The Meaning of Life

[liq3]

Imo meaning of life is simply to experience it. There is no 'greater good' or awesome afterlife (though I do think there an afterlife, it just ain't no heaven or hell). We live, simply to live. What other purpose could we have?

[undergroundrevolutionary]

To love? To find someone that just sitting and reading the paper with them takes you to utopia?

[Specter]

"After Life" is a concept found by humans due to the contagious phobia and strong fear from death,

You can beat anyone and anything in life but you cant defeat death, (<<<<=====Wow I am soo wise )

EDIT: "for love", you mean every human was created to experience the joy of buttsecks, wow =D

[undergroundrevolutionary]

lulz
I like your thoughts on the afterlife idea.

[liq3]

~Shadow~ Wrote:"After Life" is a concept found by humans due to the contagious phobia and strong fear from death,

You can beat anyone and anything in life but you cant defeat death, (<<<<=====Wow I am soo wise )

EDIT: "for love", you mean every human was created to experience the joy of buttsecks, wow =D

You can defeat death. It's just really hard.

Also, afterlife? Doesn't matter whether I believe there is an afterlife or not, because either way we're all going to the same place when we die.

[undergroundrevolutionary]

What if the meaning of life is happiness, the universe has put you in your own unique situation and its your job to find your own "happy place"

[Specter]

liq3 Wrote:

~Shadow~ Wrote:"After Life" is a concept found by humans due to the contagious phobia and strong fear from death,

You can beat anyone and anything in life but you cant defeat death, (<<<<=====Wow I am soo wise )

EDIT: "for love", you mean every human was created to experience the joy of buttsecks, wow =D

You can defeat death. It's just really hard.

Also, afterlife? Doesn't matter whether I believe there is an afterlife or not, because either way we're all going to the same place when we die.

Well there is always the religious and the scientific point of View...........

[undergroundrevolutionary]

might as well cover all the bases

[Mogul]

The meaning of life: 42. Easy.

[undergroundrevolutionary]

indeed

[Mogul]

Glad you agree.

On a serious note... Because merely trying to understand life's meaning is so difficult, life did not have a specific goal when it first developed. It was most likely a product (better said side-effect) of evolution ( the fusion of organic chemicals that gave life to bacteria).

Since the extinction of life would be a terrible waste, its foremost goal is to preserve its self. Life could be something produced unintentionally that wants to preserve itself, with no specific goal.

[liq3]

BasTy^^ Wrote:Glad you agree.

On a serious note... Because merely trying to understand life's meaning is so difficult, life did not have a specific goal when it first developed. It was most likely a product (better said side-effect) of evolution ( the fusion of organic chemicals that gave life to bacteria).

Since the extinction of life would be a terrible waste, its foremost goal is to preserve its self. Life could be something produced unintentionally that wants to preserve itself, with no specific goal.

OH MY GOD. Dude...You just made me realise... Well, the obvious thing to your question is "But what started the universe?". Going by some logic...God would be the most likely answer. No wonder so many people are religious.

Thing is, I like the idea of Zen. "Living in the moment", because really, as far as I am concerned, nothing else exists*.

Now, you are saying that life is a side-effect of evolution. Well what's the purpose of evolution? What is the purpose of the universe? What is the purpose of existence?

Sorry, but the idea that life has no meaning, is really really flawed.

* I actually believe a rather great deal exists.

[undergroundrevolutionary]

So the meaning of life is life itself
deep

[Mogul]

Don't ask me questions like those, there's no way I can give you the right answer since I haven't been born in the beginning to know that. :/ But I gotta admit that I wrongly used 'evolution'.
And you said yourself that life's meaning is to actually live. But nothing lives forever, so new life must be created so life itself can have a meaning - in other words, breeding.

But I think I misunderstood since "life's meaning" is a vague exppresion. What exactly do you understand by that?

[liq3]

I mean what is the purpose of life? Maybe some greater being was bored and wanted to play a game with us...But why does he exist? etc etc.

Breeding doesn't work...We breed to breed to breed (ad infinitum)?

[SoulRiser]

You breed to give your life meaning... then your offspring breeds to give their life meaning... wait, that's a neverending cycle that doesn't really get anywhere. There has to be more to it... especially if one of your offspring a few generations down the line doesn't breed... then the whole thing was pointless... unless there's more to it.

Quote:Imo meaning of life is simply to experience it. There is no 'greater good' or awesome afterlife

There might be an afterlife, but if your entire existence on earth revolves around what kind of afterlife you want... well, I don't think that'd be a very good use of your time
Also, a 'greater good' doesn't necessarily have to be related to an afterlife or some kind of reward... it could be something as simple as trying to make other people's lives better... or even just one person's life.

[Mogul]

liq3 Wrote:I mean what is the purpose of life?

Now you're talking.

Breeding is our goal from a biological point of view. It goes on until (if) life goes extinct.

Otherwise... I think each and every creature is responsible of assigning itself a goal, but probably the most basic purpose is satisfying ones needs, desires, exerience happy emotions. That kinda stuff. At least for animals capable of free-thinking. Dunno what an ant would have to say abot it. :/

[chibichibibear]

Here's my theory(which I already posted in the Love thread...but it fits here even better!)

The meaning of life is love.
Just the idea of finding someone who makes you so happy that nothing else really matters seems like it would make all the bad stuff you go through insignificant, maybe even worth it to be with that person!! Going through that strife, just knowing you'll find someone who cares about you, and it makes them happy to simply be around you seems like it would fill my life with meaning.

That may be a little naive of an opinion, seeing as I never have been in love, but it makes sense now! ^.^

Although I have to say, being alive to be alive sounds like as good a purpose as any others. If I wasn't so set on this love thing, that'd be mine.

[Zstriker]

But why does life need a purpose? And I think we should refer to it as The Meaning of Human Life, at least that's what I get from most of the posts. Unless we are trying to attach a purpose to all life, but we have to be careful because ants don't find love, just to give an example. Life doesn't necessarily have to have a purpose unless you set goals or plans or do something, probably to an end.

[SoulRiser]

Well yeah, you don't need a purpose really. And if you don't want one, then don't have one. No problem. It's just that a lot of people want one, but don't know what it is or what it should be... so they ask questions like this.

[Gobinu]

Somebody want to know the meaning of life? go meditate for 5o years... another grate thing about our grate "intelligence" is that we r not satisfied with the present. Love u say? maybe, still doesn't work for me I think that being close to another person is nice (even grate ) still it seems that it is a pleasure like when u eat, or dunno like biological stuff nothing deeper and it is ok like that but it is no better meaning of life than eating chocolate.

[Ahab]

When it comes to anything not pertaining to survival, life has no purpose unless you make one, and usually the purposes people come up with are variations on a theme. The fact we are able to see the universe and obtain knowledge from a rather arbitrary yet beautiful existence should suffice for me. For others, they can hopelessly turn to the ideas of englightenment and other bullshit, and that's fine, because it's all escapism at the end of the day.

[liq3]

Ahab Wrote:When it comes to anything not pertaining to survival, life has no purpose unless you make one, and usually the purposes people come up with are variations on a theme. The fact we are able to see the universe and obtain knowledge from a rather arbitrary yet beautiful existence should suffice for me. For others, they can hopelessly turn to the ideas of englightenment and other bullshit, and that's fine, because it's all escapism at the end of the day.

No, because without a purpose people will suicide. People need something tying them to be alive, and fuck if reproducing does that.


(lol i made a pun)

[Gobinu]

Quote:No, because without a purpose people will suicide.

"A particle will stay at rest or continue at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force."
To commit suacide one need some reason, otherwise he will live his simple life.

Quote: fuck if reproducing does that.

Fuck it is than. But when it comes to me, eating or doing nothing works fine as well.

[NiteRaidah]

I think that the meaning of life varies from person to person. We all have our different ideas on what to do with our lives.

[i-am-the-liquor]

our idea of life is what we create in our head through chemical processes,experences,etc. your life dosent mean anything, and my sleep time> your life.

[Fire Elf]

42.

[StanleyChubbs]

Unless you have some kind of faith, I really don't think there is meaning to life. If you don't believe in a god, then tough luck, everything is meaningless and will rot away. I think that's a preposterous way to look at life and believe in a greater being that gives me purpose. Meh, like or not, that's the only way you have a purpose.

[liq3]

StanleyChubbs Wrote:Unless you have some kind of faith, I really don't think there is meaning to life. If you don't believe in a god, then tough luck, everything is meaningless and will rot away. I think that's a preposterous way to look at life and believe in a greater being that gives me purpose. Meh, like or not, that's the only way you have a purpose.

Would you agree the meaning of life is to simply experience it?

[SoulRiser]

I have a purpose, but it has nothing to do with my beliefs regarding higher beings and afterlives. If I changed my mind about any of those things, it wouldn't affect my purpose. At least, not much.

Quote:Would you agree the meaning of life is to simply experience it?

That's a pretty good purpose to have. To experience the most that life has to offer... or to whatever extent you want to.

So what if your body rots eventually? Does that mean you shouldn't use it while you still can?
That's like not eating food because you know you'll just poop it out again later.