What is the meaning of life ?

Answer 1

There isn't one. You live, you die.
Any meaning during the course of your life, you mke yourself.

Answer 2

To find meaning in something, we generally take the approach of the 'four causes' that Socrates said was the way to find purpose in anything.

Formal cause - the shape or form the object takes

Material cause - the material used in making the object

Efficient cause - what makes the object

Final cause - the pre-described purpose the object was intended to have.

For something like a pot, this is simple

Formal cause - concave shape

Material Cause - clay

Efficient cause - the pot-maker

Final cause - to hold water or some other substance.


If ANY of these is missing, the object is said to have no purpose.
For instance, if a hurricane ravages through a lumberyard and just so happens to structure a house, it has no purpose.

It has some of the causes though.

Formal cause - the shape of a house

Material cause - the wood and metal

Efficient cause - the hurricane

But no Final cause, because the hurricane didnt make the house because it was thinking about it, it was an accident

This particular house has no purpose.

The same with life. It was structured due to the laws of physics with DNA and other protiens and just so happens to replicate.

Life has no purpose, no meaning.

But wait. Remember the house. Although the house has no purpose, now that it is made, it CAN BE USED.

The same with life. Just because theres no pre-described cosmic purpose to life does NOT mean we shouldn't use it.


:-D

-Nick

Answer 3

A man was once visited by his brother-in-law for a short period of time. The gentleman was a fisherman, of poor means but never-the-less, had a wonderful family. He told his brother-in-law he had one fishing vessel where he usually brought in a good load each week and this was enough for his family to survive on. He said his bills were paid but there were not a lot of extras, so this meant no extravagent things. They had a good car, a fairly nice home, since the dad only worked the one day per week he took the kids to school, their games, and they spent a lot of time together as a family. He also enjoyed painting so he would often go out to the docks and paint pictures of the ocean and the waves and landscapes he saw on the way. The brother-in-law couldn't understand his lack of desire for the better things in life and encouraged him to think big and finally do something for his family........He told the guy.....Quit being so simple-minded. For once think of your family...If you will fish every day you can make lots more money and eventually buy a fleet of ships. You will be able then to bring in even bigger harvests and with this money you can buy your own company where you can dominate the fish industry here. You can be the guy everyone has to go to if they want to sell their fish and you will regulate the market. If you really work hard, in 15 or 20 years you will be able to retire from the company and then you will have time to do the things you really want like spend time with your family and go for long walks on the pier, and do the painting you've always wanted to do. Can you imagine a life like that?????? The guy told his brother-in-law.....that all sounds really great but.....I'm really a simple guy and I guess I'll just have to stay the way things are now. Do you get the moral of this story????? What makes you happiest in the world? Dream big, love hard, be a freind to all, Give til it hurts, and dance like no one is watching. If we spend all of our lives worrying what everyone else thinks we will never be happy. Lastly, I'm going to do everything in this world I can to make it a better place for my kids and their kids. This world can be a wonderful place or an awful place depending on what you make of it and best of all...it's a practice ground for the world to come....I will live my life the best I can and by the Grace of God I plan to go to a city one day where all my dreams will come true.

Remember this: If there was no disappointment or adversity in our lives, there would be nothing to contrast the good stuff too. Meaning-the harder the times you have, the more beautiful the good times are to you....Count your blessings every day and turn the bad things into someone elses blessing by showing them you aren't a quitter......God bless!!!!!

Answer 4

life
Pronunciation: 'lIf
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural lives /'lIvz/
Etymology: Middle English lif, from Old English lIf; akin to Old English libban to live -- more at LIVE
1 a : the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body b : a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings -- compare VITALISM 1 c : an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction
2 a : the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual b : one or more aspects of the process of living
3 : BIOGRAPHY 1
4 : spiritual existence transcending physical death
5 a : the period from birth to death b : a specific phase of earthly existence c : the period from an event until death d : a sentence of imprisonment for the remainder of a convict's life
6 : a way or manner of living
7 : LIVELIHOOD
8 : a vital or living being; specifically : PERSON
9 : an animating and shaping force or principle
10 : SPIRIT, ANIMATION
11 : the form or pattern of something existing in reality
12 : the period of duration, usefulness, or popularity of something
13 : the period of existence (as of a subatomic particle) -- compare HALF-LIFE
14 : a property (as resilience or elasticity) of an inanimate substance or object resembling the animate quality of a living being
15 : living beings (as of a particular kind or environment)
16 a : human activities b : animate activity and movement c : the activities of a given sphere, area, or time
17 : one providing interest and vigor
18 : an opportunity for continued viability
19 capitalized, Christian Science : GOD 1b
20 : something resembling animate life


Ha,ha. I know that's not what you mean. The meaning of life is to live. It's a one way experiance only you can take, make and change.

Answer 5

To find the meaning of life.

Answer 6

The meaning of life, is a good question

Answer 7

I beleive life is what GOD gave us, so we could make better choices and be full of kindness and love. That is why reincarnation is real. We lived with GOD before we were born, and in order for us to live eternally in HEAVEN, we have to do alot of GOOD here. If we fail, we go before a life review and if we choose,, then we can come back again and again. I once learned that there are many worlds, but EARTH is the hardest school to come to, and many planets applaude the ones that chose to come here, because there is physical and mental pain. A very hard school, but we learn much faster here than any other wolrd.

Answer 8

There is no one set meaning to life for everyone. The meaning to your life is what you make it. if you feel you were born to help the homeless, then do it. If you feel like you were sent here to do work with less fortunate people, then do that. My meaning of life is to be the best mother that I can possibly me. To make sure that everyday my son wakes up, that he has enough to eat, a roof over his head, clothes to put on his body, and two parents that love him more than anything in the world.

Answer 9

This is the question everyone asks and yet seems to remain unanswered and I am sure people will be asking that same question till the world ends or whatever. To me I think the meaning of life is to just be best the person you can be and help each other out but, I can't really answer it with a factual answer or anything.

Answer 10

The meaning to my life is this girl I know. So the answer for me is Love. I believe that the meaning of life is different for every person. But then again, according to the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, the answer is 42.

Answer 11

The meaning of life, the universe and everything is 42