THE MEANING OF THE EXPRESSION "WIN YOUR LIFE"

Does the expression "make a living" make sense? Is its meaning proportional to its opposite expression "lose one's life"? What type of life do we hear in this expression? That of the body, of the soul, or that of the mind? do we earn our living only for the vital needs of the body? or are there vital needs that are not bodily? can we speak of vital needs in relation to the soul and the spirit? What is earning a living? What does the phrase "earn a living" cover? This is what we propose to do in the following: to provide some answers for each of the questions posed above In the expression "earn a living", the notion of "gain" places us at the outset , from a perspective of possession. It states the possibility, to enter into complete possession, of what is to be gained (a trophy, a salary, a fame, etc.), in order to use it as we please, without necessarily excluding, the idea to lose, in what way, we came into possession.

The expression "earn a living" presupposes that it is self-evident, or that we take as established truth, the fact that life can be possessed; or that some control of life is possible; which does not seem so obvious to us. This expression, "to make a living", also suggests to us the idea of ​​a possibility of not losing it (this life). What I can win, I can lose by not winning. Avoiding losing is also an indirect way to win. We will take the terms "win" and "do not lose" as synonyms. So, not winning a race makes me a loser. The fact of not gaining the reward of which I had set myself the goal of obtaining, makes, that I lose it; the fact of not losing, that I win.So, win, will mean, in a certain way, "do not lose".

To broaden our understanding of the meaning of "earning a living", we can ask the question: "Can we not lose our life?" This is one of the fundamental questions that this expression poses to us. Is there anything I can do to "not lose" my life? What is making a living? To make a living is not to lose it; it is to have victory, not defeat; it is to be in competition. If we accept, the fact, of the possibility of "winning savi", could we refuse the idea, which seems necessarily accompanied, namely: "lose one's life"? What is losing your life? 1. To die. Whoever dies, has lost his life.What is losing his life? 2. It is not feeding. Because when we are not feeding, we are losing our lives. 3. It is to be sick. 4. It is sad, in a word, it is all that brings us to death. Death is the state of the one who lost his life. The points we have listed are illustrations of what contributes to losing our lives. When we seek to make our living, it is primarily to avoid falling into these things.

So, what is earning a living? To make a living is not to die. For to lose one's life is to die. And to win one thing is not to lose it, we said. But is it possible not to die? Is it possible not to lose one's life? If the answer is no! how will it be possible to make a living? and if it is not possible to make a living, how can one lose it? We take, almost all, for granted, that every man on earth will lose his life, one day or another. But if we accept the idea of ​​permanently losing one's life, how can we refuse the idea of ​​winning it definitively? Who, in his good sense, would agree to play a game, of which he has the absolute certainty, that he will loser, whatever happens; that any hope of gain is definitely inaccessible? Who would work, knowing that, at the end of the month, he will not have a salary? Is it not a little in this way, that life those who embrace the idea of ​​a definitive death, while refusing the idea of ​​a definitive life?

The expression "earn one's life" therefore raises the question of having rather than being; that is, the question of quantity, rather than quality. With this idea, that I can add life to my life. As if I had a capital life, to which I can add credit, according to my work, or the various ways necessary for my survival. For example, by having a bigger salary, I have the feeling of increasing my "quality" of life. Quality is confused then, with the quantity, as if having more, improved the quality of my life. We spent a lot of time on the aspect of the notion of gain in the expression "earn a living". Let's move on to the "life" part. We will draw the necessary conclusions after having studied this second part.

What is life? In the context of the expression whose meaning we seek to identify, what is meant by the word life? Let's answer dry: Life is the bios. Bios, is a Greek word that means "living". It is from this prefix that we have formed the word "biology". The word "life" in the expression "earn a living" therefore has this meaning. We could, to realize this, ask this question: Can we earn a living? Somewhat strange question is not it? Is biological life worth winning? It seems that yes. "To make a living" refers to the fact of becoming a part of one's biological life. This includes food, clothing, a roof, health, etc.We work for a salary; to support our body. But not only; We also seek to fulfill certain psychological needs: The human relationship gives us the affective bedoins, a certain material comfort, the well-being, the love, the peace, the tranquility of the soul. Of soul? Yes, soul. And what is the soul? The soul is our vital principle, the soul is the reflection of our personality. In modern times, when we talk about "making a living", the soul question can not be ruled out. Because we do not only seek to provide for our body's needs, the vital needs of the body, but also for those of our soul, who, too, and we realize it more and more, has vital needs, which are not necessarily related to the body; like emotional psychological needs, moral need, and consciousness.

That is to say, we can win everything in the world, and still lose our lives. The victory of corporal life seems to be condemned to total defeat; Whatever happens, we will die one day. The only victory that seems satisfactory is that of the soul; because she has the promise of eternal life.