what is the meaning of life?

Answer 1

The pursuit of Happiness. Your journey.

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.

So the bottom line is, we only have a temporary meaning to life, to reduce pain and increase pleasure, other than that everything is lost to oblivion.


To be or not to be? "To be" is temporary and "not to be" is inevitable.....

Answer 3

There is really no fixed answer to your question.

What gives meaning to life, is not what you question, but your actions, the greater good you do, will give you a greater mean of what your life will be.

As an example, there has been great civilization who build empires, such Mayan, Egyptians, and so on, that have universal knowledge by applying ideas through the art and science, all that for was done to have eternal life, that is why we still appreciate their impassion for life.

Albert Einstein put it the best for me by writing

~Imagination is greater than knowledge~

Answer 4

Since nobody is quite sure what life is, exactly, nobody knows the meaning of life either. But, if you want to simplify it, you can say that life is the pursuit of happiness. Different things make different people happy. Some people are happy when they have things easy. Others are happy when they create trouble or pain for themselves and/or others. Still, life would be meaningless to any person who did not try to find happiness.

Answer 5

Playing with some big guns on this one... Not a single reference to 42... Well I just ruined that, but with a twist! The pursuit of the answer was ever present in the book/film. And to coin a quote from it... "I would much rather be happy then right." In Arther's case he was searching for the right person. The president was searching for great fame, the mice were looking for knowledge... Like wise, we all have different things that make us happy, and different reasons for searching them out. I could tell you the meaning of life for me, but it may not entirely apply to you. Yes there will be people that will say that your meaning, or my meaning of life is wrong, but I would love for them to prove me wrong.
CyberNara

Answer 6

While the simple answer seems "whatever we choose it to be", I think there is a meaning that makes it deeper and more significant for us all. Though religion usually fosters this meaning in believers of a particular faith to match the religion's perspective, I think the meaning all boils down to the same thing - to find happiness.

Okay, a vague and very individual meaning. But I think many of us forget what it means to be happy because it gets diluted with our day to day lives. Happiness becomes that new car. Or meeting that cute girl. Maybe getting that new job.

However, happiness to me seems much simpler. Happiness, and thus the meaning to life, is appreciating the moments we are given and finding ways to make them significant and meaningful.

To attain this does not mean having to make a place in history or headline. I feel it means each moment should reflect who we are (not who we want to appear as or think we should be)... it should reflect our love for life, friends and family, respect for the ideas, feelings and needs of others and our world, and a desire to make ourselves better, and make our environment better.

Well, its seems an overly simplistic explanation, but I think all religions point to this, hoping to create happiness by making us feel we should follow a charter to reach eternal life (Heaven, Nirvana, whatever). I think the meaning should be simple, because life in itself is so incredible and rich that we totally miss how fortunate we all are by clouding life looking for some special (and often exclusionary and narrow-minded) meaning.

Answer 7

ahhh the meaning of life question... well, i think the meaning of life is all about opportunity. the opportunity we should grab to make life worthwhile, meaningful and productive. to serve, help and inspire others. to leave the world a lil better than when you found it. to pursue happiness, higher education, to work for the greater good in jobs we love, to reproduce and raise kids to work, help others, be fair and inquisitive, to vote to make a positive difference and to have a blast while doing all those things because all those things are a priviledge we have been given. also to find that one true love who is our soul's mate and who takes your breath away by both his smile and his silly sense of humor!! life, like anything and everything else, is what WE make it! the meaning is to have the courage to truly live it while we have it.

Answer 8

Hello, weary traveler, life's sojourner in time,
This time is yours, but the voice is mine.

Out of the past, deep from my grave,
You meandered volumes, to read what I might say.

Desire, the reason, you can't even tell,
But you hear them, they are coming, the hounds of hell.

Time, now days go much swiftly, much faster than before.
It was in the distance, but now death is close to your door.

The meaning, your life, just why are you here,
Time wasted, a life lost, that is what you fear.

God or nothingness, the great question in your mind.
So you wondered here to see what you'd find.

The answer, not illusion, you already know.
Do good, be yourself, your peace will grow.

Answer 9

Life – it has a meaning and loving purpose - you just have to find your purpose and live it.

I believe every person is here for a definite purpose. Each person is special and valuable; that refers to me, you, your family, friends, in fact everybody! There is a loving plan for each of our lives here on earth and there is no such thing as coincidence. I don't believe that anything in life happens by chance and that every aspect of our lives points to something deeper.

You need to decide now to live for God rather than for yourself. You spend your life on Earth preparing yourself (as best you can) for death. I don't see death as a scary, negative experience, but birth into a bliss filled eternal life with God. I believe that this is something you have to consciously choose or not during your life on earth.

The meaning of life is for us to discover that we are true children of an infinitely loving and merciful God, to find out what our responsibilities are to our Creator, and to fulfill those responsibilities. Each of us is called to affirm, accept and develop the talents God has given us. -

Answer 10

The goal is to be the best person you can be. Goals lend meaning. Therefore the goal of life is the meaning of life.

Answer 11

Life's meaning is found in all the experiences, joys, and sorrows we have had up to the present time.