Meaning of Life

Hmm,
This is kind of like the existence thread, but I hope that it does not become like it. Anyway. . .
I was reading the paper this morning just before I went to work, another long day on computers, knowing I cannot wait until I get home, I am going out with a new friend. . .
That is when it hit me, I just started thinking about life and the meaning of it. Then I thought a little deeper. Not really why are we here, but what is the meaning of it. We are here for about 75 years, plus or minus, we train our brains, grow, age, then we die and it is all over with. {Not concerning afterlife or anything of that sort, if you want to discuss that goto that thread} But during this life, what are we supposed to do? I know someone who had the signature here, forgot who sorry, that said 'this life is only a test, I repeat only a test, if this were real we would have been told what to do and where to go' {If that was your sig, please contact me and I will tag it with your name} But really, we're born, we live, we die, then it is over. We are happy, then sad, then happy, but why? I mean really why? What do we really do on this earth? Shall we live for a 'greater good' like the Al Queida, or nazis? Should we live for ourselves and not care for anyone? Should we make our own beliefs like charles manson? Really, what is the point of it all? How about living for your children, {I am not married and have no kids} then they live for their children, and so on and so forth. So what are all of your opinions? I am very curious as to what everyone here believes we should do, and why in the end we should do it?

I would also like to leave with a quote, from some movie forgot which one.
"Maybe the only true meaning of life, is that there is no meaning, you decide."

IMHO I think the meaning of life.. (at least mine) is:
1) To help society in some crucial way. I think that people should pick a lifetime goal and go for it. Mine is to travel faster than light. (I'm pretty sure I've got it figured out)
2) To have as much fun as possible

3) To leave your seed and continue the cycle of life.

just my opinion

x

Interesting idea,
But howabout this, let's say you achieve a Humongous goal for yourself and society in general and you change something drastic in life like einstien did. Then what? You still just die and rot away? People may remember you they may not. So what does it still matter? How are you any different than the 600 pound fat man that eats beans 24/7 and died of bursting his stomach open.

Perhaps we do not need to go that deep. Perhaps life is just that. Life.

Why do other beings exist? If you answer why things exist on Earth then you answer why we as humans exist.

If you question why YOU exist, well.. that comes from a belief, whatever it is you believe is the reason you exist.

And remember, 42 answers everything.

Ya that very tru.. Sometimes I wonder if I would be happier living on an island with no technology, no job, no need of money, living off the land. Alot of times I convince myself that life is here just for my taking. I came in so I could experience what life has to offer. I want to walk along the great wall of china. Explore the great pyramids. Scuba dive along the great barrier reef. I believe the world is our playground. And life is recess. Go have some fun and do something you'll remember in your mind. Remember.. Material goods come and go... but memories will be with you forever. Well don't take that so literally... you can get altheimer's(sp?) But you get what I mean.

Quote:

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Originally posted here by MsMittens
Perhaps we do not need to go that deep. Perhaps life is just that. Life.

Why do other beings exist? If you answer why things exist on Earth then you answer why we as humans exist.

If you question why YOU exist, well.. that comes from a belief, whatever it is you believe is the reason you exist.

And remember, 42 answers everything.

---

Finally someone that read the Hitchiker's Guide!

Seriously, though-I think the answer to that is extremely simple: The answer isn't important, unless you ask the right questions.

An interesting idea that is sort of associated in this tread that perhaps might add a slightly different view on thing is one I read in a book my Richard Dawkins called "the river of Eden"

This my own little twists on it to fit within this post and my own option. Perhaps in discussing the meaning of life you should not just think about human life but all life and in so what links all life together what is the commonality of all life. Taken this discussion to a level that is about life; from birds, bees human ants plants fungi, viruses and bateria (ok the last two you might argue about if they are alive and if what they do constitute as life). What is the one thing that they all have? Genes. Perhaps the higher ration functions of society and ones place simply is nothing more than a mechanism for genes to interact, to get the interaction of genetic material, perhaps the meaning of all life is not anything to do with the greater good but ensuring that your genetic mix is passed onto the next generation? Perhaps all this training to prove you worth to a mate and in so pass your genes on like a river running though all species and population. Perhaps that is simply it that at the end of the day we are defined by are genes and it is our genes that wish to survive to make it though the river to mix with other genes, other pairings that drives us to do as w do, in so the meaning of life simply is to pass our genes on. This argument can be used for all forms of life and in so might hold some truth to it or perhaps not. Perhaps looking for the meaning of life within one species is flawed, perhaps you need to look at all life in order to understand what the meaning is, if there is any. Personally I think the opinion of the selfish gene that the meaning of life is all to do with continuation of genes has it merits

Kindred69

Its all about what makes you happy, mean i worked on this one for quite a while, untill it took me into depression, but i worked my way back out of that.
Anyway i work cutting vegtables, even the lesser (IQ) find my work mentally frustating, but i work backshift mon-fri, and come on my computer when i finish. My work pays for My computing, as i see it.
Went a little off the subject there, its all to do with doing the things u want to do with the time thats given to you, and make the most of it while it lasts, finding challenges and things that make you happy, gives us satisfaction and enjoyment, and a willing to do more. Somtimes its all a part of learning from the bad aswell, and moving on with your mistakes, i should be dead by now, or getting very close in a drug rehab.
Death---lots of different people hav different opinions, like budism, christianity, scienentology, some say that ou can be magically transported to a paradise, but the scienists say that when the Cogs of the machine break down, the machine breaks down, causing the machine to grind to a halt.

im not any softie incase your reading this laughing, iv just changed a bit and learned allot about what people can do to u, tomake there life....seem wothwhile

My names Preep - dunno what it stands for. I work alone, we`ll i have for quite a while, im starting to branch out allot now, after learning enought for me to survive, i hack not because i ahte the world, or am gelous in anyway of other peoples Wealth, but because i see thing some cannot, i enjoy sifting thought the ISP`s/ Websites/ and Vast networks, connecting to anything that stands out and anything that looks a little too normal.

Im sick fed up of posintg advise to people who dont say thank you, but i will never flame.

Preep


im around

Very interesting,
I liked all of the replies from the scientific gene pool, to the be happy one. But you guys are still missing the real question in this thread. You are focusing to close step back a little bit. Preep, what does it change if you had fun for yourself, or if you gave that time to others. In the end, we can remember whatever we want, we can change it to our liking, and even believe that our thoughts actually happened. And kindred, so we find the perfect 'mate' and we drive on the population, then what? Why did we. The population is fine now. I am not going to be here when there becomes problems with the population. I am not changed if I have found my 'mate' or not. And then after all of the discussion, what was the reason, what would have changed if you would not have read this thread, or if you would not have replied. Now do you understand the Q?

Perhaps to answer the question we need to focus on one aspect: either the microscope importance of our lives in the whole or the macroscope importance of our lives in the whole.

If we look at the first, the meaning of life as it were becomes very subjective. It is what we, as individuals, view OUR lives to be worthy for. For some it's happiness; others fame. Some others it is sadistic life we lead while others believe in helping our fellow man.

On the macroscope level we are looking at how our existence as humans affect the environment around us. Why are we humans here in the form that we are rather than say something like the Apes (from Planet of the Apes) or Vulcans or Klingons or whatever slimy beastie you might find on Men in Black (I love sci-fi and these ones came to mind for alien types)? Why are we intelligent enough to make fire? Why do we still reproduce when we are well over the limit of what this planet can support? Why do we still do war when we know it's wrong? Eh, I could go on but the macroscope reasoning for our existance is far different than the microscope reason.

As individuals we are just cogs in a system and that system is part of a larger system (human race on Earth). And yet that system is part of an even larger system (Earth within the Solar System) and so on. Until you get to the Universe. Perhaps a quantum existence level at this point. Rather than ask the Meaning of Life, ask the Meaning of the Universe. I suspect we might find the answer to both.

Have I given you an answer? No. I think in this case the best you might get is a personal perspective. My own personal view is that our existence helps the greater goal of existence of Nature itself. We are the balancing act often. It is like the debate I have with friends sometimes. Can you have good without evil? Inheriently no. In order for you to see good, you have to compare it against something, evil. But these are vague terms. Even the words life and meaning are vague.

What does one mean when we say life? When we ask for meaning?

Some things to ponder.