Abstract

The sociological investigation of the question of sense of life does not compete with philo: sophical, theological or psychological approaches, but it broadens and supplements them by adling a social dimension. It searches for „surface structures" to match the psychological „deep structures". "Vhen speaking of the sense of life we do not necessarily mean something individual though in the last instance the sense of life is a man's personal problem rather than a social question. The sociologist concentrates on the sense or senselessness of life as socially conditioned problems of selected social groups or society as a whole. In the present study the author concentrates on the sense of life as viewed by secondary students in three Polish towns: Skarżysko-Kamienna, Sierpc and Zduńska Wola/The sociological research was carried out in 1984 and 1985. The problem is arranged in five points: (a) the sense oflife within a sooiological approach, (b) the sense oflife in the opinion of the young, (c) the sense of life and one's system of values, (cl) the sense of life and religion, and (e) the sense of life and educational tasks. The parts of empirical research reported here show that a majority of secondary school pupils from medium-sized towns have an essentially positive attitude towards life. They think that the sense of Iifo is worth reflecting upon and recognize the importance of such reflection. School pupils readily talk about their existential problems to their friends, but it is not their friends opinion that is decisive. According to what the subjects say, the parents, religious in. struction and their own experiences have a more important effect than the peer group. Young people aro most frequently prompted to reflect on the sense of life by concrete situations, such as failure or other trouble at school or at home. Most strongly stressod among the values giving sense to life are goals assoeiated with the sphere of private life (o.rientation towards the farnily and small groups). The values relat-ed to family life and people forming t:he „microenvironrnent" are not always understood egoistically; they do not always grow out of escapism or con~umption-oriented attitude. But they do testify a strongly marked presence of the existential and affiliat.ive syndrome in a large number of school pupils.Religious values arc strongly stressed. Religion plays an important subjectivesense to human life. School pupils mostly express the view that faith makes life rneaningful„ although only for one-fifth of the subjects is the connection between sense of life and religion a necessary and exclusive one. '\Vhat is appreciated in religion is its existential and morał values. Religion guides a man in his life, helps him to live well, teaches him to love and respect others, enables him to find purpose and sense in life. Less well pronounced is the vertical dimension of religion connected with direct contact between 1nan and God. 11..,aith is regarded not so much as a way to free oneself from existential fears that arise fron1 a sense of danger as a source of inspiration for action, for reflection and for new questions. The current changes in the way that the functions of religion are understood create a bet.ter chance for the manifestation of a more personal, profound and ethical religiousness that pervades people's everyday lives. New prospects of an effective educationa] offensive are opening for the Christian message, which proclaims the \vhole truth about the deepest sense of human life.