of the world that fits in its system which acts in a rational manner. Reality is what is there, not what human beings perceive it to be. And each human being strives to achieve self-interest, as it is its objective as per the theory of evolution.
One of the most important schools of thought in philosophy is Existentialism. It says that human beings associate a meaning and purpose to their lives themselves individually. It can be best described in the words of Soren Kierkegaard – “Be that self which one truly is.”
Religions, on the other hand, have also strived to develop certain interpretations of what the human existence is. However, they have majorly focused on the purpose of the human existence and the ethical aspects of human life. Sufis and Saints, nonetheless, have made certain serious contributions. They have mostly started their journey towards God by understanding themselves. There have been some Sufis who have the belief that internal journey within human’s own existence can lead to the understanding of God. As a result they have contributed several precious experiences regarding mysteries of human existence. Though some of them are purely metaphysical, others are very rational and are worth serious consideration.
After the above discussion, it is important to know why knowing himself should be important to a human or why it is important at all. Knowing himself is important for a human, because it would help him understand the purpose of life and ultimately of the world. If he is not able to find any purpose, he, depending on his understandings, can attribute some meaning to life. As a result, he can be a better part of the world. Human beings have been most extroverts regarding the world – they have searched the depths of oceans, excavated the large mountains, seen into the smallest of the organisms, discovered the mysteries of different worldly phenomena, sighted the distant stars and planets yet they stand far away from themselves. Today’s so-called modern world, which is highly materialistic, requires that human beings must understand themselves and their fellow beings. They need to respect the importance of their existence as it is no less than a miracle. They really require discovering real human within themselves. The one that has the capacity to feel others and strive to bound with them in a single chain of existence.
Self-awareness or self-consciousness basically makes a person be more responsible towards his surroundings. He comes to know about the value of life and of the existence and would never attempt to perform actions that negate that value. He, by keeping his individuality and truly respecting it, realizes the worth of other fellow beings; hence, he defends the advantage of being the best of the creatures.