[1]
One late night in September this year, on my way home from work, the song "Sweet Water" from the TV show "Westworld" played in my headphones.
Feeling extremely exhausted, I found myself lost in deep thoughts amidst the enchanting piano melody:
Why are we always so obsessed with discussing whether machines are gradually becoming more like humans, while ignoring the fact that humans themselves are also unknowingly becoming more like machines? Day after day, we live our lives like the Hosts in "Westworld," following a fixed rhythm: wake up, rush to work, eat at designated times, hurry back home after work, browse through information on our phones that feels like "The Truman Show," and finally fall into a deep sleep.
The more time and energy work occupies, the more negative this experience becomes. It feels as if we are trapped in a predetermined loop, just like the programs in Westworld.
The word "meaning" emerged in my mind. We often only contemplate it in times of pain and despair, seeing it as our ultimate redemption.
In that moment, my thoughts suddenly accelerated, and I had a sudden realization of the "meaning" I could accept for myself.
[2]
What exactly is "meaning"? I believe it is the process of constantly proving and perpetuating one's existence, in any form possible—provided that we do not deny "existence" itself, otherwise we may fall into the quagmire of nihilism.
To understand "meaning," one must first "exist" (although I haven't read more than a few pages of "Being and Time"...).
Although humans cannot achieve traditional immortality, we can achieve eternity through existentialism.
Humans will eventually die, but artists invest most of their existence into their artworks, such as world-renowned paintings and musical melodies, which are perpetuated and forever remembered by the world. This is a form of perpetuating existence. Great athletes create historic achievements that are forever engraved in history, another form of perpetuating existence. Writers directly transmit their thoughts through their books. Even someone like Shi Tiesheng, confined to a wheelchair, successfully passed on his existence to the world, as demonstrated in his work "Me and the Altar of Earth."
Although the surface of everyone's values and sense of meaning may seem vastly different, fundamentally, we all seek to perpetuate our own existence to some degree.
Why are artists and scientists willing to spend their lives creating and inventing? Because in their eyes, their creations are a part of themselves, a part of perpetuating existence that can withstand the test of time and exist forever.
However, to achieve the perpetuation of "existence," relying solely on oneself is not enough. We also need to face the public and gain recognition, just like being recorded on the blockchain. Imagine if the achievements of great scientists like Einstein and Oppenheimer were plagiarized and their contributions buried. Would they still feel meaningful when looking back on their lives? This is why "achievement" is the best proof and perpetuation of one's existence.
[3]
What constitutes "self-existence"? This is a question that depends on each individual's subjective projection. In the seventh episode of the fourth season of "Westworld," the human Man in Black is cloned into an AI robot with the same thoughts and appearance, and is imprisoned. This scene is shocking. Instead of panicking, the Man in Black calmly tells the AI version of himself, "It's okay, as long as you have a part of me, my part will spread throughout your body like a virus; as long as I exist, you exist." Thus, the two completed the subjective transfer of their will to exist! It's like a dream within a dream.
This also shows that although humans cannot achieve traditional immortality, from a technological and rational perspective, we do have the opportunity to achieve existential eternity. The key lies in our projection and definition of self-existence.
For ordinary people, although we cannot achieve complete self-cloning, we have a natural instinct for reproduction. "Selfish genes" do not want existence to cease, so we have families and children, which is also an inevitable form of perpetuating self-existence.
The differences in values and perspectives among individuals of different identities are actually different understandings and projections of self-existence.
As parents, we naturally project our self-existence onto our children. As musicians and composers, we project our self-existence onto our musical works. Once the most beautiful melodies spread in the world, they will never disappear. Top athletes project their self-existence onto their athletic achievements, which are forever recorded in history. Computer experts and advanced programmers project their self-existence onto their open-source projects, which are recognized and continuously updated and inherited in the open-source community.
Even the most ordinary craftsmen project their self-existence onto their creations. They build their own houses, make furniture, and dig wells, all of which become a part of their existence. This also explains why people who leave their hometowns yearn to return, because a significant part of their self-existence remains there.
Therefore, people invest time and energy into various endeavors, all in order to prove and perpetuate their own existence.
Returning to work, why do we feel a lack of meaning?
Most likely, it stems from the highly specialized nature of modern society, which leads to the majority of the working class passively taking on a series of trivial and repetitive tasks that do not belong to their own creations. Each person is like a cog in a large machine, mechanically performing their duties.
In most cases, we simply follow the routine to complete tasks, using various methodologies to improve efficiency, without truly investing our emotions and passions. The product is merely a property of the company, without any personal attributes. Once we leave the company, everything seems to disappear without a trace. In short, individuals are like working machines, easily replaceable, and personal value gradually diminishes.
Since we cannot directly feel the possibility of proving and perpetuating our own existence, we may believe that work is meaningless.
We can only indirectly seek the perpetuation of our own existence through the rewards we earn as a medium of exchange.
If the compensation is lower than the value of our actual labor, it is equivalent to denying our personal worth, let alone finding meaning.
So, how can we regain "meaning"?
......
I don't want to write anymore. Let chatGPT help me summarize:
- The core of meaning lies in proving and perpetuating one's existence.
- This can be achieved through various means, including artistic creation, scientific achievements, family inheritance, graphic and audiovisual records, etc.
- For ordinary people, meaning is often closely related to family, work, and creation.
- The highly specialized and mechanical nature of modern society may lead people to feel a lack of significance and presence.
- Rediscovering meaning may require redefining the concept of wealth, projecting one's existence onto tangible creations that can be preserved and iterated, and gaining recognition and feedback from others.
These elements constitute a profound and comprehensive reflection on "meaning," and the path to achieving meaning lies in finding a unique way to prove and perpetuate one's own existence.
As you can see, the key to meaning is still creation, creating something that is inherently tied to one's own attributes. Additionally, active recording is important.
Returning to the issue of work's lack of meaning: if the work itself does not provide opportunities for personal creation, at the very least, it should not encroach upon one's free time. Those who understand will understand what I mean.
And so, I have acquired a disease of always wanting to do something great....
Expressing myself is too exhausting, my words are inadequate. I'll update it when I have the time.