“An unexamined life is not worth living”
— Socrates
According to the phrase, a person who wakes up each day travels to the office, returns at the day end, watches TV, goes to bed, and repeats the process for his entire life is living a life which is as miserable as of a donkey. Such a kind of life is not providing any value to you which leads to a life that is not worth living.
We hardly give ourselves time to think reasonably and logically about our lives and how to live them. Greece is the home of philosophy and the three pillars — Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle had just one goal for the people of Athens — to make them think. They put light on the subject which is still considered a debatable topic among the 21st-century philosophers.
Our mind is often dragged by the popular opinion or “Doxa” as the Greeks called it. Critically thinking about your life is critical because at the end what you feel about it, is all that matters. We are often carried away by doxa and lead towards a life that is not worth living.
Opt for engineering you’ll get better job options. Follow your passion you’ll love your job. Go with the flow and play safe. Take the road that’s never been taken and you’ll make a difference. We often find ourselves in the middle of people constantly whispering these words to us. These popular opinions aim to shape our future without looking into our capability, desires, and passion and edges to failed careers, relationships, and life eventually. This sort of unknowingly forced determinism questions our free will as an individual which is simply an effect of the cause, the cause which is — ‘you are not thinking’.
The answer to all this can be funneled to just one thought — Know Yourself. Subject your own thoughts and ideas to examination, rather than acting on impulse. Knowing yourself will help to strengthen your knowledge and won’t allow you to get pulled by feelings so easily. Thinking about one’s real self and leaving all influential elements to divert and distract is the only thing required to know about yourself and work towards what you really want.
Such kind of thinking about one’s self is called a Socratic discussion. In order to begin, you can have a Socratic discussion along with your thoughts. You don’t need anyone to question and answer. Just start with WHY! Sounds weird? Then ask for someone who could help you to reach the answer by yourself and is just there to listen without influencing your thoughts. Thinking is the key for you to know your way of life in order to live like that. Examine yourself and exit the rat race you are stuck in. Your life will eventually become worthy enough with no regrets even at the death bed.
Edit: Thank you for such an overwhelming response. Because of so many questions, I’m receiving about the relevant book, here’s the link for the same. The Republic — by Plato.
Remember - An unexamined life is not worth living
