"What is the meaning of life?" is a question many people ask themselves at some point during their lives. Some people believe that the meaning of life is one or more of the following:
Survival and temporal success
* ...to accumulate wealth and increase social status
* ...to compete or co-operate with others
* ...to destroy others who harm you, or to practice nonviolence and nonresistance
* ...to die having succeeded in your purpose
* ...to live
* ...to protect one's family
* ...to gain and exercise power
* ...to leave a legacy, such as a work of art or a book
* ...to produce offspring through sexual reproduction or asexual reproduction
* ...to seek freedom, either physically, mentally or financially
* ...to seek happiness and flourish, experience pleasure or celebrate
* ...to survive, including the pursuit of immortality through scientific means (see life extension)
Wisdom and knowledge
* ...to be without question, or to keep asking questions
* ...to explore, to expand beyond our frontiers
* ...to learn from one's own and others' mistakes
* ...to seek truth, knowledge, understanding, or wisdom
* ...to try to discover and understand the meaning of life
* ...to expand one's perception of the world
Ethical
* ...to express compassion
* ...to live in peace with each other, and in harmony with our natural environment (see utopia)
* ...to give and receive love
* ...to seek and acquire virtue, to live a virtuous life
* ...to serve others, or do good deeds
* ...to work for justice and democracy
Religious, spiritual and esoteric
* ...to turn fear into joy at a constant rate achieving on literal and metaphorical levels: immortality, enlightenment and atonement
* ...to achieve a supernatural connection within the natural context
* ...to achieve enlightenment and inner peace
* ...to become God, or God-like
* ...to experience existence from an infinite number of perspectives in order to expand the consciousness of all there is (i.e. God)
* ...to follow the "Golden Rule"
* ...to produce useful structure in the universe over and above consumption (see net creativity)
* ...to reach Heaven in the afterlife
* ...to understand and follow the "Word of God"
* ...to worship, serve, or achieve union with God
Other
* ...to advance natural human evolution, or to contribute to the gene pool of the human race
* ...to advance technological evolution, or to actively develop the future human
* ...to contribute to collective meaning ("we" or "us") without having individual meaning ("I" or "me")
* ...to die, or become a martyr
* ...to find a purpose, a "reason" for living that hopefully raises the quality of one's experience of life, or even life in general
* ...to live, and enjoy the passage of time
* ...to have fun
* ...to protect humanity, or more generally the environment
* ...to pursue a dream, vision, or destiny
* ...to relate, connect, or achieve unity with others
* ...to seek and find beauty
* ...to simply live until one dies (there is no universal or celestial purpose)
* ...to participate in the chain events which has led from the creation of the universe until its possible end (either freely chosen or determined, this is a subject widely debated amongst philosophers)
* ...still some do not even think there is any purpose whatsoever (see nihilism)
* ...(This is actually an extension of the point immediately above) There is no inherent meaning to life, existence, the universe, etc. They exist because they can. However, humans appear to inately give meaning, usually many, often conflicting, to what they are conscious of. So, to each individual, the "meaning of life" is whatever they decide it is. In that sense, every point above is potentially valid.
2006-07-29 19:56:53
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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42
2006-07-27 02:42:22
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answer #2
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answered by K S 4
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Does life have meaning? Yes, I believe it does. All aspects of life itself, our actions, our word, our thoughts, all life has meaning. It is as if our soul is affected by everything we do and think... The answer to the meaning of life if found in the care and nurturing of your soul.
The proper care and nurturing of you soul includes three things: Seek knowledge, Practice loving, and Relish beauty.
(1) Seek knowledge, truth and understanding, be as wise as possible, and (2) Practice loving, selfless love, the perfection of love, and (3) Relish beauty, surround yourself with beauty, things that awe you, find beauty everywhere and in all people. Meditate upon these three things and you will find enlightenment.
The mystery of the meaning of life will find its answer inside your very soul, and you will be a joy to others.
2006-07-30 18:52:24
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answer #3
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answered by Dr. D 7
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if ur happy and satisfied u Will know the meaning of life
2006-07-27 02:43:20
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answer #4
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answered by lost_bubble0000 2
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I don't know!Maybe it's like a punishment,because most of the time we have to get through difficult times.
2006-07-27 02:41:58
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answer #5
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answered by livtyler2006 2
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to feel happy with yourself is the true meaning, at least i think so
2006-07-27 02:56:01
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answer #6
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answered by keep it real 4
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You have done or doing what you want to do,and you feel happy.
2006-07-27 02:41:51
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answer #7
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answered by zhang m 1
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It's definately NOT 42!
It's love.
(And don't say that you love 42.)
2006-07-27 02:58:11
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answer #8
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answered by sincere12_26 4
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it is probably when u happy and do what you want to do.
2006-07-27 03:10:53
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answer #9
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answered by ♥ 3
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you are breathing
2006-07-27 02:46:12
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answer #10
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answered by sinned 7
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