What is -your- meaning of life?

[Mercy]

Still more facial expressions than Kristen Stewart.

I thought the question was about life, not eternal damnation.

Life defines itself. Its only purpose is to be. Anything else we attribute to it is our own biases towards our perceived reality.

[SUCCESSOR]

Anything else we attribute to it is our own biases towards our perceived reality.

Don't think you can out-existential me! I will Kierkegaard your ass!

[WindStrike]

My meaning of life is simple - have fun. If life isn't fun overall, then there's no point in living it. There are many things in this world, and countless ideas within each person. To go out and experience those things, learn new things, and enjoy as much of it as possible is all I can ask for. Even through despair, I'll always try to find something to keep my spirits up. Not just because it's a distraction, but because, even if it's at the smallest level, it brings some amount of meaning to my life. I act as I want, regardless of how I'm viewed in society, and allows me to remain unique not just in my perspective but by others. I like being different, and perhaps, that's another meaning of life that I strive towards.


In general, I'd say I have many meanings of life that I could define, but overall.. it's best to enjoy it all, and even when it's not something to enjoy (remorse, sadness, pain, etc.), it's something to look back on and learn from.

[rock_nog]

There are two meanings of life to me. Personally, the meaning to my life is just happiness. Soak it up while you can, because life itself is just such an amazing thing and you get so little of it. On the grander scale, I think the purpose of life in general is just a drive towards greater and greater complexity. I mean, looking back at the history of the universe, at first, it was just an endless see of subatomic particles. Then atoms started to appear. Then galaxies. Then stars. Then planets. Then life, first microbial, then multicellular, eventually developing to the point where the brain was complex enough that it could actually question its own existence. And I think that's the point. I think it was Carl Sagan who basically said that in creating the human brain, the universe found a way to examine itself. Maybe it's arrogance to assume that our existence somehow matters in the grand scheme of things, but I think at least on some level, we exist so that we can appreciate and understand this universe, this complex arrangement of rules and laws that has created everything we know. I don't necessarily believe in any sort of deity, but it seems to me that something went to a lot of effort to create a universe where such complex and amazing things as life could happen, and it'd be a shame if all that effort were spent with no one to appreciate it.

[Nightmare]

Personally, I think life is misery and misery loves company. Anything and everything will go wrong. Hopefully you are a good enough person that you will be rewarded in the eternal afterlife.

-James

[SUCCESSOR]

Personally, I think life is misery and misery loves company. Anything and everything will go wrong. Hopefully you are a good enough person that you will be rewarded in the eternal afterlife.

-James

Don't get me Sartred on religious mumbo jumbo.

[Mercy]

Don't think you can out-existential me! I will Kierkegaard your ass!

Oh my, I have not seen this side of you before, SUCCESSOR. Colour me authentically impressed. I thought I was the only one into such absurd sartre things. We sure have camus a long way from a bunch of strangers and rebels. We should start another thread to discuss whether or not nihilism is its own philosophy or merely a nietzsche of existentialism.

Nerd puns, the Other form of humour.

[SUCCESSOR]

Oh my, I have not seen this side of you before, SUCCESSOR. Colour me authentically impressed. I thought I was the only one into such absurd sartre things. We sure have camus a long way from a bunch of strangers and rebels. We should start another thread to discuss whether or not nihilism is its own philosophy or merely a nietzsche of existentialism.

Nerd puns, the Other form of humour.

I can't Heidegger my enthusiasm.

Seriously though the fact that you spelled color with a u ruins it for me.

[Mercy]

Seriously though the fact that you spelled color with a u ruins it for me.

I suppose that is my bad, being the second sex and all.

I really wanted to respond to rock_nog... something about all things leading to entropy, but there is nothing funny about that.

[Binx]

What's wrong with spelling color with a "u"? Americans are like the only English speakers in the world who don't. Same thing with humor and honor.

For me, I think we think too much about the meaning of life. For me, the meaning of life is just to live, and not worry about the purpose of it all. I don't know if there's a god, or an afterlife, or a flying spaghetti monster, because those things can't be proven. BUt what I DO know is that we all have THIS life, and if we were all more concerned with how we live THIS life, then I don't think the next one will be an issue. I believe the meaning of life is to live and let live, to pursue your own happiness, as long as you don't hurt others along the way.