I'm putting this in philosophy, but feel free to answer from any standpoint.
2006-09-14 18:44:46 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
The question "what is the meaning of life?" means different things to different people. The vagueness of the query is inherent in the word "meaning", which opens the question to many interpretations, such as: "What is the origin of life?", "What is the nature of life (and of the universe in which we live)?", "What is the significance of life?", "What is valuable in life?", and "What is the purpose of, or in, (one's) life?". These questions have resulted in a wide range of competing answers and arguments, from scientific theories, to philosophical, theological, and spiritual explanations.
Popular beliefs
"What is the meaning of life?" is a question many people ask themselves at some point during their lives, most in the context "What is the purpose of life?" Here are some of the many potential answers to this perplexing question:
Survival and temporal success
* ...to accumulate wealth and increase social status
* ...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 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 gain and exercise power
* ...to leave a legacy, such as a work of art or a book
* ...to live
* ...to produce offspring through sexual reproduction or asexual reproduction
* ...to protect one's family
* ...to pursue a dream, vision, or destiny
* ...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 expand one's perception of the world
* ...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 understand creation
Ethical
* ...to achieve a supernatural connection within the natural context
* ...to achieve enlightenment and inner peace
* ...to achieve rebirth in the Pure Land
* ...to become like God, or God-like
* ...to be rewarded for your deeds
* ...to experience existence from an infinite number of perspectives in order to expand the consciousness of all there is (i.e. God)
* ...to express compassion
* ...to follow the "Golden Rule"
* ...to give and receive love
* ...to live in a way that you don't harm yourself and don't harm your environment
* ...to work for justice and freedom
Religious and spiritual
* ...to be a filter of creation between heaven and hell
* ...to die and become a martyr
* ...to live in peace with each other, and in harmony with our natural environment (see utopia)
* ...to produce useful structure in the universe over and above consumption (see net creativity)
* ...to protect humanity, or more generally the environment
* ...to reach Heaven in the afterlife
* ...to seek and acquire virtue, to live a virtuous life
* ...to serve others, or do good deeds
* ...to turn fear into joy at a constant rate achieving on literal and metaphorical levels: immortality, enlightenment and atonement
* ...to understand and follow the "Word of God"
* ...to worship, serve, or achieve union with God
* ...to disprove the existence of a or all all gods
Other
* ...to achieve self-actualisation
* ...to contribute to collective meaning ("we" or "us") without having individual meaning ("I" or "me")
* ...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 participate in the inevitable increase in entropy of the universe
* ...to make the conformists' lives miserable (see non-conformism)
* ...to participate in the chain of 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)
* ...to relate, connect, or achieve unity with others
* ...to resolve all problems that one faces, or to ignore them and attempt to fully continue life without them, or to detach oneself from all problems faced (see Buddhism)
* ...to seek and find beauty
* ...as there is no intrinsic meaning to life, to each individual, the "meaning of life" is whatever he/she decides it is. In that sense, every point above is potentially valid.
* ...an answer to the question "What is the meaning of life?" is that it is just simply being able to ask the question, "What is the meaning of life?" (see Sri Sri Ravi Shankar below)
* ...a combination of any of the above.
No purpose, and therefore...
* ...to simply live until one dies (there is no universal or celestial purpose)
* ...just a series of events
* ...just nature taking its course
* ...the wheel of time keeps on turning
* ...the cycle of life
* ...whatever you see you see, as in "projection makes perception"
* ...there is no purpose or meaning whatsoever (see nihilism)
* ...who cares?
2006-09-15 23:33:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Six degrees of separation makes us come 'round full circle. Meaning that no matter what you do, how you live, when you lived, it will make an impact or a connection rather, with everyone else in the world, even if you don't know it. On a personal note, the meaning of life for me is to enjoy as much as I can and be happy with what I have and not dwell on someone elses success, riches, etc.......Wanting what you've got and enjoying the heck out of it!
2006-09-15 01:53:36 · answer #2 · answered by spitonapit 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Life according to the Dalai Lama is helping others be happy, experiencing both pleasure and the responsibility that life requires of us. Modern science including the famous formula by Einstein, Reality is relative to the observer. So, whomever figures out the speed or light or substance of anything changes the outcome of what is being figured out by being in a different perspective.
So, philosophers have been right all along. Life is what you make it, as long as what you make it is beneficial to all people in a way that makes you and them happy and aware of their responsibilities to life. We are responsible to and for each-other. And we can not figure anything out, without others. Aristotle was right, we are social animals or beings. Life is like being social or talking or writing to others. Great Question!
2006-09-15 02:37:19 · answer #3 · answered by zclifton2 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Life is the period between birth and the present time" according to WordWeb v.2.2 def. No. 6...
But that meaning, although sounds interesting and logical, is simply a denotative meaning created by researchers and is placed upon into agreement that it is a valid definition...
The meaning of life differs from one person to the other... Again, it is because we all grew in different unique environments and gathered different unique experiences...
If you are to base it on that assumption, try think if someone doesn't have any experience yet, would he try to ask himself what is the meaning of life??? No...
Which means, at the beginning of life, there is no true definition to it. Only by the time he asks himself what is the meaning of life "life" begins to have a definition. YOU, probably know what is life... Because, you just asked that question... If you still do not understand what life is, doubt it... YOU KNOW IT... AND YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW SOMEONE ELSE'S MEANING OF LIFE... But of course, because it depends on your experience, the more you gain, the more beauty there is to your own meaning of life...
2006-09-15 02:40:23 · answer #4 · answered by agent 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
42
2006-09-16 05:32:42 · answer #5 · answered by ♥Pamela♥ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The meaning of life has to do with relationship. I would write our (humans) relationships with not only other people, but with God. To love God as a whole being, and to love others. The rest ought to grow from that foundation.
2006-09-15 02:13:06 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence: the artistic life of a writer.
2006-09-15 02:01:57 · answer #7 · answered by j r 76 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To live life fully; to love without abandon and to leave the world just a little bit better...
2006-09-15 02:06:49 · answer #8 · answered by waterbabe23 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
12But, my child, be warned: There is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting!
13Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. 14God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
2006-09-15 02:06:46 · answer #9 · answered by Slave to JC 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Does it require meaning? I don't believe we live long enough to give an accurate answer for everyone...........I believe life is meant for us to find a way to be content.
LOL....shilo9i as good a answer as any.
2006-09-15 01:59:25 · answer #10 · answered by Glune 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
for you to shut the F up
put that in your philosophy
2006-09-16 22:15:17 · answer #11 · answered by jeanketeer_4life 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋