What men live by

‘What men live by?’ This question, for which there is no clear answer, may leave you feeling powerless. We struggle every moment to live, but for the most part, we're just drifting aimlessly. So what are we here for? Surprisingly, the answer is simple. There's no predetermined purpose for anyone's life. In blunt terms, life gives 'no-answer' for everyone. Therefore, no one can provide a standardized direction for life. Life is fair in that it starts with a blank slate for everyone. Since the beginning, we're all imperfect and full of mistakes. And even as we make mistakes, death looms closer every moment. There's no such thing as a perfect life from the start. If given a second chance in life, can we live without making mistakes? Goethe's Faust suggests otherwise. Faust was a brilliant scholar who mastered many disciplines. Upon gaining a second chance at life in his moment of death through a pact with the devil, he's led astray, falls into corruption, and even drives his own family to death due to wrong judgments. Even after repenting for his mistakes, he still clings to values that he believes are right, indirectly causing murder. Faust, who lived two lives, is still so full of mistakes. So why should we live? We must live 'nevertheless.' We're imperfect, but we must live 'nevertheless.' We must accept ourselves as we are, including our imperfections, and forgive ourselves with love in every single moment of our lives. We must constantly strive to be a little kinder, to practice better values through correct actions. There's no grand purpose or meaning to life. We just create it for ourselves every moment. That's the ideal attitude towards life that 'Faust' and Goethe convey.