You seem to say that the real meaning of life is a life filled with ... meaning.Fellowmater wrote: ↑May 14th, 2021, 4:32 pm The real meaning of life is a life filled with fulfillment, acceptance, and purpose.
What's the meaning of life?
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
"Who cares, wins"
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
...Or that we create meaning.Pattern-chaser wrote: ↑May 15th, 2021, 6:14 amYou seem to say that the real meaning of life is a life filled with ... meaning.Fellowmater wrote: ↑May 14th, 2021, 4:32 pm The real meaning of life is a life filled with fulfillment, acceptance, and purpose.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
True. The meaning of life (as opposed to human life) is to pass along it's genetic material to the next generation. All activity devoted to other things while perhaps important to the organism, are not important to life.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
To me, that's not so much a meaning as what life does. Reproduction is how biology managed to transform so much non-living material on the Earth's surface into itself.
For me, meaning comes from my quasi-Gaian way of looking at the Earth. Bluntly, life is harsh, brutal, self-annihilating, generally nasty business.
Yet all this nastiness has lead from microbes to humans. By the same token, a succession of cruel, corrupt, delusional and self-serving leaders over the millennia has somehow lead humanity from the brutality of the middle ages to today's far less harsh lifestyles (on average).
Once the upcoming and various cataclysms have run their course, I am optimistic that some of the remainders will progress anew to continue biology's primary project - looking for ways of living a life that doesn't suck :)
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
The first gods would have been the Sun, Earth and Moon, stars, volcanoes, storms and other extreme weather, powerful animals and other things that were overpowering and highly influential. The would have been reverence and fear, the wish to placate the fierce forces of nature.Tegularius wrote: ↑June 1st, 2021, 3:42 am Within the universe, nothing, wherever life may be. One reason why we invented gods to make ourselves important; a case where illusion yields a higher value than reality.
After that, as you suggest, people did what people do - they worked things to their advantage.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
Yes, we do, Create meaning, that is. It isn't part of the world, and only comes into being when we create it. ... So:Newme wrote: ↑May 31st, 2021, 6:31 pm...Or that we create meaning.Pattern-chaser wrote: ↑May 15th, 2021, 6:14 amYou seem to say that the real meaning of life is a life filled with ... meaning.Fellowmater wrote: ↑May 14th, 2021, 4:32 pm The real meaning of life is a life filled with fulfillment, acceptance, and purpose.
Are you saying that our purpose in life is to create meaning?
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
Me too.
No, not "generally" nasty, as life is also bright, creative, and as fresh as the air after a shower. It is all of these things; it is Gaia.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
But there are no happy endings. We all end the same with, with that jarring realisation that it's done. Either that, or we have been so brutalised by life that death is a relief.Pattern-chaser wrote: ↑June 1st, 2021, 5:58 amMe too. 👍
No, not "generally" nasty, as life is also bright, creative, and as fresh as the air after a shower. It is all of these things; it is Gaia.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
It is up to you. Those that find an answer will receive fulfillment and happiness. Those that do not will be always haunted by the question.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
Pattern-chaser wrote: ↑June 1st, 2021, 5:58 am No, not "generally" nasty, as life is also bright, creative, and as fresh as the air after a shower. It is all of these things; it is Gaia.
Not all deaths are dreaded. Many people who are near the time of their deaths are ready to die, having lived full, if imperfect, lives. I imagine some of them consider it a "happy ending"; others not so much. Perhaps the meaning of life that this topic seeks is the simple realisation that it's not permanent. No-one lives forever. Enjoy it while we can. Is that it, or could it be, do you think?
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
"Make hay while the Sun shines, for tomorrow may rain" makes sense to me.Pattern-chaser wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2021, 9:19 amPattern-chaser wrote: ↑June 1st, 2021, 5:58 am No, not "generally" nasty, as life is also bright, creative, and as fresh as the air after a shower. It is all of these things; it is Gaia.Not all deaths are dreaded. Many people who are near the time of their deaths are ready to die, having lived full, if imperfect, lives. I imagine some of them consider it a "happy ending"; others not so much. 😉 Perhaps the meaning of life that this topic seeks is the simple realisation that it's not permanent. No-one lives forever. Enjoy it while we can. Is that it, or could it be, do you think? 🤔
Ultimately, if life is terrific, you want it to go on. If it's become extremely painful and difficult, maybe not.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?
I was guessing what the other guy meant, though I see some truth in it.Pattern-chaser wrote: ↑June 1st, 2021, 5:54 amYes, we do, Create meaning, that is. It isn't part of the world, and only comes into being when we create it. ... So:
Are you saying that our purpose in life is to create meaning?
When I think of my nephew with Down’s syndrome, I don’t know if meaning is as important as joy which comes primarily through growth/progress.
What do you think?
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