what is the purpose of life why do we exist if everything is destined to end what happens after death how can one live in a world so full of suffering what really matters in life and what drives a human being to ask himself these questions when apparently he seems to have it all money success a loving family elements that many consider the Pinnacle of happiness yet there are times when even those who reach these Milestones find themselves faced with deep and disturbing questions this is the case of Leo Tolstoy one of the greatest writers of
all time who experienced one of the most intense existential crisis ever told this video explores the extraordinary journey of a man who despite having achieved Fame and Fortune found himself immersed in an abyss of Doubt a journey that led him to confront the greatest questions of life and to find unexpected answers he was born in 1828 into a noble Russian family immersed in the luxury of the aristocracy orphaned at a young age he was raised by relatives and at 19 inherited the immense yasnaya poana estate along with hundreds of surfs despite this wealth from a
young age he showed a deep dissatisfaction and a divided nature on the one hand he loved Earthly Pleasures such as gambling drinking and fleeting relationships on the other he was tormented by a strong morality that gave him a constant sense of guilt his literary Journey began with writing personal Diaries where he noted his faults and his attempts to improve himself his early Works including childhood and the cacs reflected his personal experiences from his Carefree youth to his military adventures during the Crimean War Fame quickly came to him bringing him into the literary Circles of St
Petersburg and Moscow however despite his success he felt out of place and often in conflict with his fellow writers at the age of 30 he retired to his estate seeking deeper meaning in life there he married Sophia Bears a young woman of 17 the marriage brought stability and the two shared a busy family life with their 13 children during these years he wrote War and Peace an epic work that transformed Russian fiction and established him as one of the the greatest writers in history yet Beyond literary success and family stability he was tormented by a
growing dissatisfaction he confessed that nothing not even Fame could calm his sense of inner emptiness this period marked the beginning of a crisis that at 50 pushed him to question every aspect of his life throwing him into a deep existential search what is the meaning of existence where is the meaning of what we do if time inevitably erases every Trace these are some of the questions that became a torment for him an obsession capable of calling everything into question if you like subscribe to the channel so as not to miss our future initiatives and if
you leave a like on the video thank you very much the most incredible aspect of Tolstoy is that he did not arrive at this deep crisis gradually but suddenly and devastatingly what had previously given him security and joy such as the warmth of his family or the recognition of his Works began to seem empty the days lost color and every action seemed devoid of value these thoughts did not remain confined to his mind but invaded his daily life his nights were tormented by nightmares and sleep became the only Refuge from a constant internal malaise the
days however were marked by a sense of uselessness that seemed to paralyze him he himself describes this dark period in the confession an intense and personal work in which he brutally reveals the depth of his confusion in these Pages he wrote of his most intimate reflections of the night spent contemplating the possibility of ending his own life a thought that haunted him with an almost irresistible Force he confessed that he had to deceive himself to avoid taking an extreme action taking refuge in temporary distractions and mental sub auges but he knew he could not continue
like this for long this crisis was not only personal but also intellectual and spiritual he was a curious and profound man and he decided not to give up and to face these questions head on caught between the desire for an answer and the fear of not finding it he embarked on an extraordinary Journey not through physical places but through the pages of books the thoughts of great philosophers and the observations of everyday life he was searching for something that could fill the void he felt something that went beyond success and material well-being but every answer
he found seemed to open up new questions every certainty he reached crumbled under the weight of Doubt however he continued to search driven by a determination that led him to explore intellectual and spiritual territories he had never considered before the first step led him towards philosophy he devotedly studied the works of great thinkers such as Socrates Buddha and schopenhauer in search of a key to understanding the meaning of life their ideas although illuminated by profound wisdom only increased his sense of confusion he found in their conclusions a vision that in his eyes was far too
dark and devoid of hope schopenhauer for example with his philosophy based on the will as the dominant principle and on suffering as the inevitable condition of existence suggested that life was a continuous struggle without any real purpose Tolstoy could see no comfort in this Vision feeling even more trapped in a circle of nihilism even the teachings of Socrates although he admired their rational Al ity and depth seemed insufficient to respond to his existential anguish even Buddha with his emphasis on overcoming desire and accepting impermanence seemed to him to offer a path of renunciation rather than
a solution that could be reconciled with his Restless nature disappointed by philosophy he turned his gaze to science hoping that the rational and empirical approach could provide more concrete answers he studied Darwin's theories and other emerging scientific ideas of the time which Explain the origin of life as the result of evolutionary processes devoid of purpose according to these Visions the human being was nothing but a product of biological chance an aggregate of cells destined for Decay and death this approach only Amplified the void he already felt science while offering detailed explanations of the mechanisms of
nature could not answer those questions that tormented him why are we here why do we suffer what happens after death Tolstoy perceived science as a discipline extraordinarily powerful in describing the how of the world but profoundly Limited in answering answering the why Darwinism and biology seemed to him to reduce human existence to a struggle for survival denying any possibility of transcendence or meaning the combination of philosophical pessimism and scientific coldness left him disillusioned he had searched for certainties but had found only explanations that seem to deny any possibility of purpose and hope but he did
not give up he decided to continue to look beyond for an answer that could satisfy his thirst for meaning thus he was able to identify four main approaches with which people dealt with the absurdity of Life Each of which represented a different answer to the existential questions that tormented him the first approach was to ignore the problem completely many people he believed lived their lives without ever stopping to reflect on the meaning of life or the inevitability of death they focused exclusively on everyday life accepting what happened without questioning what went beyond the apparent this
option seemed feasible yes even reassuring but for him it was a fragile and temporary solution and however widespread it offered no no lasting Comfort the second approach was to take refuge in pleasure and the search for immediate gratification materialism Hedonism and the constant pursuit of goods and Pleasures became for many a kind of anesthetic against the anxieties of existence he described this strategy as an attempt to stifle the inner emptiness with distractions be they wealth relationships or person personal success but this approach was an illusion he compared it to the honey in the parable of
the man in the well sweet to The Taste but unable to save from falling according to Tolstoy Indulgence in Pleasures was temporary and once the effect wore off The Emptiness and unanswered questions returned with greater intensity no wealth or pleasure could in his eyes satisfy the thirst for meaning that tormented the human being the third approach the most extreme was to give up on life itself he contemplated this possibility during his moments of deepest crisis when despair seemed to Cloud all hope many he believed came to see death as the only escape from the absurdity
and pain of existence but even though he understood OD this Choice he considered it a false solution he resisted this temptation and understood that giving in to despair would not solve his questions but would simply eliminate them for him living meant continuing to search even in the deepest Darkness for an answer that could bring peace the fourth approach was perhaps the most passive living in a state of limbo those who followed this path recognized the absurdity of life but chose not to confront it directly it was a state of emotional and spiritual stagnation in which
the individual took no clear position on either life or death Tolstoy described this state as nonchoice where awareness of the problem paralyzed action those living in this limbo found neither Comfort nor meaning but merely survived unable to move in any direction this represented for him the weakest and most unsatisfactory response because it left the individual trapped in a state of Eternal immobility with no possibility of redemption he analyzed these four approaches in great depth trying to understand which if any could lead to a real solution although he found elements of Truth in each of them
none seemed capable of offering a definitive answer to his questions but he did not give up yet he pushed himself to explore other avenues and so he came to a real Turning Point by observing the simplest and humblest people especially Farmers despite the difficulties of their lives these individuals seem to find extreme ordinary strength in faith he was struck by their ability to Bear suffering with Serenity inspired by a trust in something greater this observation led him to reconsider the value of Faith as an answer to his questions although he had always had doubts about
organized religion he began to perceive Faith as a means of going beyond the limits of rationality faith in its Simplicity offered answers where reason failed it was not an escape from reality but a way to embrace it in all its nuances finding purpose and meaning even in suffering this is how Tolstoy transformed his life he abandoned luxury devoted himself to others and embraced a spirituality that led him to live more authentically this new path gave him a piece that neither success nor rationality had ever been able to offer him what can I say tolstoy's experience
and history teach that the meaning of life is not found only in knowledge or pleasure but in the ability to see beyond difficulties may seem insurmountable but Faith whatever form it takes can offer a way to deal with them and what thoughts does this story Inspire for you that's all for this video warm greetings see you next time
