What is the meaning of life?

Question

I'm fully aware that the existence and frequency of this question is already extensive here. I'm a Muslim, and my religion states that we are put on this Earth to worship God and do good deeds. But why would God want to put us on this Earth and observe our actions, when He is aware of what has, is, and will happen, and when He is self-sufficient? The reason, I believe, that these questions are difficult to answer is because there is no one true answer. The answers can't be proven correct by equations of math or science, only by our true perception of life. I see our lives are destined to stay away from the path of evil we see on the media and streets, and focus our attention to making a positive difference for others. Maybe everyone is given a talent they excell in, and they are to use that talent to make that difference. I'm a 14-year old, who many believe has been given a talent for writing. Perhaps it's my destiny to use that to make a difference.

Answer 1

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.

Answer 2

My simple answer to the meaning of life is : seek happiness, seek fellowship, be loving, be forgiving and hurt no one that doesn't hurt you. It is when people forget the basics that they tread the path of evil.

Your statements actually touch on a number of bigger issues that it would really be impossible to answer here. Are all created good at birth? Your statements seem to suggest so. Some people disagree. What is the true nature of God? Every religion has its own veiw of that.

For my part I think that no single religion has it right. Because they were all written and passed forward by men who aren't perfect. I think God gave it to all and all men got a little bit confused. Their confusions lead to the blood shed of today. I have studied a good many religions and seen a good number of similar believes. I kind of have based my spiritual life on those similar points. There is not a single religion I am aware of that wants you to not be happy or have fellowship with other humans. Most religions recognize that there are other people with other beliefs and most tell you to be generous toward them. As in try to teach them your path to God. Some older religions go so far as to send others with their leaders when they die so they will not be alone and will live on in death as they did in life. So God wants us to be together. God loves us and wants us to be happy. Killing others is always a crime just as it is also the ultimate punishment. If you'll notice that punishment is almost always against someone who has broked the fellowship of the community. He lied, cheated, murdered, etc. She lied, cheated, murdered, etc. At the time of most religious writings these ideas were all just. But times and technologies and even population sizes change. Hammurabi’s laws today would have us killing each other all the time. So more modern laws push for more forgiveness and try the set just payments to the community for the crimes. In some cases the community doesn't want to give the ultimate punishment because they think that is God's will and his decision. Maybe the crimes aren't less but the society and world evolves and sees the crimes differently. So changes happen. Stealing goes from having a hand cut off or the criminal being killed to him having to pay back the money and be shuned from the community for a given period of time in prison. Killing is easier but this is a part of being forgiving and knowing that through a man can walk an evil path he can leave that path for good through forgiveness and love.

Sorry got a little preachy there.

Answer 3

thanks 4 the question.now Allah says in the holy Koran that he has not created man and jinn for any other reason but to worship him.now from here u can now understand the meaning of life.number two he put us in this world to taste each and every ones action and to see who is the best among us.but already the pro-pet is the best person in the world.so u just have to work hard,obey him so that you will be given another life in the here after.just be patient the world is coming to an end OK.and if u work hard and obey Allah s.w.a u will be rewarded with aljannah.hope this answers your question.if you don't understand anything or you have a question feel free to ask me OK.i am your age mate too OK.so just feel free.
SALAAM ALAIKUM.

Answer 4

There are not many truths,just many variations and perceptions of the truth.Because all philosphers can agree upon is that there is definately one truth.But no one agrees on what the one truth is.Rather then focus on what the meaning of life is,I think we should focus on what each and every one of us must contribute to this life.At age 14 you have discovered your gift is writing.This is a good realization at such a young age.Use this gift and enrich your life as well as the lives around you.Perhaps the meaning of life is simply to contribute the gifts the Lord has given each of us,and to learn from eachother,to love eachother and use this world like a big classroom.Perhaps the meaning is simply to live out our purpose.Each of us has a divine purpose here,we each have our own assignments,and many of us are getting later and later turning them in on time.So the key to life is finding out what purpose we have and then using it to enrich the world for the good of all.

Answer 5

When I was a teenager I once asked this question of the father of a friend of mine (I was being kind of sarcastic at the time). He was an engineering type, highly intelligent, well educated, and very thoughtful in whatever he said. When I asked he went silent for a couple of minutes and then replied:

"The meaning of life is to produce more than you consume."

I don't know why, but this answer has always stuck with me and is actually very profound on many levels.

From a spiritual perspective, the meaning of our lives is to engage in more constructive activities (good) than destructive (evil) ones.

I'll leave it to you to examine the answer from other perspectives including the biological, financial, material, etc...

For what it's worth, the man's name was Steve Ebner.

Answer 6

42

Answer 7

WARNING: THE ALIENS MIGHT VISIT YOU TO ERASE YOUR MEMORY IF YOU READ THIS.

Well, you don't think the whole universe works the way Earth does, do you?
No! One species, one planet!
Most of the races of Earth are descended from alien races.
There is a planet of deer, a planet of Asians, and so on!
The Joozians put them all together on Earth in order to create drama from racial tension from their unnatural cohabitation of the planet and the whole universe tunes in to watch the fun!
Asians, bears, ducks, Jews, deer, and Hispanics, all trying to live side by side on one planet! It's great!

The purpose of our lives as humans is to entertain the life forms on other planets through the reality television show that they know as EARTH.

After 100 episodes, the only reason that the show was not cancelled, the planet of earth not demolished, the sun not turned off, and we are still alive is because I blackmailed the Joozians who produce the show with some dirty pictures that Kenny took of them while they were high on glach.
Now, look behind you.



















This was revealed to me in
South Park, 100th episode, Season 7 - Episode 4 - Cancelled.

Answer 8

Life is not a destination, it's a journey. You seem to have a good start for a 14 year old.

Answer 9

The meaning of life, as explained to me by the late, great Douglas Adams, is (of course) 42.

Answer 10

Pass

Answer 11

i agree with some points which u have written. sometimes i feel that our life is meaningless. well, now i can't express my feelings. i'm a Muslim too. i feel guilty to myself if i think like u. so all i can say, to lead a simple and honest life and be true to ourselves is the meaning of life.