What is the meaning of Life?

[Feldon]

This, with all its complexity.

 

[bhsmte]

Looks like you may have found something that works for you, congrats.

Curly would be happy for you.

 

[Feldon]

Looks like you may have found something that works for you, congrats.

Curly would be happy for you.

(I think it might've been his "pirate" twin brother, alas, alas! City Slickers II..... not quite as good! LOL)

Of course, the larger questions is, is the Meaning of Life just a personal thing? Or is there an underlining, universal answer that unifies all of us?

In a way, I guess the "Meaning of Life" according to our Founding Fathers was that all men are endowed by their Creator with the right to life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness? Maybe there can be a political answer too?

 

[Sonfest Rocker]

A fellow "Hitchhiker" I see! (Loved the books. The movie, sadly, was a tremendous disappointment.)

 

[Golden Yak]

Of course, the larger questions is, is the Meaning of Life just a personal thing? Or is there an underlining, universal answer that unifies all of us?

Possibly, in the sense that a father may have a son for the express intent of passing on his business to the son - that's the son's purpose in life as far as his father is concerned.

But unless the son takes on that purpose as his own with his own will, then it's just someone else's idea of his life's purpose, not the purpose for which he lives his life.

But re. my earlier comment, to which you replied-

I'd like it to coincide with what what the Meaning of Life really is!

Let's say there isn't an underlying one, or that the underlying is really horrible (it could happen), and you had to make your own for there to be one at all - any ideas?

 

[bhsmte]

(I think it might've been his "pirate" twin brother, alas, alas! City Slickers II..... not quite as good! LOL)

Of course, the larger questions is, is the Meaning of Life just a personal thing? Or is there an underlining, universal answer that unifies all of us?

In a way, I guess the "Meaning of Life" according to our Founding Fathers was that all men are endowed by their Creator with the right to life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness? Maybe there can be a political answer too?

Well, I guess it would depend on whether you are one to let other people determine what the meaning of life is for you. Whether it comes from a book, or what people say.

 

[Received]

To play. Kids know.

Yes they do. If you think about it, play is pure absorption in meaning, so much so that you don't even have time to think about what's meaningful. Somewhere along the lines us adults lose it on the way, given our obsession with things that have happened and we can't change, and anxiety about things in the future we can't determine.

So there's something inherently present-centered (or present-with-a-foot-toward-the-next-immediate-moment) about meaning, and something unselfconscious.

The meaning to life, though, is a nonsense question. That's like asking what's healthy for every single person, regardless of allergies or genetic differences.

 

[bhsmte]

Yes they do. If you think about it, play is pure absorption in meaning, so much so that you don't even have time to think about what's meaningful. Somewhere along the lines us adults lose it on the way, given our obsession with things that have happened and we can't change, and anxiety about things in the future we can't determine.

So there's something inherently present-centered (or present-with-a-foot-toward-the-next-immediate-moment) about meaning, and something unselfconscious.

The meaning to life, though, is a nonsense question. That's like asking what's healthy for every single person, regardless of allergies or genetic differences.

On your last point, you are absolutely correct. I have always thought this often asked question is about as meaningless as can be and is not different than asking, what is the best color?

 

[Feldon]

Let's say there isn't an underlying one, or that the underlying is really horrible (it could happen), and you had to make your own for there to be one at all - any ideas?

LOL some ideas....

As a Christian, the Meaning of Life and Purpose to Life are sort of intertwined: To love & follow the footsteps of Christ, and to love & help my fellow man. But I have an advantage (if you want to call it that, I'm not trying to say it in a mean way or anything) of being part of a theology that is very concerned with the question of morality, purpose and meaning, and this theology has shaped my views.

But without that.... I'm sure your conclusions, and reasons for your conclusions, would be different, perhaps....?

 

[jacks]

Yes they do. If you think about it, play is pure absorption in meaning, so much so that you don't even have time to think about what's meaningful. Somewhere along the lines us adults lose it on the way, given our obsession with things that have happened and we can't change, and anxiety about things in the future we can't determine.

So there's something inherently present-centered (or present-with-a-foot-toward-the-next-immediate-moment) about meaning, and something unselfconscious.

The meaning to life, though, is a nonsense question. That's like asking what's healthy for every single person, regardless of allergies or genetic differences.

I see your points. Certainly when I watch my dog playing I think it has its priorities right! Living in the moment and just full of the joy of being healthy and alive. However I was looking at this question from a different perspective. I was interperting "meaning" to mean Purpose in this context. Basically do we have a purpose at all and if so what is it. Maybe this is what the OP meant. (Oh, I see that it was, we posted at the same time.)

 

[Feldon]

Kind of a cool excerpt of the 2 "Gods" debating the Meaning of Life from The Second Coming: A Love Story.....

“Mr. Israel, what is the meaning of life?”

“Think of this earth as an unfinished puzzle, a home in disrepair. Think of your neighbor as a pathway though a forest, with walls of thorns blocking safe passage. Think of your babies as prayer books, with the pages still unfinished.” Israel spoke coolly and deliberately, his eyes frozen in place. But his smile warmed the hearts of his congregants, alleviating their misgivings. “What motivates woman to make whole a childless family? What drives man to cast order in chaos? The answer is the exact same impulse that led Christ Jesus to render more holy the commandments of Moses. Deeply imbedded within the minds of man, woman and God are pious inclinations to replace nothingness with beauty, to take empty canvases and create great works of art. I know why I breathed the universe into form. I know why I hung stars, moons, comets and rainbows in the sky. You know why, too, even if you’ve failed to examine the reason, for the image of God rests with all my children. The earth, your neighbors—all the beasts of land and sea—await completion. Remember, you hold dominion over it all, but the gift of dominion is not without responsibility. Render more holy my creations, for this is the meaning of life. Do this not for my sake, for a human being can do nothing for God; God has no needs. God is the eagle that never lands. Somber vows, mindless oaths of devotion, the proscription of a singular faith—I ask for none of this. For your own happiness, in this world and the next, render more holy the creations of God—just as God rendered more holy His mud and clay when He first formed man. With you as my building-blocks, Eden can exist again.” Israel finished his sermon with a humble gaze skyward, as if giving thanks to his Heavenly Father. Many of the mud-monkeys aped Israel, praying to God as well.

Gethsemane respectfully paused for several seconds, not wanting to interrupt the great creature. “Mr. Joe, now it is your turn for rebuttal,” he finally said. “You may begin.”

“Why were you created? Because God loves you.” Joe dug his hands inside his pockets and slouched his shoulders, more prone to stare down than up. “Creation, life, the Holy Bible: Understand the magnitude of these gifts; do not squander them. Love is an emotion that cannot exist in isolation. It’s a relationship shared. And in the creation of man, God let this relationship bloom—a spectacle more spectacular than the separation of light from dark. A loving God breathed life into mud and clay, granting mere dirt—the bloodworms’ leftovers—the opportunity to reciprocate His love, eventually even joining the Eternal Maker in Heaven. And the Lord so loved man that He twice sent His only begotten son to walk amongst the mud and clay creations, living amidst their impurities, imperfections and evils. The son of God, flawless in every way, was saddened by the greed and arrogance of these filthy, foul mud-monkeys, for the Almighty is not an eagle who never lands, but a Shepherd whose emotions correlate directly to His flock. Sadness, anger, joy, jealousy, outrage—even the hardening of my heart are all byproducts of this love and an absence of indifference. The absolute antithesis of indifference! Jesus Christ wept, for the mud and clay creations killed other mud and clay creations, forsaking their God, devoting their existence to the accumulation of ash, soot and dirt. Words cannot describe the heartache I felt as these tiny, ungrateful creatures renounced my love, rejected God and murdered their savior. After all this time—after all you’ve done—after reading my words for thousands of years and now hearing my voice, at long last, don’t you understand the price of your sins?!”

Frustration and sorrow blistered Joe’s eyes in ways Margaret never bared witness in all their travels. “But not all sinned—and for their sake the earth continued,” he whispered. “Many of these worthless clumps of mud and clay understood the awesome power of God’s love and loved God back—with all their hearts, all their souls and all their might. Even as countless hardships befell the mud and clay creations, their faith never wavered, for they realized that cities, countries, mountains, Demons and Dragons—even the earth itself—is temporary, lacking divine consequence. Instead, they chose to love their God, following the path of His only son. Understand, this and this alone is the meaning of life. Everything else is but a burning ship at sea: It shall not endure. And neither shall those who spurn their God. You too will burn.

credit: http://secondcomingishere.com/meaning-of-life/

 

[Received]

I see your points. Certainly when I watch my dog playing I think it has its priorities right! Living in the moment and just full of the joy of being healthy and alive. However I was looking at this question from a different perspective. I was interperting "meaning" to mean Purpose in this context. Basically do we have a purpose at all and if so what is it. Maybe this is what the OP meant. (Oh, I see that it was, we posted at the same time.)

IMV, purpose is the end of something that gives us meaning; by end here I mean the goal or aim. So purpose is inherent to meaning, but meaning isn't always inherent to purpose, or at least you can have very shallow meanings with the same amount of purpose.

 

[Received]

On your last point, you are absolutely correct. I have always thought this often asked question is about as meaningless as can be and is not different than asking, what is the best color?

But I don't think it's quite as arbitrary as that. I think we share a *lot* of basic values that could give us meaning, whether or not you have culture as an influence: the meaning of loving a significant other, the meaning of caring for children or family, the meaning of succeeding at work, the meaning of being healthy. Things like that. But what makes a person's own network of meanings unique is the collection of these things and how far he has gone on the hierarchy of meaning (sort of like Maslow's hierarchy).

 

[jayem]

The meaning of my life, comes in the way I live it. And that is to do the very best job I possibly can--firstly, to care for my family. And secondly, to care for those who depend on me as a health care provider. And to have the most fun doing these without hurting anyone. What more meaning does anyone need?

 

[Golden Yak]

As a Christian, the Meaning of Life and Purpose to Life are sort of intertwined: To love & follow the footsteps of Christ, and to love & help my fellow man.

Second bit sounds great, good on ya. First bit could be fine too - a good idea is a good idea (regardless of who has it).

But I have an advantage (if you want to call it that, I'm not trying to say it in a mean way or anything) of being part of a theology that is very concerned with the question of morality, purpose and meaning, and this theology has shaped my views.

But without that.... I'm sure your conclusions, and reasons for your conclusions, would be different, perhaps....?

I happen to think christianity has some good ideas about how to live and some bad ones, and I'm not bound to accept them all and call them all good if I don't agree with them. And the good ideas aren't automatically good because of their source - they'd be good regardless of who had them.

The disadvantage of religion is that they all claim to be perfect already so you aren't permitted to argue any of their points.

Kind of a cool excerpt of the 2 "Gods" debating the Meaning of Life from The Second Coming: A Love Story.....

credit: Meaning of Life - The Second Coming

I found Mr. Israel to be uplifting and inspiring and Mr. Joe to be insulting and degrading. Each one could benefit from recognizing a fraction of the other's points, Joe more so than I's.

Which one did you like more?

 

[Feldon]

Second bit sounds great, good on ya. First bit could be fine too - a good idea is a good idea (regardless of who has it).



I happen to think christianity has some good ideas about how to live and some bad ones, and I'm not bound to accept them all and call them all good if I don't agree with them. And the good ideas aren't automatically good because of their source - they'd be good regardless of who had them.

The disadvantage of religion is that they all claim to be perfect already so you aren't permitted to argue any of their points.




I found Mr. Israel to be uplifting and inspiring and Mr. Joe to be insulting and degrading. Each one could benefit from recognizing a fraction of the other's points, Joe more so than I's.

Which one did you like more?

Yes, I agree with most of what you said about religion and Christianity. People DO abuse it, and people DO use it to justify abusing others. (I guess it's also true that we humans have a pretty bad track record at abusing just about EVERYTHING that's good.... love, the earth, animals, food, water, our brothers & sisters....) So just the fact that some people abuse Christianity, I think, says more about people & less about Christianity.

As for the book..... LOL, I'm rereading it for a third time now. It's become one of my 3 fav books in the whole world, but there are SO MANY ideas that each time you read it through, you catch new things, so I'm still thinking it over. Joe & Israel both claim to be the Second Coming, and they also both claim that the other one is secretly Satan. In that excerpt, I found Israel more uplifting, but I'm biased because I know they both said a lot more than that....

That's also one of the complaints the people in the book make about Joe, that he's not as uplifting or "caring" as Israel is. Joe responds by saying that he's a savior, not a marketer, and the job of a teacher isn't to make his pupils learn, but to present information within an environment where pupils can learn if they choose.... Free Will and all.....

 

[Viren]

Yes they do. If you think about it, play is pure absorption in meaning, so much so that you don't even have time to think about what's meaningful. Somewhere along the lines us adults lose it on the way, given our obsession with things that have happened and we can't change, and anxiety about things in the future we can't determine.

So there's something inherently present-centered (or present-with-a-foot-toward-the-next-immediate-moment) about meaning, and something unselfconscious.

The meaning to life, though, is a nonsense question. That's like asking what's healthy for every single person, regardless of allergies or genetic differences.

Yep, if time disappears when you're doing something that's a sign you've found it. It's having a goal in the mind and being completely engrossed in the process.

 

[Received]

Yep, if time disappears when you're doing something that's a sign you've found it. It's having a goal in the mind and being completely engrossed in the process.

In that sense, meaning is the stepladder needed to attain flow.

 

[Golden Yak]

Yes, I agree with most of what you said about religion and Christianity. People DO abuse it, and people DO use it to justify abusing others. (I guess it's also true that we humans have a pretty bad track record at abusing just about EVERYTHING that's good.... love, the earth, animals, food, water, our brothers & sisters....) So just the fact that some people abuse Christianity, I think, says more about people & less about Christianity.

While you're correct about people, I'm afraid there are elements of Christianity itself, actual unaltered teachings, that I find to be bad ideas.

Original sin is one - it's obscene to hold offspring responsible for misdeeds of their parents. The original sin itself is one that I don't find particularly egregious, in light of the punishment for it. Speaking of punishment - I find an eternal punishment for any amount of human action, however vile, to be infinitely more vile - notions of Hell and eternal torment are ideas I find distasteful. These are punishments inflicted on people who don't abuse or corrupt or kill, but who simply have the 'wrong' faith, or no faith at all - but someone willing to make God/Jesus their Lord and Master are left off the hook. There's an area between 'get off scott free' and 'be set on fire for all time' that I think would be worth exploring, but apparently God doesn't.

Jesus' line of 'I am the way, truth, light, etc.' implying that everyone who doesn't follow him is living the wrong way and will be punished for it. Not to mention its condemnation of people and practices that have been confirmed in our time to be utterly without harm.

These aren't some misinterpreted ideas that followers misuse as excuses to be rotten to others, they're some of the foundational teachings of the religion, allegedly the word of God. They're awful sentiments, and I would say as much to God himself if he parted the skies and espoused them directly.

As for the book..... LOL, I'm rereading it for a third time now. It's become one of my 3 fav books in the whole world, but there are SO MANY ideas that each time you read it through, you catch new things, so I'm still thinking it over. Joe & Israel both claim to be the Second Coming, and they also both claim that the other one is secretly Satan. In that excerpt, I found Israel more uplifting, but I'm biased because I know they both said a lot more than that....

That's also one of the complaints the people in the book make about Joe, that he's not as uplifting or "caring" as Israel is. Joe responds by saying that he's a savior, not a marketer, and the job of a teacher isn't to make his pupils learn, but to present information within an environment where pupils can learn if they choose.... Free Will and all.....

Joe definitely sounds more like a christian than Israel does. I googled this book, and apparently its part one of a trilogy - I imagine they don't give away who's who in the first one.

Seems like it'd be a little too obvious to have the guy who's uplifting and inspiring and calls people to make themselves be better people turn out to be the devil, but that'd be in line with a lot of the sentiment of 'don't think you're anything more than horrible worthless sinners unless you're bowing and scraping and begging forgiveness from God' that a lot of the religion has.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Feldon. Here is what I love to think, who is there of you who believes different? God is the great I AM, He always was and He always will be.
God made us in His image, we are capable of great Love. God lived with Adam and Eve, ( our proto-types) in the Garden of Eden, and as far as we know, quite happily, UNTIL Temptation, in the guise of the Serpent appeared. God always knew that would happen, and Adam and Eve were told by God: " If you eat of the Tree of knowledge, you will have to die."
We all know what happened then, Adam and Eve succumbed, and that was the end of living in the Garden of Eden.
We know what happened in the Old Testament, how Evil and Sinning became the norm of daily living. Instead of becoming loving/ caring, Mankind became
degenerate. Until Jesus God/Son came as our Saviour, and showed us God as God really is: our Heavenly Father who wants us back again. Jesus told us what God really wants from us: selfless Love, freely given and NO conditions
tagged on. Matthew 5: 48: tells us clearly: " Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." That is what God wants from us, and although it is possible, we will need much help and guidance.
The Bible tells us to " Repent," and " To Be Born Again." That will be our next step, and after Jesus has died for us, and we are free to live for God again,
we know now, what God wants from us. Our Risen Saviour will once again come to our rescue. The meaning of Life? To become as God wants us to be,
Loving God and all who will be with us. I say this with love, Feldon.
Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ. P.S. I would gladly read about other answers to: What is the meaning of Life?