Some time ago, I talked to a student at Utah State University who took a course entitled, “The Good Life.” I was intrigued by the title and was able to obtain a copy of the syllabus and then I purchased the required textbook. It seems to me the class was designed to use a survey of philosophers, ancient and modern, to challenge incoming freshmen to think seriously about the meaning of life and how to live well. Because I am working with first term airmen who are the same age and at the same stage of life as incoming freshmen, I thought this kind of course would be helpful to them. So, I changed some of the wording to make the class sound less academic and more practical. Then I began to advertise the class, “Finding the Good Life.” I made a schedule for a twelve-week course and did all I knew how to spread the word-there is a class being offered which will help you find the life you have always wanted.
Few airmen attended, and those who did dropped out after a couple of weeks. Now I am leading a happiness conversation on Wednesday evenings, the attendance is more consistent, but few airmen attend. It is disappointing – I want to talk with young men and women about what I think are some of the most important questions of life and very few feel like the conversations are worth their time.
I feel odd because I can’t quit thinking about these philosophical questions. When I am on vacation I read about this stuff, I amalways talking with Debbie about these issues, and when we watch a movie because we just want to “veg,” I always evaluate the movie when the credits’ role and ask, “What was the movie teaching about life?” When I meet strangers, it isn’t long before I ask them a question about how they experience life and ask them what they believe is of ultimate value. I can’t escape the thought that life is short and if I don’t think well and make good decisions every day I will miss, at least part, of the only life I have.
A few months ago-I asked a very smart airman, who came for a while and dropped out, why he had dropped out and why he thinks so few attend. He was very succinct, “We don’t need it.” I have thought about that a lot and thought, “Maybe they don’t need it.” But then I hear of another suicide, immobilizing depression that sends an airman to the psychiatric hospital, or an airman being discharged because he- or she just can’t handle the pressure of being in the military, and I think, “No, they really do need this stuff.”
Where I Began My Philosophical Journey
Like many young people, I began thinking about these issues when I was 16 and started attending church. I think many young people, and airmen, grapple with these issues, but often suppress the questions with alcohol or sex. I went to church. When I first started attending church, I didn’t understand any of the rituals of the service and the sermon-it was like it was a foreign language, I didn’t understand anything. But in small group Bible studies, and in other groups which allowed me to ask questions, I gradually came to understand what I believed was the meaning to life and adopted principles I wanted to incorporate into my life. Because church was difficult for me, and because religion is generally a turn off for young people today I wanted to create a place to talk about these subjects without using religious words.
Limits of Philosophy
I know that having a well thought-out, cohesive philosophy does NOT solve all the problems that people face. I know that at leasthalf of our inner life is emotional, NOT intellectual, and sometimes those emotions take over our life regardless of a deeply held philosophy. However, having convictions about the nature of life (convictions which are developed over time with careful thought), the rules which govern the universe*, and the meaning of the suffering which we all experience, can go a long way to improving our mental health and helping us experience the best possible life.
I have been unable to convince many airmen these are important conversations which are worth their time and considered thought. However, I am not finished! I have new ideas which I pray will be the key to helping our first term airmen find the best possible life which God has prepared for them.
* Rules such as the ten commandments, the four noble truths, or Jordan Peterson’s twelve rules. Understanding these rules, and making them part of your life, takes a great deal of time and thought.
