When I first began taking Comparative Philosophy, I did not have a clear idea of what made life worthwhile. I knew I enjoyed life, and I knew I wanted to continue to live my life, but I didn’t have a clue as to what made life meaningful. To me, the question, what makes life worth living, is perplexing and infinite. It provokes me to think, to regress, and to wonder. Coming into the term, I didn’t have a great answer to this question. However, after reading Zhuangzi, Camus, and Sartre, I have developed a better thesis as to why life is worthwhile. Zhuangzi has shown that there is this notion of an effortless action. We, as human beings, have this tendency to become so indulged, so focused, on this one action that we lose our sense of being;
…show more content…
Zhuangzi gives an example of this when discussing the advanced fishing skills of a Hunchback. In the anecdote, Confucius embarks upon a journey when he encounters the Hunchback, who is able to catch cicada with an elegant ease. Amazed at what he sees, Confucius asks the Hunchback how he is able to do such a task so profoundly and skillfully. The Hunchback replies, stating that it took months of diligent training; however, “No matter how huge heaven and earth, or how numerous the ten thousand things, I’m aware of nothing but cicada wings. Not wavering, not tipping, not letting any of the other ten thousand things take the place of those cicada wings - how can I help but succeed?” (Zhuangzi, “Mastering”, 70). Thus, when he is hunting for cicada, the Hunchback has, in a sense, lost the notions of the outside world. He has become so focused on catching the prey that it almost feels effortless, that the task being performed feels as if it isn’t being performed. This notion is regarded as an effortless action. To Zhuangzi, an effortless action is what makes life worth living, and in an essence, good. One who has obtained effortless action, through training, is able to perform the task and feel lost due to being so fixated. All the distractions of the outside world are foreign; the only thing to notice is the action in which one is
Zhuangzi gives an example of this when discussing the advanced fishing skills of a Hunchback. In the anecdote, Confucius embarks upon a journey when he encounters the Hunchback, who is able to catch cicada with an elegant ease. Amazed at what he sees, Confucius asks the Hunchback how he is able to do such a task so profoundly and skillfully. The Hunchback replies, stating that it took months of diligent training; however, “No matter how huge heaven and earth, or how numerous the ten thousand things, I’m aware of nothing but cicada wings. Not wavering, not tipping, not letting any of the other ten thousand things take the place of those cicada wings - how can I help but succeed?” (Zhuangzi, “Mastering”, 70). Thus, when he is hunting for cicada, the Hunchback has, in a sense, lost the notions of the outside world. He has become so focused on catching the prey that it almost feels effortless, that the task being performed feels as if it isn’t being performed. This notion is regarded as an effortless action. To Zhuangzi, an effortless action is what makes life worth living, and in an essence, good. One who has obtained effortless action, through training, is able to perform the task and feel lost due to being so fixated. All the distractions of the outside world are foreign; the only thing to notice is the action in which one is