No religious mumbo-jumbo. Yeah yeah Jesus saves blah blah blah.
2006-09-26 14:08:27 · 26 answers · asked by nickkap1 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
"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?
2006-09-27 13:08:25 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
To enrich you in the life experience for your soul's purpose. You don't know who you are in the spirit form while living here but when you leave this earth, you will see how it has or has not helped you become a more enriched soul. Sometimes life has the negative effect on people, they tend to think they are victimized and it's not the purpose in the least. If you want to master life then you must find ways to be positive no matter how bleak the situation and be compassionate towards others. Its not easy and this is why it is so hard to understand life. We all look past the nose on our face for answers that do not exist in money and material items. It has nothing to do with money! Why is drug addiction and suicide so prevalent with wealthy people? Because money has nothing to do with happiness! Well..................go figure!
2006-09-26 21:23:19 · answer #2 · answered by soniaatcalifornia 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look at the portion above on the monitor where it reads, "Search for questions:" and write in the text portion to the right, "What is the meaning of life?" and you are going to see how that question has been asked and answered repeated over and over again... hey, do that and try to be a little original with your questions. You are boring a lot of people with this tired out question. Just take the time to do as I suggested and READ what others have ALREADY written.
2006-09-26 21:13:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you ask what the meaning of life is, you assume that there is a leaning to life. If there is a meaning to life, that leaning must have been established by an entity superior to that life.
Your question should be "Is there a meaning to life?". In the search for the "truth", it is vital that questions are formulated to produce an objective answer. I don't recommend spending to much time thinking about questions that have no answer. In the end, your life's meaning is that you make of it.
2006-09-26 21:38:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
42
2006-09-26 21:15:01 · answer #5 · answered by John S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u are jus a grain of sand in a beach.... a better way of lookin at this wud be to look around u... the shape, the color, the texture, the smell... close ur eyes, think of how large this world is, then think hw large the solar system is, hw large the galaxy is n hw large the cosmos is. does it ring ny bells?????? these werent created jus for the sake of creation. it was built for a reason, maybe to show u that there is a greater power out there to make such creations. by the time u learn ur answer u wud hv lost half ur life sop jus make use of wat u got coz life is short n no time for questions>>>>
2006-09-26 21:20:37 · answer #6 · answered by aslam g 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I try to put meaning in my life everday and make it count. I hope when I am gone instead of red who? someone will fondly say oh yeah not the same without red. Then maybe my life had meaning. I think it is different for everyone and so are the lessons we learn. For we are different in many ways. So what is the meaning you put in your life? Will people remember you when your gone? and if so, for what? Did you make a difference? Have a good one, and hope your life finds as much meaning as i try to put in mine:-)
2006-09-26 21:15:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Asking "What is the meaning of life" sounds kind of fake. Because it sounds like you have no problems to solve in your life, and have nothing to do but find ways to waste time. Generally the meaning of life will be almost impossed to you, and your duty will be to fulfill your destiny... to come up on top of it all.
Now, if you have no problems, then it's time to look for ways to spend time... but might as well pay tribute to those who made it possible to be in the position that you are now.
2006-09-26 21:31:17 · answer #8 · answered by OrtegaFollower 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The meaning of life is whatever you choose it to be. This will change as you change and discover who you really are. Usually, you have to find out who you are NOT first.
We are here to create ourselves, and remember our highest self, like going back home. It's like having amnesia, and rediscovering the wonderment of your creative powers again.
Yes, Jesus is cool, but he's just one of many enlightened people who tried to help others get in touch w/ the truth.
2006-09-26 21:18:16 · answer #9 · answered by CJ_girl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No religious mumbo-jumbo? LOL, maybe that's why your asking this question...ever think of that?
2006-09-26 22:01:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The correct question is : What is the meaning of YOUR life.
It has the meaning you choose to give it. You've got it and you can do whatever you want with it.
Some people consider it a blessing others, a curse.
Those who cannot stand it end it.
I personally think it has endless possibilities.
2006-09-26 21:12:06 · answer #11 · answered by flugelberry 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋