What's the meaning of life?

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Pattern-chaser
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

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Fellowmater wrote: May 14th, 2021, 4:32 pm The real meaning of life is a life filled with fulfillment, acceptance, and purpose.
You seem to say that the real meaning of life is a life filled with ... meaning. 🤔
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

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Pattern-chaser wrote: May 15th, 2021, 6:14 am
Fellowmater wrote: May 14th, 2021, 4:32 pm The real meaning of life is a life filled with fulfillment, acceptance, and purpose.
You seem to say that the real meaning of life is a life filled with ... meaning. 🤔
...Or that we create meaning.
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Sy Borg
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

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Many responses are answering the question, "What is meaningful to you?". A happy situation where there are no wrong answer here, just relatively small mental and emotional variances.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

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Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 1:04 am Many responses are answering the question, "What is meaningful to you?". A happy situation where there are no wrong answer here, just relatively small mental and emotional variances.
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.
"As usual... it depends."
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

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LuckyR wrote: June 1st, 2021, 2:10 am
Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 1:04 am Many responses are answering the question, "What is meaningful to you?". A happy situation where there are no wrong answer here, just relatively small mental and emotional variances.
True. The meaning of life (as opposed to human life) is to pass along its genetic material to the next generation. All activity devoted to other things while perhaps important to the organism, are not important to 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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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.
The earth has a skin and that skin has diseases; one of its diseases is called man ... Nietzsche
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

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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.
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.

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?

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Newme wrote: May 31st, 2021, 6:31 pm
Pattern-chaser wrote: May 15th, 2021, 6:14 am
Fellowmater wrote: May 14th, 2021, 4:32 pm The real meaning of life is a life filled with fulfillment, acceptance, and purpose.
You seem to say that the real meaning of life is a life filled with ... meaning. 🤔
...Or that we create meaning.
Yes, 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?
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

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Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 2:43 am For me, meaning comes from my quasi-Gaian way of looking at the Earth.
Me too. 👍


Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 2:43 am Bluntly, life is harsh, brutal, self-annihilating, generally nasty business.
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?

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Pattern-chaser wrote: June 1st, 2021, 5:58 am
Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 2:43 am For me, meaning comes from my quasi-Gaian way of looking at the Earth.
Me too. 👍
Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 2:43 am Bluntly, life is harsh, brutal, self-annihilating, generally nasty business.
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.
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.
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

Post by mystery »

What is 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?

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Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 2:43 am Bluntly, life is harsh, brutal, self-annihilating, generally nasty business.
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.
Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 11:17 pm 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.
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?

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Pattern-chaser wrote: June 2nd, 2021, 9:19 am
Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 2:43 am Bluntly, life is harsh, brutal, self-annihilating, generally nasty business.
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.
Sy Borg wrote: June 1st, 2021, 11:17 pm 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.
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? 🤔
"Make hay while the Sun shines, for tomorrow may rain" makes sense to me.

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?

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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?
I was guessing what the other guy meant, though I see some truth in it.

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?
“Empty is the argument of the philosopher which does not relieve any human suffering.” - Epicurus
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Re: What's the meaning of life?

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Newme wrote: June 2nd, 2021, 10:27 pm 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?
I think I might agree with you. 👍🙂
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