2006-11-02 22:48:39 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous 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)
* ...to complete your list of life goals
* ...to find something to believe
Wisdom and knowledge
* ...to be without question, or to keep asking questions
* ...to find out the meaning of life
* ...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 find true love
* ...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)
* ...to determine a set of goals based on an individuals belief in the meaning of life and work towards the attainment of those objectives.
* ...a combination of any of the above.
* ...42
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?
* ...because nobody will ever love you.
* ...life may actually not exist, this is all a surreal dream.
But most importantly
* ...not to die.
Source(s):
http://www.answers.com/meaning%20of%20li...
2006-11-03 00:24:53 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Life is just like a dollar!
If you're lucky you have a hundred years.
When you get the dollar
you are anxious to spend it.
You spend a dime, or 21 cents
and you say, ' I still have plenty left.'
Then you spend 32 or 41 cents
and you say, 'Gosh it is almost half gone!
Where did it go. This could get scary!'
But you know you still have lots left.
So you just choose not to think about it.
Then you spend 50 cents,
you spend 59 cents - 'Oh my goodness
can this be happening to me?'
60 cents - 65 cents
Now each penny seems more
and more important.
You keep trying to remember
each and every penny you spent
in the past what was it you spent it on?
Where did it go?
You have a hard time
remembering, but you know it is
gone and there is no way to get it back.
There is a longing to have the whole dollar back and to start all over again. This time you would be more sensible about what you spent the pennies on, cause NOW you realize they add up and they add up quickly!
You have now spent 75 cents or 78 cents. There is a feeling of panic.
You don't want to be 'broke.'
You vainly try to think of something worthwhile to spend the last few cents on. You even start to wonder if you will really have a whole dollar to spend! You worry that maybe you only have 79 cents or 82 cents, and then you will be broke.
There is no way to stop it and no way to get it back. Spend it wisely, because every single human on this earth has the same chance to spend their dollar and then it is GONE!
A lot of people live a hundred years today- that is what I based the dollar on, but a lot die in their 60s 70s 80s and 90s too, so spend your first 50 or 60 years to really make them COUNT!!!
Because life is like a hole in your pocket! One minute you have it and the next minute it is gone! You dearly want it back, but it is gone forever!
What year are you in life? How many cents do you have left to spend?
2006-11-02 23:56:39 · answer #2 · answered by NANCY K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Life is a very short period of time for you to make mistakes and learn from them as soon as possible that you would not make the same mistakes again. Life is also about helping the ones in need and showing love to anyone and everyone. Life is just another chance to save yourself for the bad deeds you did in the last generation.
2006-11-02 23:42:28 · answer #3 · answered by Priya 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Living, loving, giggling, studying, incomes, understanding. Sources: The Path of the Higher Self Man, Master of His Destiny For Couples Only SuperFreakonomics The Great Divorce Expecting Adam West with the Night
2016-09-01 06:32:32 · answer #4 · answered by durfee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe the meaning of life is other people. My belief is that we are all part of an Original Whole, which is currently separated and experiencing itself. So interact with other people. Get to know them. Be kind to them, because they are a part of you.
2006-11-02 22:56:02 · answer #5 · answered by mellotron12 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The meaning of our lives is defined by what we spend it on - regardless of what we profess. For some it's money; for some it's dogma or doctrine; for some it's compassion; for some it's being a victim. We choose - but most don't admit to themselves what they've actually chosen.
2006-11-02 23:30:05 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The meaning of life is different depending on what kind of person you are asking.
2006-11-03 02:29:29 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Always wondering what life is gets me nowhere so I live in the moment as much as possible and try not to concern myself with such questions.
2006-11-02 23:43:50 · answer #8 · answered by St.Anger 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
God put me here for a reason and my life is all about finding out why. I have come to the conclusion that I was put here to keep my family happy.
2006-11-02 23:24:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Life is it's own meaning.
2006-11-02 22:50:02 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I THINK U CAN UNDERSTAND WELL WHEN U REALLY LIVE IT
IT IS NOTHING BUT DOING WHAT U LIKE
LIVING THE WAY U WANT LOVE THE PEOPLE WHOM U CARE ABOUT
AND HELPING OTHER
FINALLY BE HAPPY WITH WHAT U ARE
2006-11-02 22:53:23 · answer #11 · answered by pole s 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋