We, human beings, are projected into the concept of struggling to achieve our respective desires and goals throughout our lives. There has always been the implication that we are obligated to make an effort in order to achieve the desires we aim for in life. However, the truthful probability remains existent and declares that we are prone to encounter difficulties during our existence. This then leads to one of the biggest dilemmas we encounter whenever the idea of ​​giving up, the thought of persistence, comes to mind. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Typically, people are inclined towards the idea of ​​not giving up. We can remember that time in our lives when we had difficulty understanding a certain lesson, but we tried to learn it anyway because we wanted to overcome it. Think back to that time when we were not on good terms with our colleagues, yet we still endured an unbearable environment and dealt with it. And it doesn't end there, because the concept of persistence was not only embodied by these situations. In fact, there are infinite possible situations that represent those moments when the strong desire to quit came in, but we ignored it anyway and continued. With this, I gained the realization to ask myself why do people refuse to give up when we actually can, if we choose to? Why do we still continue if in reality we can just stop? Is it because giving up is really wrong? The famous quote that says "try and try again until you succeed" is renowned because it strongly indicates an optimistic view that to achieve our personal goals we must work hard. It is perceived as an extreme motivation to continue despite the difficulties we encounter. It also somehow announces that the concept of giving up will always be doomed because there must always be a way to make those desires come true. Therefore, the generalized belief announces that giving up is not a dignified choice because it rejects the sense of hope, which is what many perceive as a positive thing. However, the existence of the great certainty that each of us will face failure is absolute. And since we are all likely to lose, this shows that even if we put in all our efforts, we will always suffer from defeat and despair. If so, this states the scary truth that, even if we do our best, all of us are very susceptible to the concept of loss, no matter who we are. So, this denotes that failure is always present and only reinforces the statement that we can give up at any time if we want. But this is not the case, because if we observe carefully, human beings still try and continue. So what drives us to continue despite all this? The French-Algerian philosopher Albert Camus brought us the concept that even before we are born, we actually already possess an essence. The essence he deduces from is the absurd, explained as humans' conflict to find meaning in life and the strong desire to then create it once we realize that the devoured meaning is non-existent. It implies that life is meaningless and we can never create one, no matter how hard we try. So, this means that even if we achieve our ultimate dreams or goals in life: graduating with honors, getting an honorary title, receiving a sky-high salary, or staying rich for the rest of our lives; Would our life still remain meaningless? If so, then what's the point of trying? How is it possible then that no matter how hard we try; we still can't create ameaning for our lives? In Camus' position, he states that in order to endure this meaningless life, we must only enjoy everything, even if it is meaningless, since it is the only choice we have left. Looking at it carefully, it is never proven that the meaninglessness of our lives is not pleasant though. Even though Camus' idea of ​​the absurd is assumed to be real, it has never been indicated that a worthless life is not a pleasant life, because these are two different concepts. In that case, we will then consider the concept which is the person's craving for pleasure. Imagine a scenario where a student who is clearly lacking in something (a certain subject in school for example), gets the highest score in the whole class. If this result remains useless, we will never overlook the fact that the student still felt a sense of pride and joy for that result. If that example fails to define the value and meaning of the student as a person, it does not necessarily reject the fact that the student still finds joy in it. Then, he simply points out that the pleasure we experience in life acts as the strongest factor that pushes us to fight and continue despite the presence of quitting. Furthermore, we go to great lengths to maximize the idea of ​​pleasure to minimize the knowledge that we, the things we do, the results we achieve, our very existence, and every little thing around us will remain worthless indefinitely. On the other hand, we are thirsty for the feeling of pleasure, not for the true meaning of our life. This makes valid sense and somehow proves that pleasure is a solid factor why we continue despite the difficulties that life brings. On a different note, visualize the given scenario again where we graduate, get a major honorific, and become rich. What if we said that the sense of fulfillment afforded by these outcomes is finally enough for a person, that the person has finally reached the ultimatum of their own pleasure because they achieved those things? Is it possible that they can now welcome the idea of ​​giving up? In essence, if we only talk about pleasure, we can also conclude that it is now possible for us to give in to the idea of ​​quitting and stop trying. This is because pleasure cannot be the only root. An important point we need to consider is that human beings have different perspectives and preferences in life. Therefore it is still possible that I may actually be a type of person who rejects any affiliation with pleasure. It may be because I'm not a person who doesn't totally crave it. What if I just want a simple life, a peaceful life without actually wanting a lot of unnecessary things? What if getting a Latin honor and being rich isn't the purpose of my life? A great argument that proves this is the presence of certain religions and ways of life such as Buddhism and Taoism. For Buddhism, one of its main beliefs stated by the "Four Noble Truths" is samudaya, stating that desire is the cause of all suffering. Therefore, if I am a monk or a person who has renounced worldly life and joined the mendicant and contemplative community, I am expected to live in moderation as it is believed to be the only solution to avoid suffering. This then dictates that I must stop desiring the things of the world as it is the cause of life's endless suffering. On the other hand, Taoism focuses exclusively on the relationship to the Tao or “the Way” and does not necessarily believe in the idea of ​​persevering. For Taoism, its belief is tied to the idea of ​​“nature” and dictates that I don't necessarily have to try hard and become a lawyer if I'm not really meant to be one. Taoism believes that I will be a lawyer because nature says that I will be a lawyer. In that case, if-450095