Leo Tolstoy

The chapter opens with a mini biography of Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy harboured an interest in and did study some thought systems formulated in Asia, particularly, Indian and Chinese philosophies. His engaging communications with Mahatma Gandhi and their discussions on non-violence and civil disobedience were intellectually and spiritually beneficial for both parties. The monumental life crisis that Tolstoy endured is documented in his Confession that traces out the crushing meaninglessness that tormented him, and his consequent attempt to find meaning in life. The crux of Tolstoy’s profound sense of meaninglessness rests very much on the fact that every individual life ends in suffering and death. His crisis and his attempt to overcome it depict an intriguing journey from an overemphasis on reason to a more balanced inclusion of other dimensions of human existence. Meaningfulness may be more of what we create than what we discover.