What is the point of life?

How man angels can dance on the head of a pin?

But, I suppose it really is a pesonal thing as there is no way to know. Some say it is to work for the advancement and betterment until mankind becomes as gods. Others place us as cogs in an unknowable machine, spinning towards some marvelous end point.

I like the transcendentalist veiw. The purpose is to experience all you can. Our time on this magnificent world is limited so do everything. Read every book, see every tree. If you can not find unending wonder in a blade of grass, move on to the next. To understand to feel, to be is a miracle, so veiw every moment with awe.

 

passing on our bad jackass genes to another failing generation until we devolve back to the wild


or the opposite on a good day


maybe babies? idk now there are too many babies so we king of screwed ourselves for a bit as a speciea

 

There can be never be enough babies... NEVER. But otherwise, I agree about how we're just gonna devolve back into living in caves.

On a more serious note, if people could answer this question, there wouldn't be strife and sorrow in this world lmao. Just take it one day at a time, and if we do revert back to our homo erectus selves... meh

 

Why assume that there is any point at all? I've always seen existence as totally pointless and meaningless - leaving me free to decide on whatever point or meaning I choose for my existence.

Todd

 

Asking the meaning of life implies a meaning for which life was created. I don't know whether or not you believe in an afterlife, but if you don't, as I don't, then the "meaning" is to enjoy life while you can. I find a purpose in my life to leave a legacy and help others, to have a positive overall impact in the world.

Also, Tabletop fan, I see what you did there. Homo erectus, indeed.

 

The meaning is to find meaning. :eusa_doh:

Anyways for satisfaction, it has to be something that you really believe/think/have trust in, and that is individual. It can be hard to find it. Good luck.

 

You I like.

The transcendentalists were right. Find all goodness and enlightenment in the world and cut out the chaff. If you believe in God, doing that will lead you to where you are meant to be. If you don't, you will have had a kickass life and not regretted a second's worth of it.

 

Haha, glad to see that someone still enjoys crappy juvenile humour

 

So, here's a random question just because I'm such a shitty philosopher.

Why does there have to be objective meaning to life? If we require a sense of purpose to have a strong sense of self-worth and the mental health benefits that go along with them, why don't we just meet those specific needs instead of building a whole teleology around the universe?

 

Its to go out there and enjoy yourself with other guys :icon_bigg

 

Life is just another part of the Universe. It's not anything special, it's just what happens when the right elements and chemical compounds under the right environment come together.

It's a chain reaction, and just a part of the laws of nature like gravity....etc.

Though we haven't pin pointed the exact cause it is pretty obvious that life is nothing more than entropy at it's finest.

I'm sure it's very common across the universe.

What really boggles my mind is why anything exists at all, not just life, but why there are stars and planets and all the laws to nature.

Purpose is a man made creation, it doesn't exist in nature really. It just is.

Humans really separate themselves from the natural world because we have consciousness instead of realizing consciousness is no different than a star forming and fusing hydrogen into helium to create energy.

Sorry to get all philosophical on you, but learn more about how life came to be, and more about how the universe works, and you will realize it all. We're just extremely lucky that our planet happened to be in a habitable area of the solar system, and that the right elements and conditions were steadily constant for millions of years allowing life to form.

The only true object of life is survival and reproduction. For some reason the laws of nature dictate that anything consuming energy to continue it's existence will do whatever it can to do that. I.E Eating,sleep and reproducing. No different than gravity pulling asteroids in towards our planet.

 

To reproduce.. but I guess that won't work in our case

 

Optimistically, it is to leave an impression, upon those who are here, and who will come. To guide them to endeavor, to enlighten them to knowledge, to inspire them to greatness, to instill them to love. Your meaning is as wide as the universe is expansive, as endless as the passage of time.

Pessimistically, it is to endure great turmoil, to strive to know purpose but never be sure. It is to be bent so much, one breaks, and gives in to futility. We simply exist, not for any significant reason, but to accept that nothing we do, will be remembered. Your meaning is just a means of deluding yourself, that you are worth anything.

Realistically, it is to live. To do what you enjoy, to indulge as you see fit; be it alone, or with others. You get what you put in. No more, no less.

Personally (for me), it is unwritten. There may be no meaning to life, but that doesn't mean you can't find something interesting to do, while you are here. And the longer you linger, the more likely you will find something that, even if just temporarily, will amuse, comfort, or propel you. And who knows? You might just be the one, who opens the eyes of thinkers, the hearts of lovers, and the souls of individuals.

 

There are many debates about meaning. I think that it is different to every person depending on religious and personal beliefs.

That being said, to me life has no meaning. And that's okay. Purpose is a false vision: a false expectation we make. When we create expectations, we create misery because they will never be reached. Life happens. It exists as we do. We are an observer as well as a participant. Do not expect meaning, rather simply enjoy what is.

 

Honest opinion, there is no point.

 

"what is the point of life?" has no clear answer.

but

"what should I do with my life?" can be given a clear answer.

I know it's hard, and that religious folks will be only too happy to fill that void of unknowing for you with their own constructions, but really I recommend simply learning to ask the right questions instead. Some questions don't have a clear answer, thus asking those, will only lead to stress. Focus on questions that can actually be answered.

It is an act of mental self-discipline to do this, however, and I still have to sometimes drag my mind away from 'the unanswereables', questions which have no clear answer.

Another way of putting it, is that you yourself have to provide the answer. Life isn't just happening all on it's own. Every one of us colours the experience of life with our own perceptions. The notion of 'meaning' or 'purpose' is a human construction, these notions are constructed by our own minds. That doesn't mean they aren't 'real', but it's good to know that the 'meaning of life' cannot be found 'out there somewhere', because 'meaning' is a notion constructed by the mind. It's something we created.

But a rose doesn't ask a question, it simply is. And I suspect life is like that, too.

 

After a long hard session of thinking, i have found the answer...
Candy is the meaning of life ^.^

 

I believe the purpose of life is to live as authentically and fearlessly as possible and to share our unique gifts with the world. And by doing this, we give others permission to do the same. Just imagine a world where we all lived our greatest most authentic versions of ourselves.

 

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But really, on a more serious note. I like to think that there is no defined meaning in life, because then we would all be judged by the same standards and as we all know especially, every single human being who has ever lived has been completely and entirely unique, it is impossible for them not to have been. If there is no defined "meaning" of life then each person is free to spend their lives however they wish, gain satisfaction out of anything they wish and know themselves when their own life is fullfilling enough for them and are happy. Totally, truly happy.