Not to dismiss what you said about meaning, but this quote of Vaclav Havel is taken out of context all over the internet. Here's the full passage of what Vaclav Havel wanted to say, just to make sure that his ideas are promoted correctly“Sometimes I wonder if suicides aren’t in fact
sad guardians of the meaning of life.”
- Vaclav Havel
Not to dismiss what you said about meaning, but this quote of Vaclav Havel is taken out of context all over the internet. Here's the full passage of what Vaclav Havel wanted to say, just to make sure that his ideas are promoted correctly
"I have never been able to condemn suicides; instead, I tend to respect them, not only for the undoubted courage needed to commit suicide, but also because suicides place the value of life very high: they think that life is too precious a thing to permit its devaluation by living pointlessly, emptily, without meaning, without love, without hope. Sometimes I wonder if suicides aren't in fact sad guardians of the meaning of life."
And also this:
"The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less."
“The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and human responsibility.”
"“Truth and love will overcome lies and hatred.”
But he wasn't really what you might call a "stuck-up on meaning" person. Here's some other quotes of him:
“The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world. In other words, I can only recommend perspective and distance.”
“Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not. ”
I think he clearly had a good balance. Good man !
Being someone who attempted suicide in the past, I feel like I have a bit of insight into what he was saying....or perhaps I do not. But I do feel he hit the nail on the head with what he said. When I tried to kill myself I had a huge rush of despair...so much more than what I feel the average person who has never tried or accomplished it has felt. I always told myself that suicide was an impossibility for me; however, you can reach a point where the pain you feel supersedes the pain you know you will cause others...it supersedes your own personal morals...your ideas of what punishment may await you in terms of religious beliefs. I knew in my own heart, the moment before I lost consciousness, that God would not punish me for what I had done. I knew my heart was transparent to him.Not to dismiss what you said about meaning, but this quote of Vaclav Havel is taken out of context all over the internet. Here's the full passage of what Vaclav Havel wanted to say, just to make sure that his ideas are promoted correctly
"I have never been able to condemn suicides; instead, I tend to respect them, not only for the undoubted courage needed to commit suicide, but also because suicides place the value of life very high: they think that life is too precious a thing to permit its devaluation by living pointlessly, emptily, without meaning, without love, without hope. Sometimes I wonder if suicides aren't in fact sad guardians of the meaning of life."
And also this:
"The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less."
“The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and human responsibility.”
"“Truth and love will overcome lies and hatred.”
But he wasn't really what you might call a "stuck-up on meaning" person. Here's some other quotes of him:
“The only thing I can recommend at this stage is a sense of humor, an ability to see things in their ridiculous and absurd dimensions, to laugh at others and at ourselves, a sense of irony regarding everything that calls out for parody in this world. In other words, I can only recommend perspective and distance.”
“Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not. ”
I think he clearly had a good balance. Good man !
Being someone who attempted suicide in the past, I feel like I have a bit of insight into what he was saying....or perhaps I do not. But I do feel he hit the nail on the head with what he said. When I tried to kill myself I had a huge rush of despair...so much more than what I feel the average person who has never tried or accomplished it has felt. I always told myself that suicide was an impossibility for me; however, you can reach a point where the pain you feel supersedes the pain you know you will cause others...it supersedes your own personal morals...your ideas of what punishment may await you in terms of religious beliefs. I knew in my own heart, the moment before I lost consciousness, that God would not punish me for what I had done. I knew my heart was transparent to him.
How does it relate to the meaning of life? I had no great revelation as I was dying, nor did I once I woke in the hospital...but I did learn true strength. Not only does it go against everything in your mind to kill yourself, your morals, your hopes and dreams, your love for those close to you, but it is a destruction of one’s own ego above all else. You have to conquer that part of yourself that says you are special, that you are not the same as everyone else walking this earth.
To me, now, the meaning of life is to know that if I have the incredible amount of strength and willpower to kill myself, then I have the strength and willpower to exist.
In terms of religious beliefs, I don't believe that there is punishment for suicide either. I mean, I think it depends. If ones kills someone and then he gets almost caught, but he escapes by suicide, I think that's not very...i don't know...correct is maybe the word. But there are other causes, which I don't have the power to judge over them and honestly neither i do have the authority, the right to do so.Being someone who attempted suicide in the past, I feel like I have a bit of insight into what he was saying....or perhaps I do not. But I do feel he hit the nail on the head with what he said. When I tried to kill myself I had a huge rush of despair...so much more than what I feel the average person who has never tried or accomplished it has felt. I always told myself that suicide was an impossibility for me; however, you can reach a point where the pain you feel supersedes the pain you know you will cause others...it supersedes your own personal morals...your ideas of what punishment may await you in terms of religious beliefs. I knew in my own heart, the moment before I lost consciousness, that God would not punish me for what I had done. I knew my heart was transparent to him.
How does it relate to the meaning of life? I had no great revelation as I was dying, nor did I once I woke in the hospital...but I did learn true strength. Not only does it go against everything in your mind to kill yourself, your morals, your hopes and dreams, your love for those close to you, but it is a destruction of one’s own ego above all else. You have to conquer that part of yourself that says you are special, that you are not the same as everyone else walking this earth.
To me, now, the meaning of life is to know that if I have the incredible amount of strength and willpower to kill myself, then I have the strength and willpower to exist.
Maybe true strenght means that you defeated one big major fear, beside defeating your ego?How does it relate to the meaning of life? I had no great revelation as I was dying, nor did I once I woke in the hospital...but I did learn true strength.
This is very true, the fight with our own specialness.You have to conquer that part of yourself that says you are special, that you are not the same as everyone else walking this earth.
Beautifully said. After all, I think it gave you a sense of freedom, this whole experience. And(i like to think) a freedom from fear, beside a freedom from your ego specialness. Maybe freedom from false strenght (the sense of specialness, the ego) that leads to true strenght ,which is knowing your own limits...maybe?To me, now, the meaning of life is to know that if I have the incredible amount of strength and willpower to kill myself, then I have the strength and willpower to exist.