2006-08-06 12:30:05 · 22 answers · asked by dude 1 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
"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.
2006-08-07 14:51:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The meaning of life is a movie made featuring monty python don't laugh this movie puts the answer into very simple terms. As well it points out just how ridiculous it is to spend time trying to figure out the meaning of life instead of living life
2006-08-07 01:58:32 · answer #2 · answered by sonnyd 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
“Life is made up of small pleasures. Happiness is made up of those tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. And if you don't collect all these tiny successes, the big ones don't really mean anything.”
“The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God; and this can be done only by means of the acknowledgment and profession of the truth by each one of us.”
“The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you are happy you will be good.”
“Thought means life, since those who do not think so do not live in any high or real sense. Thinking makes the man.”
"There is no meaning to life except the meaning man gives his life by unfolding of his powers.”
“Life is without meaning. You bring the meaning to it. The meaning of life is Whatever you ascribe it to be. Being alive is the meaning.”
“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”
“For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.”
“There is only one meaning of life: the act of living itself.”
“You ask: what is the meaning or purpose of life? I can only answer with another question: do you think we are wise enough to read God's mind?”
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
“Every time I find the meaning of life, they change it”
2006-08-06 12:33:08 · answer #3 · answered by ••Mott•• 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Before we go into Purgatory or Paradise, we must live this life as faithful servants of God, which includes accepting that He will someday descend from Heaven to clean and destroy the earth and send everyone into Paradise, where they will be further judged as to enter Heaven or Hell. Those in Purgatory will arrive at Paradise after their long slumber and be judged also. It will be a magnificent day for some, and a sad one for many.
2006-08-06 12:47:21 · answer #4 · answered by Strives to be Something 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
we were created by God to worship him and love him and praise him and learn of he and teach others as well and if you do that you will be happy and find more happiness that most people will ever know I know cuz Go has given me every thing I have ever wanted cuz I love him and he loves me and He brought me the perfect man for me and I have loved him 24 years and we got the best life ever we never fight we can't get enough of each other and I can/t get enough of God either but I am happy and love the life I have but look forward also to be in heaven with God some day but I do what makes God happy and then he dose what makes me happy I can't out give God as I show God love and I serve him he blesses me above what ever I can even think or imagine he always surprises me with more!!!!
2006-08-06 12:40:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, most of us spend a lifetime asking that question. But the real question is what are you doing to put meaning in your life. Think about it.
What have you done to improve yourself? What have you done to aid, improve, or in someway better another human beings life? Think a while get back with me then we can have this discussion again o young one:-)
2006-08-06 12:36:45 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
42
2006-08-06 12:35:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
dude,
I asked myself the same question once. Here's the answer. The point of life is to glorify God. I was so far off track doing things for me only. Me, me, me. The Lord sought me out and brought me close to Him. Now I try to maintain that outward focus and be an ambassador for Him.
/ you asked, I just had to answer
2006-08-06 12:36:32 · answer #8 · answered by nobody 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I met God on the bus one day. He told me the meaning of life, and then he gave me a pretzel....I guess I should have written it down, but that was a really good pretzel.
2006-08-08 23:12:59 · answer #9 · answered by emily_rose_4 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To live and survive it to the best of your ability and if you believe in after life...so you can be in the best possible position for eternity.
2006-08-06 12:34:29 · answer #10 · answered by wendygurl87 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You only have a few short years to find out. Stop wasting time on yahoo.
2006-08-06 12:33:36 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋