Meaning of life

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Scott
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Meaning of life

Postby Scott » Wed Aug 29, 2007 4:48 pm

This isn't a thread about the general concept of the meaning of life, it's more about personal meaning.

I want meaning in my life. I am not suicidal, depressed or even sad. I just want to have a sense of purpose. I believe each person has their own unique sense of personal meaning.

I don't have children. I am not in a hurry to have children either, but I believe children bring about meaning to an individual's life. That does not mean I believe having children is the meaning I'm looking for, only that having children will help me along the journey: Destination - meaning of my life.

Comments or personal thoughts?
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Postby Locke_ » Wed Aug 29, 2007 8:06 pm

Out of curiosity, how old are you? I don't mean that in any negative way, I'm only 21 myself, but I feel like knowing someone's age can help with the context of a topic like this.

Meaning... I think that's too broad a word. I mean... people have asked that question forever, and it remains unsolved for many. I don't think we'll find a satisfying answer on Pweb. I swear... if we answered some of the questions or challenges that members were thrown on here, we'd all be geniuses with breakthroughs in humanity.

It's like you said though: personal. What a great, underrated word. It's considered way too commonplace for the impact of the word to have a great effect. I don't really think you can look to others and be satisfied with a "meaning" based on them. You just have to know it, feel it, be patient that it will come, and be comfortable with it. Also, I don't think that "meaning" is just one thing. I think it's a lot of stuff in your life building up, overlapping, and leading to other things. Whatever your passions are, follow them, and that's where the meaning lays! BUt that's where it gets personal. Your passions are your own.

Children?? To me, that seems almost too general a desire to be the true meaning of one's life (except maybe for Jesus's mother Mary). If anything, part of the meaning in your own life will be to help your children figure out the meaning of theirs. But like I said, I don't think meaning is any one singular specific thing.
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Postby BonitoDeMadrid » Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:37 pm

Have you been asked, were you were young, "what would you like to do when you grow up?"? of course you have. Everybody were asked it.

However, did you reconsider the question later on in your life? Like, 20 years later, or such?

For me, that's basically the meaning of my life. A couple of years from now, I'm going to ask myself the same question, and then I'd do anything I can in order to achieve what I want to achieve.
So basically, for me life is about completing your ambitions, as many as possible. And, in the meantime, trying to have fun, and tackling the difficulties that will come at me, my way.

But that's just my opinion.

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Postby eriador » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:30 am

I'm seventeen, and I don't care for meaning. I guess it's a bit of a relativist view (?) to say that I believe that whatever brings me pleasure is a high enough calling for me.

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Postby jotabe » Thu Aug 30, 2007 2:46 am

I don't think life has a meaning. Like Smith said, this is "an existence that is without meaning or purpose".

I am perfectly fine with that. What would be the point of life having a point? What freedom would we have then? If our life has a purpouse, what can we do but pursuing that purpouse?, if our life has a meaning, what can we do but fulfilling that meaning?

Life is not a mystery we need to work out. My life, for me, has no value in itself. Any animal could simply stand up and say "hey, i am alive like you are, big deal!"
What matters is what we do with it. Life is not a commitment: it's a chance. A gift. It's the potentiality of doing many things, chasing many dreams, pursuing many ends.
Our ends.
And, by being ours, it's ourselves who have to chose them. If others chose them for us, then it isn't our life anymore.

As the poets say, it is not reaching the destination. It's the journey itself.
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Postby eriador » Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:48 am

As the poets say, it is not reaching the destination. It's the journey itself.
I totally agree.

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Postby anonshadow » Thu Aug 30, 2007 12:10 pm

Jota, I would disagree. I think that life absolutely has meaning. I don't believe that there is some higher meaning, but there's a difference between saying that there is no higher, god-given meaning and that there is no meaning at all.



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Postby Scott » Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:33 pm

Jota, I would disagree. I think that life absolutely has meaning. I don't believe that there is some higher meaning, but there's a difference between saying that there is no higher, god-given meaning and that there is no meaning at all.
I'm sorry but I wanted to hear about personal meaning of life. That's the reason for my first sentence "This isn't a thread about the general concept of the meaning of life, it's more about personal meaning."

I was not looking for a metaphysical debate or religious discussion. I wanted to hear how each of you thought about your purpose or meaning on an individual level.

Some people might think it's to become good parents.
Some might think it is to make a lot of money.
Others may feel their life has no meaning.
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Postby zeroguy » Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:48 pm

To be happy, whatever that may entail.
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Re: Meaning of life

Postby Slim » Fri Aug 31, 2007 9:47 pm

This isn't a thread about the general concept of the meaning of life, it's more about personal meaning.
That actually is an interesting way of putting it. Because I believe there is a purpose to life in general, but it is different than my own personal meaning for my life.

I see myself having a lot of meanings to my own personal life. Have friends, get along with others, have a family, better my own small part of the world etc. etc. etc.

I guess you could say its like the general purpose to life is like a book, while each chapter in the book represents one of my individual personal meanings.
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Postby eriador » Fri Aug 31, 2007 11:39 pm

I see no difference. What I see as personal meaning is THE meaning.

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Postby Amka » Sat Sep 29, 2007 9:20 pm

I'm not sure you can divorce personal meaning from metaphysical/spiritual/whatever-you-want-to-call-it meaning.

You've all probably heard how we are connected to everyone in the world by at most seven degrees? I'm not sure if that is the actual number or now, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that no human being exists without connection to other human beings and we simply don't have to go very far away from ourself to be connected to every other human on the planet.

With that in mind, consider that it is our sentience and self awareness that allows something in the universe that wouldn't exist without it: Joy. Love.

Now, the happier the people around you are, the happier you are, right? And we are all connected to each other.

Really, just working to make ourself happy simply won't get that job done. When we work to support those around us, then we find that happiness comes to us.

This isn't just fluffy warm fuzzies. It is hard work. It may involve children, it may not. It should always involve service to others of some kind. Maybe you'll be getting paid for that service, or maybe you'll have to make money in some way and serve others in another. Sometimes it means a lot of sorrow, but the sum really is greater happiness for you, now in this life.

I've been at it for a few years, and the older I've gotten the more I've realized that hard work, helping others, and striving to always have good feelings for others is the purpose or meaning that will get me the most joy out of life.

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Postby Hegemon » Tue Oct 02, 2007 9:54 pm

It ends. That's it.

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Postby Wil » Tue Oct 02, 2007 11:45 pm

Life ends.. but purpose in life is what happens before this. What purpose I have personally given is this:

We live life to learn and to experience. Throughout life we make positive and negatives changes due to this learning and experience. We survive on through this change we make. We are remembered by those whom we have come in contact with.

And then we die. Hey, can't be ALL positive. We have to face facts. We WILL die. It could be tomorrow, or it could be a hundred years from now. Make the best of today, but plan for the best tomorrow. :)

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Postby Dr. Mobius » Wed Oct 03, 2007 3:15 am

We WILL die. It could be tomorrow, or it could be a hundred years from now.
Or it could be almost five years ago. :stoned:

Yes, that again. Deal with it.
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Postby jotabe » Wed Oct 03, 2007 7:45 am

It ends. That's it.
I see i am not the only one to extract my teleology from Agent Smith. :lol:
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Postby Boothby » Sun Oct 07, 2007 12:19 am

Our lives also affect the lives of those around us. It may be on a local/family level or on a global/world level. And we can affect those lives for well or for ill.

We can leave the world a better place than when we found it, or a worse place. We can help the species survive, or we can help in screwing things up. These are all personal choices. These, in part, help define who you are.
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Postby Xenofreak » Sun Oct 07, 2007 3:47 pm

Meditation can be a powerful tool. I spent an hour once in a sensory deprivation tank, its a dark tank of salt water that a person floats in. It was a very enlightening experience. When you remove physical distractions you will see how chaotic your mind really is and you can try to fix it.
Its my belief that we need to mental evolve before we can see a purpose for our lives.

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Postby Hegemon » Mon Oct 08, 2007 10:23 pm

It ends. That's it.
I see i am not the only one to extract my teleology from Agent Smith. :lol:
Actually, i was never aware of his saying that. The one movie i am aware of it in is Judge Dredd, when Rico kills the warden.


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