What is the meaning of life?

Answer 1

Someone asks this question here every damn day. The best answer I've seen is this one, quoted exactly from 'libertarian_atheist'.

"Why must life have meaning? Meaning is a purely human value, and does not exist independently in nature. Asking what is the meaning of life assumes that there _is_ some meaning, but there is nothing at all to indicate that that is anything more than wishful thinking.

As meaning is a human value though, there is a nice upside to that. It means that you, as a member of the human race, get to find or create your own meaning.

So while the question "What is the meaning of life" has no answer, there is an answer to the question "What is the meaning of YOUR life?" And the answer to that is, whatever you want it to be!

Answer 2

80% of humanity, the religious folks, don't need to ask the meaning of life, the church tells them....the supernatural explanation. But the rest of us can't swallow religious dogma, because there's no evidence. Nobody can prove that there life after death, that people are tortured or rewarded after life or that there's invisible spirits running around.

I've come to two conclusions recently:

1. Life has no meaning
2. Life has a million meanings.

First, there's a certainty that death and annihilation awaits not only you, but the Earth in general. It's an astonomical certainty that our sun will supernova and leave the earth a burnt crisp, not to mention all the other extinction level events around the corner.

Second, the million things that give us meaning are the pleasurable experiences we can conjure up during the short period we are here on the earth, in the form of the relationships we have with our kids and other people, and the 'housekeeping' types of purposes. What i mean by that are the curing disease, ending hunger, improving literacy, reducing crime, preventing war, helping other kinds of things.

Answer 3

Each individual has to be brave enough and have a powerful enough lust for "authenticity" (as defined by Sarte and other existentialists) to create meaning for themselves. This is not a process that anyone else can do for you. The pursuit for this question's answer will lead everyone down a distinct path - a path that has never existed before and will never exist again. I'm certainly not proposing nihilism, though -- Have faith that life does hold meaning, and don't stop turning over stones until you've found some. Also, don't despair at your lack of success in the meantime:

"Learn to laugh at yourselves, as you ought to laugh! You higher people, Oh, how much is still possible!"
-- Nietzsche

Answer 4

The ultimate question of the meaning of existence can perhaps never be answered by humans. However, it does not mean that we have to lead a meaningless life. Seeking the meaning of existence is perhaps what existence means to humans. Our life has to be a quest for the ultimate meaning of existence. It requires a commitment for meaning. Let us try to find the meaning of whatever we do and whatever we experience. Let us seek meaning in language, in education, in literature, in religion and in every other avenues of life. If we keep our minds and hearts open and if we seek diligently for meaning, meaninglessness will give way to a life full of meaning.

Answer 5

The expression "the meaning of life" is meaningless in and of itself. Life is a blind force that has to be given direction for either good or evil, depending on the nature of the person. On the other hand, life is the blind force which animates the cell-structures of so-called living entities.

Answer 6

Who knows? Someone asks that question here at least several times per day. It's just one of those things everyone wonders, but no one knows. There is no way to know. A lot of ideas, concepts, religions, cults, etc, have been invented to try and answer the question. None of it really does it for me.

However, I do like what King Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, that everything is vanity, and that the best we can hope to do is take pleasure and pride in the things that we create.

Answer 7

It means different things to different people. Are you questioning
your own existence, or why are we here on this planet, or why
we are born? I guess you can try to live each and every day to
the fullest, until you die, since death is inevitable at some point
in the future. We all know that we will die in the future, but most of us can't pinpoint exactly when that will occur.

Answer 8

the meaning of life as i believe it is to spend ur days enjoying it, not to spend it wondering why uve been given the priviledge of a wonderful life ahead of u. spread happiness; smiles and laughter is infectious. that is what i believe is the meaning of life. everyones life has it's own meaning. some ppl were meant to become scientists who discover new theories. some ppl were suppsed to become authors who fill our bookshelves with words. everyones life has a meaning that they'll find as they live it.

Answer 9

when you reach the end point of the road and wish to turn back, but can't, you begin realizing the goods and bads happened during your existence and that reflects the meaning.

Answer 10

There isn't one
(wtf is wrong with ppl this question gets asked every 5-10 min, is this what you think all philosophers do?? Ask the question over and over again??)