Module 2 Position Post
I have chosen to write about the perspective of life as demonstrated in “A Confession” by Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy describes an existential crisis that many people experience in one time of their life or another. Tolstoy believes that life is pointless and wrong, except when acknowledging the existence of God. While Tolstoy’s position is a bit hyperbolic for my taste, his experience does coincide with my own.
Tolstoy discusses four methods for escaping the truth of our world. The first method is ignorance of the fact that “life is an evil and an absurdity” (Tolstoy, pg. 67). People that fall into this category are eternally optimistic and believe that everything can be fine in the world as it is. I have known people in my life that fit into this category. From outward appearances, I believe many people would place me into this category because I am an optimist. That is not a correct description of my worldview, though.
The second method Tolstoy describes is someone that knows the “hopelessness of life” (Tolstoy, pg. 67), but uses the world to try to bring about happiness. This is a worldview that is the focus of our capitalist society. Many people share the opinion that “We all have some idea of what would make us happy” (Nielsen, pg. 76), but this is a lie. When we see consumers camping out in front of stores to buy something to bring meaning to their lives, the fallacy of this view is brought to light.
The third kind of escape Tolstoy describes is someone that takes control of a hopeless situation by exerting the little control they have over their own lives by ending their life. Tolstoy demonstrates an affection for this worldview, but I think it is cowardly. However, mental health issues can mitigate how cowardly such an act is. Based solely on his affinity for such a path, it would appear that Tolstoy may have some influence of mental illness.
The final escape is what Tolstoy would consider the cowardly path. It is acknowledging that life is “evil and an absurdity” (Tolstoy, pg. 68), but trying to hold onto life until the very end. I agree with Tolstoy’s view that this is an absurd and weak point of view. At least the people in the third category try to do something about their situation. The people in this category are basically playing a prevent defense in football, which involves trying to not lose the game, instead of trying to win the game.
The conclusion that Tolstoy finally reaches is that only through seeking God can life have meaning. “Live seeking God, and then you will not live without God” (Tolstoy, pg. 70). This conclusion is one that I share myself and one that I believe that St Augustine would also agree with when he says “our hearts are restless until they can find peace in you” (The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Book 1, Chapter 1).
Word Count: 492
This is a writing assignment from my Philosophy of Religion class that I took at UCF in Fall 2016