Books That Help Explore The Depth And Meaning Of Life
Who are we? What are we doing here? What is the purpose of this life? Is life a continuous stretch of emotions interspersed with episodes of realism? If you are also someone who ponders about these questions with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book on the other, beholding a poetic rain, we have a few book suggestions for you. Delve deep into the mysteries of our existence, meaning and purpose, with these reads.
Books Exploring the Meaning and Purpose of Life
1. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari
It is the story of a successful lawyer, who loses interest in materialistic success and heads to India for a spiritual awakening, after a cardiac arrest. The visit opens new vistas for him, through which he develops an entirely new perspective towards life. The book advocates how to live happily, think deep and rightly, value time and relationships as well as being more disciplined, following the heart's calling, and living every moment of life. It introduces readers to enlightening yet simple principles that vouch to make life better, happier and more meaningful.
2. The Alchemist
This powerful book narrates the tale of a simplistic shepherd boy from Spain who decides to travel all the way to the Egyptian pyramids, after dreaming of a treasure hidden there. Along the way, he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an alchemist, all of whom guide the protagonist in the direction of his quest. However, what starts as a treasure hunt for materialistic wealth, ends in the spiritual discovery of the treasure hidden within ourselves. The book takes readers on a philosophical journey with lessons of spiritual wisdom in-between.
3. Let Your Life Speak: Listening For The Voice OF Vocation
It is a powerful book that encourages the readers to listen to their inner teacher and follow its leading towards a sense of meaning and purpose. Parker Palmer has filled the book with his personal experiences as well as second hand narratives of other people. Palmer has ripped open the decades he spent on reflecting and discovering, and has shared insights gained from darkness and depression, as well as joy and excitement. It's a perfect read for everyone who seeks the true calling of their lives through a pathway directed toward vocation.
4. Man's Search For Meaning
Coming straight from the bygone days of the Nazi regime, this book has been penned down by Victor Frankl, a leading psychologist in Vienna, who was detained in the concentration camps on account of being a Jew. The author has crucially analysed human behaviour in light of the extenuating circumstances back then, and has propounded that it is a man's constant search for meaning that allows him to survive even the most brutal and degrading situations in his life. He claims that those with a capability to focus on love were the ones that survived the holocaust. Discover the meaning of life through the eyes of a holocaust survivor.
5. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Originally written in 1922 in Germany, this book narrates the tale of a well-off Brahmin boy from the Indian subcontinent, who shuns all the materialistic possessions and treads on a spiritual journey towards enlightenment and self-discovery. As the book goes further, it takes the readers through the bylanes of purpose and meaning in life. It suggests that totality of conscious events of human life is the best way to approach the understanding of reality and attain enlightenment.
Philosophical Theories on the Meaning of Life
- Hedonism: It states that only pleasure and pain motivate us. Seeking pleasure and avoiding suffering are the only components of well-being.
- Stoicism: It states that one needs to get rid of destructive emotions to attain inner peace.
- Tibetan Philosophy: It states that to end the world's suffering is the one primary goal of life.
- Existentialism: It says that life is nothing but a series of choices that we make on our own.
- Aztec Philosophy: The ultimate meaning of life is to live in balance with nature and allow the continuation of the energy that gives rise to each generation, as per this school of thought.
- Nihilism: This view denies that a meaningful life is possible because, literally, nothing has any value.
Books That Help Explore The Depth And Meaning Of Life
| Product | Price in India |
|---|---|
| The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari | ₹ 219 |
| The Alchemist | ₹ 75 |
| Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation | ₹ 1,200 |
| Man's Search For Meaning: The classic tribute to hope from the Holocaust | ₹ 308 |
| Siddhartha | ₹ 99 |
A multi-media journalist and writer, Vaibhavi views the world as one big piece of poetry. Time and again she tries to capture this poetry through words, as well as, the lens. She loves to explore the depth of human psyche, philosophy, cultures, and oceans! Carrying forward this quest for exploration she reports on various beats ranging from tourism, culture, art, social issues, business, market trends, science and environment to technology. For her, the life mantra can be summarised with the catchphrases, “Hakuna Matata” and “Carpe Diem”.
