The inimitable Hunter S. Thompson was just 20 years of age and still in the U.S. Air Force when, in April of 1958, he wrote this profoundly wise letter to his friend Hume Logan in response to a request for life advice. It would be another ten years until Thompson’s own career gathered pace, due in no small part to a brave exposé of the Hell’s Angels that he wrote after a year in their company. Arguably his most famous book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, soon followed, as did much of the Gonzo journalism for which he is now known. In 2005, with his health in decline, he took his own life; he left a note for his wife, titled, “Football Season Is Over,” which read:
“No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your (old) age. Relax — This won’t hurt.”
Read more: Letters of Note: A man has to BE something
“The answer—and, in a sense, the tragedy of life—is that we seek to understand the goal and not the man.” … Exactly. Because the Goal is THE MAN. Many people live and behave like mere shy “employees” of their lives. They follow the herd. They live like they are prisoners of an unforgiving “tree of decisions”, and they are never themselves. This is understandable, is human, but it’s a meaningful life just for them. In my view, living a meaningful life means that others are included, which is not easy. You know, it takes courage to take action, to do the right thing, to speak out… it takes courage just to be you. So…. “A man has to BE something; he has to matter.” Ok, fine, but… Just to himself? I’d say: firstly to himself, and also to other people. That to me is really a meaningful life.
And Dennis, speaking of meaningful things… This is a very significant article! Thank you Dennis.
“A meaningful life”? How does one define that. Is your life meaningful to family, friends, acquaintances, total strangers? Does that mean what one did or said materially affected another and or changed their life? Doe is mean that you are long remembered after death claims the body?
Perhaps it is just a matter of being satisfied with self and the conviction that one did the best they could most of the time. That to me is quite meaningful.