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The meaning of life

Pagey

Pagey

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Apr 11, 2012
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Once in a while I start getting these really scary thoughts where I can't stop thinking about how short life is and how there will have been no point to it in the end. I'm agnostic so even though I'd like to, I don't really believe that there is anything after death - which makes it even scarier :\
So ever since I've started thinking about such things, I've become a bit obsessed with giving life a meaning. Until now I think I would have said the meaning of life was finding happiness, but that doesn't really satisfy me anymore. Now I'm leaning towards maybe leaving a (positive) mark on this world and on its people. But I dunno, it's a tough question. What do you think is the meaning of life? (if you think it has a meaning)
 
What's the structure of the question? Do we need to justify reality/existence/life by something EXTERNAL to reality/existence/life (for example: God, or ultimate happiness) or can we answer the question by remaining IMMANENT.

A metaphor I like to use is dancing. One dances around, there is no purpose... the music is going nowhere, there is no reason why the music has begun. There is just music and we are dancing, we enjoy the dance. We will hurt our toes at some point, we will dance with the pretty lady at some other point... our favorite song is playing but then it changes to some bad music... What to do? Do we stand still? Do we go sit on a chair and wonder where this all is going or do we truly embrace the dance (i.e. reality). Keep on dancing and be free... There is no reason for dancing. The dance is without purpose and that is its purpose. The more you learn to enjoy to dance and accept everything that will come and has come, you become truly free.
 
Ask the Monty Python crew, they cracked it a while back.
 
"Here is a little image of what you will be in hell, except you repent and fly to Christ. You who now hear of hell and the wrath of the great God, and sit here so easy and quiet, and go away so careless; by and by will shake, and tremble, and cry out, and shriek, and gnash your teeth. And will be thoroughly convinced of the vast weight and importance of these things which you now despise." - Jonathan Edwards
 
Psyduck, I wasn't thinking of any particular structure, just whatever the words "meaning of life" mean to you :) that's actually a really good and powerful metaphor though.
 
I don't think life has any meaning, but I think everyone should have their own meaning of life that benefits them the most.
 
It's called different things in different cultures... Self-realization, individuation, Tao... The general idea of all of them is to dedicate your life to reaching your absolute maximum potential.
 
I was giving this some serious thought a while back - i was rather fucked up at the time. I came to the conclusion that the meaning of life is NOW. I've ran into a roadblock trying to define what now is exactly. I'll not get into that right now.

The jist of this notion is that all you have is what you are experiencing right now and you need to surround yourself with whatever you deem as good or virtuous and give it your attention. We could all agree that love and happiness are good and anger is bad. The rest is really subject to your perspective. I personally believe teaching others truth will lead to their happiness, that's how i share my love. I try to create a balance by learning from as many people as i can. I'm also working on learning to love without restraint, learning to love everything and everyone. My grandfather taught me that if i spread love it would always come back to me and so far he's been right. Love is the most virtuous of all emotions. Do everything as an extension of love. Even if you don't believe in god, treat every stranger(even animals) as if god is within them, as if everyone were a buddha or christ or muhammad - we all have the potential to be gods among men and we should be treated as such.

Your work is to discover your world and then with all of your heart, give yourself to it. - Buddha

edit: congrats psyduck - your dancing metaphor made it into my book of memorable quotes =). It really made me smile. And don't worry u were cited as the primary source lol
 
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I believe in a God not a super all powerfull being but more a driving force. Something that we can hold on to. Obviously I am not an expert on philosophy but we as humans all have the desire for something bigger than ourselves, something to holdon to. The meaning of life to me is to just live, life in itself is beautiful simply because we ARE. To be happy one must except that even though our existence is not entirely significant it is still existence....sorry if this doesn't help
 
^indeed. you give life whatever meaning you want. if you think the meaning of life is to achieve a higher consciousness via drugs then it is. there is no meaning of life for everyone. some people think their purpose is to kill everybody and they are right in their twisted little realities. on that note, reality is not static. it is whatever you make it.
 
I think that being alive has one in a megabazillion times chances of happening to you (ie we are alive by mere chance). So breathing alone should be awesome enough to justify the whole thing.
 
Try to move beyond ego and then you'll see that the question of meaning is rather meaningless. You're stuck in semantics that don't matter. The truth is silent and without words. It will tell you all you need to know. The connection is already there, all you have to do is remember who/what you really are - and who/what you really are is not what is asking the question.
 
I don't believe there is any correct answer in this thread. I could say the meaning of my life is peanut butter and nothing you could say could prove me wrong
 
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