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The Meaning of Life

motiv311 said:
Why do we exist at all?
...
What is the point?
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why does there have to be a why? perhaps we 'just do'.

echoing mdao & heuristic, perhaps the reason we exist is to question why we exist. even more simply, perhaps we exist just to exist. perhaps simply living the best life you can answers the question more fundamentally than any words can?

related reading: the meaning of life?

alasdair
 
IMHO suchness (aka existence) can't really be explained using our contemporary definition of "meaning."
 
Papa said:
^Yes, I think so too. That whole misunderstanding of language thing - a question can be grammatically correct, seem straightforward, but be so ill-defined that it's meaningless or has infinite interpretations.

I really do find that most people don't understand the question when they ask it. Like another poster above, I usually just answer it with an annoying - 42.
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Cliche smug reference is cliche. :p

Just kidding. I get Douglas Adams' basic point: Any pat answer to the question 'What is the meaning of life?' can lead to an endless regression of questions, in this case, 'What is the meaning of 42?' and on and on.

I still like the question, as it can serve as a wonderful Rorschach test for probing the listener's mind and way of making sense of the world, especially since even if the question is sensible and has a definite answer, no one necessarily knows it.

I tend to prefer the question 'What is your mission in life?', though, in most serious discussions. This question gets at what the other question is trying to get at a little more effectively, because it allows for there being many ways for many people.
 
The problem here is our own inquisitiveness.
If only the human mind had the capability to be content not knowing why, how etc.
This is not the case though.

42 is an easy answer because there really now answer here beyond speculation into the meaning of life by both definging our purpose in life to defining the meaning within existing.

I see 3 options here

1. Accept that you don't know and most likely never will and forget about it.
2. Get a little Zen accept that we do just exit and our purpose is only exist
3. Carry on guessing and speculating all your life thinking you know the answer.

If you choose 3 then know only that, no your conclusion is not the correct one. It is only what suits you, understand this and revert to number 1.
 
MyDoorsAreOpen said:
Cliche smug reference is cliche. :p

Just kidding. I get Douglas Adams' basic point: Any pat answer to the question 'What is the meaning of life?' can lead to an endless regression of questions, in this case, 'What is the meaning of 42?' and on and on.

I still like the question, as it can serve as a wonderful Rorschach test for probing the listener's mind and way of making sense of the world, especially since even if the question is sensible and has a definite answer, no one necessarily knows it.

I tend to prefer the question 'What is your mission in life?', though, in most serious discussions. This question gets at what the other question is trying to get at a little more effectively, because it allows for there being many ways for many people.
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:p

Yeah, I see your angle. I'm no grinch: it is a great question for starting interesting discussions. It's just not a question with a conclusion, at least in my opinion, so I don't feel it's something to be brooded or obsessed over.

How happy is the wind? I'm not sure, but maybe we can talk it over...
 
IGNVS said:
asking for the meaning to life inhibits you from finding the answer

the thing about things like this is that when your looking for the right thing, the things
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Too many things.. ya lost me
 
Psychonautical said:
Merry christmas.

In The beginning there was everything. There has always been everything, and there will always be everything. Since the form or essence of everything you witness has always been in existence in one way or another exceeding any boundaries of the human prision known as time. In this there was no definate beginning only constant changing. The beginning stated previously refers to the space that filled our universe long before the earth and long before life. Eventually, however the Earth will return to that space and re-emerge again in a sequence with no specific order but intendly based upon the same criteria of infinite impossibility. It began in the space from which every child is born, from which every seed is hatched and from which every soul returns to. It is a space containing any and all knowledge ever learnt or thought of. It is every memory ever kept. It is a space filled with nothing but pure energy. A Collection of eternal spirits or essences. A collective soul. Within this space of massive energy is a being made completely out of its own entirity. This space or being has a collectiveness and a conciousness. It is all seeing and all knowing and perfect because it is the unity of all in existence. This conciousness is what humans may call a god.


This "God" loves patterns as it has always loved them. THis God was filled with three main presences. The Good or Positive The Negative or Evil and the Neutral or Unchangable. In Human science these things have been catergorized as Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons. This "God" liked to put order to his chaotically energic form. This "god" arranged some of the energy particles into patterns within himself he shaped thousands of different variations. Patterns are eternal but they are all generally made out of shapes that are recognizable. Our Universe is Eternal and Repetitive. All things connect in patterns. God knew that the patterns could would and will continue to grow larger. "God" knew the different patterns would eventually take thier own individual forms as they achieved their perfection. These forms are the four elements we recognize most here on earth. Earth, Wind, Fire, Water. Eventually the patterns gained enough knowledge to create the very earth itself. In this God made from his pure energy our MATERIAL reality. As he had many times before and would many times more. This creation took only a second in the timelessness of space that is the distance between us and god. But millions of years in the comprehension that is considered merely human. God pushed the earth away and into the deep abyss of our physical universe. Our Material world was made to keep us away from the mysteries of eternal life. However god stayed close enough for us to see it, tiny in the sky during the day which then moves to watch the other side at Night. Parts of god or individual souls seperated from gods form and were born on this material planet in the forms of humans, trees, children, Flowers, Bees, Birds, All living creatures anything that can have a story. This gave the earth motion vibrancy color and life. Everytime a Child is born he leaves the embodiment of god for the body created for them here in on earth.


We are all Spiritual Creatures on a Physical Journey. The Distance that god put itself from us causes some souls to get lost. They contribute to the energy that blows the wind turns the seas brings life to the fires Shifts the Earth and creates the miracles of reality. Humans have learned to channel this energy to light their lights to fuel thier machines. They do not know what energy truely is and it is not their fault. The Humans that abuse electricity and power for greed will return to earth in the next life ONLY to CRANK THE GEARS OF the machine they have built. Each individual soul has existed long before the physical and material world you see before you. IT chose to leave gods form and it chooses to return to it. When someones life is taken from us abrubtly its because they are required to return sooner or later and the sooner arrived first. In this you must understand we are ALL GOD all together we are perfect. To perfect yourself here on earth is to eternally become part of god. Humans were made to forget where we come from. Im also just not speaking of your mothers womb. We are all programmed and MADE to be ignorant. However we are also made to learn and have knowledge. We are here for own self indulgence, to attempt to attain all the things we cant have while holding a metaphysical pattern. Our purpose to perfect ourselves it's our rigourous concept to achieve eternal freedom. Our ultimate indulgence is to exploit everything around us. Our ultimate goal is to achieve a kind of love or timeless understanding that is not found in our material items. WE Existed before matter. Remember Matter is fleeting as is time. Time is what we put on top of our heads to remind us about things that matter but to put a time limit on the matter means that no one can truely attain everything they think they can on this physical level of existence. All thing happen because they were made or were ment to. Outside of our earth there is no true time there is no true "space" there is no true Emotion outside of our Earth it is perfect. Live and Die and it will all fall together.
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^ very poetic , very similar to what I believe could be close to the ACTUAL truth. Some people don't believe in absolutes at all, (as oppossed to relativity) But I believe in Duality, and therfore both. .

As a born and raised Mormon (LDS) my religion taught that we are all souls on a path of "eternal progression" in which some may one reach to the level of "elohim" or a "yahweh" (whatever term you wan to use)

People condemn mormons as evil non-christians, but I believe that a part of the religion, holds some valuable truths. (as with many)

Many people of all walks of life have had experience with "spiritual" "human-like" beings. . . . Some call them arch-angels, perhaps Pleiades's *seven sisters beings, gods, "the Abraham" - - - they are "new age" "channelers' === many are full of shit.

if you check out this "Alex Collier" Interview on you tube, it has peaked my interest a few times; but I'm just not completely sure about his story.


But I believe (god or God??) (guess it depends on the day) Is a SMALL part of what is mostly Void. The galaxy is quite void. Yet entropy contains an infinite possibility of different variables. Therefore god one day gained consciousness out of the void and questioned the nature of his existence.

Then he either solved the riddle (being , what came first , The chicken or the egg?) and decided to spread more life akin to his own reality, . . . .
Or he/she/it never solved it, and is using us to analyze data useful for Question that binds us.


But there is a purpose, I doubt we human beings would want to hear it. I think it would be too overwhelming for many.
 
^i appreciate those posts, mate. "the more you try, the harder it gets".... man if i only had a dollar for every time i found/said/realised that.
 
Or what if the Universe is made up of "entropy" (nothingness, void, and everything in between) Out of mass chaos exists a small level of organization, in which we ourselves are a part of.
 
medical_meccanica said:
"The answer is never the answer. What's really interesting is the mystery. If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you'll always be seeking. I've never seen anybody really find the answer -- they think they have, so they stop thinking. But the job is to seek mystery, evoke mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom. The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer."

~ Ken Kesey
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That's It! Life would not be as interesting if we knew what the purpose/meaning is-of our existence! A good thing that we don't have the answer, hence we always ponder on it!
 
subjective thoughts about the subjectivity of life-meaning:

The "meaning of life" is entirely subjective. Whatever meaning you choose to derive from, and/or give life, you have created. I view the subjective thoughts that people carry about life's meaning as one of those rare, but powerful mind-forces that largely dictate the actions and decisions a person engages in throughout their life. Like a well written and effective computer code for the brain.

Under that umbrella of thought, I think it is easy to become caught up in a state of ahamkara regarding your personal views on the meaning of life. Which may not necessarily be a bad thing, depending on what those views may be. The end result of those views can be largely beneficial or catastrophic, or both in various ways, regarding your relation to your environment and people you are surrounded with.
 
Soon You Will Understand...
The Meaning of Life


Just exactly as if you are landing a spaceship
from another galaxy,
your soul enters your body
and lands here on Earth.
Perhaps you come from out of nowhere,
out of nothingness.
Or else you had a previous existence somewhere,
in another realm
or in this realm,
and you have forgotten it.
Perhaps you land here
of your own free choice.
Or some cosmic force
some karma
beyond you
causes you to land on this planet;
and you have no choice.
No matter.
This is Earth.
You land
and stay for a while.


Your experiences will come to you through four modalities:
physical,
emotional,
mental
and spiritual.
Your body will give you physical messages of
sensation,
movement,
pain and
pleasure.
Your emotional mechanism’s feelings
will attract you
and repel you
in different directions,
sometimes conflicting.
Your mind’s thoughts
will make logical inferences
and judgments
about your experience.
Your soul’s intuitions
will guide you
to realize
the deepest subtleties
of your experience
and its meaning.


You come here to do certain
specific
things.
You may have one task
or many.
Your tasks may be obvious to you.
or you may need time,
effort,
maybe struggle
even to clarify
your tasks.
You may never quite even clarify your task
until the moment
your time in this body
ends.
You may work on your task for years
before you realize,
“This is my task.”
The tasks you came to perform
may take the whole of your life
or be done in an instant.
You may be aware
you are performing your life task
while you do it.
You may perform your task quickly,
hardly noticing
anything special,
unaware
you are doing the task
you came to do
while you do it.
Your task may be so easy,
obvious and
natural,
you never even wonder,
"What is my task?"
Your unique blend
of talents and interests
may lead you
to your task
and you just do it.
Or, your task may be a constant,
unpleasant
struggle
you fight
every step of the way.
Your task may be noble and wonderful
and gain you
recognition,
rewards
and honors.
Or, it may be simple,
totally unnoticeable
by anyone else.


You will leave your body.
Everyone else will experience your body
becoming lifeless
and begin to decay.
You will no longer be present
in this plane
in your physical form,
But some aspects
of your emotional,
mental and
spiritual modes
may continue
to be experienced by others.


Your emotional, mental or spiritual modes
will enter some sort of afterlife.
You may be aware
of your continuity
between this lifetime
and the next realm
or you may not.
You may experience reincarnation
into the body of another being
and begin another lifetime.
The nature of your next realm may be determined
by your activities
and experiences in this lifetime.
The nature of the next realm may be extremely
subtle
and indescribable.


Those who knew you will recall
who you were,
what you did,
what you gave
and the qualities you manifested.
If you physically parented another,
your genetic material will continue
within them as well.
Others’ remembering you
will continue to affect them
directly
and the whole planet
indirectly
in subtle
and not so subtle ways.
 
I believe in a "soul" I think it is scientifically explainable , and purposeful. I believe our existence has a simple and obvious function/purpose. Our memories may serve as data for an extreamly advanced being attempting to "solve this mystery"

^thats where I disagree with some of you
 
damn. i open the thread to check if it needed a 42 and it's full of them since the first reply

why does there have to be a why? perhaps we 'just do'.
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no time to develpo, but everyone should try to feel the meaning of this sentence, as i think that he's on the right path
 
The search for meaning is foolish if you look outward. You create your own reality. The only way of searching for meaning that makes sense is searching yourself for meaning.
 
the universe is expanding as it should, events will unfold just as ripple would if a stone was dropped into a pond.. have as much fun as you can whilst youre here because you wont be here for long.
 
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