What do you think about my theory of the meaning of life?

Question

A few nights ago, I had an enlightenment. While pondering why I was on this planet, I realized that I am but just part of something bigger. When people look for the meaning of life as individuals, they come to a dead end since no matter what you do with your life, you will eventually die; making everything you do seem futile. Thus, inorder to find meaning, we have to see ourselves as a part of a whole. If we make a change in society today, our actions will influence countless generations in the future, thus making us in a way immortal. As long as humanity exist, we as individuals will exist through our influence on furture generations.

What do you think? Does this make sense, or am I full of crap?

Answer 1

One person can make a change in the present and the future, even though death takes us all, our legacy will follow, if we were important in life then our existence was a benefit to our future generation.

Answer 2

Sorry for this, but you had an epiphany, not an enlightenment. That you would ponder why you are on this planet suggests that you are susceptible to supernaturalism and superstitious systems of belief. You must be young. When people look for the meaning of life as individuals nearly every single one will most definitely find something. I don't believe that this is a "dead end". Morbidity is a generator for many theories concerning the "big picture". Death happens, to believe that it is not final is not suggested by any evidence. Individuals can change society for better or worse and such change will have an effect for generations to come, but their name, their lifestyle, their beliefs will eventually become either inflated or diluted to obscurity. It is simply vanity to decide to change the world. Truthful efforts to change the world are the result of a person's circumstances and rarely caused by megalomania. To feel separate from existence is, to me, unnatural and is caused by those who are emotionally or otherwise disturbed. My existence is not dependent on my influence, except in the fact that I do not choose to end it with suicide. Future generations will come and exist with or without my influence. Again, I'm sorry, but to be honest I believe that your conclusions following your epiphany are undisciplined and naive. You are not full of crap. You have lots of interesting questions that may lead you to some wonderful experiences.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Hi,

Yes, of course, there is a bunch of people thinking that way. It makes real sense.

If you also trust in Heaven and hell, i believe you want to make positive things and being nice instead of having the worst life and influence on people. And even if you do believe in nothing, you just do so, just because you want to show a good image, you want to help someone else, just for feeling good inside, NOT expecting nothing in return, just doing it because you want to.

Take the exemple of those classical writters or antique sculptors, they are deceased for so long, but still subsists something of them, their books (and ideas), sculptures. They did influenced generations to take back your idea, so you are just right.

If the human being lives in society, i believe there is a meaning of that. We have to accomplish something on earth before to leave this life. Even as an individual, we always need somehow someone else in so many ways. Just some silly exemples: we need someone to give us life, we need someone to make us grow and educate us, we are "part of the society" by the fact we need to buy food for living for instance. Of course, someone might find a way to tell me i am wrong because some people grow their own food and only eat this food and just eat what fall from the tree or the plant for exemple (i lately read it about people eating only fruits/vegetables, but they were not the vegetarian or the vegan, they were fructo something, i don't remember the name). But even those persons need someone else, even if they might need nobody else for food.

I never considered myself like an individual only anyway, but one of the so numerous wheels that make a society. That is why ANY profession is important, because anybody needs them. Some professions are going to be less paid than other, some people are going to think they are useless in this life, this is wrong (unless those persons are really mean searching to intentionally hurt the other). Anybody has a place and a fonction in this life, whatever the job they are doing. That is why it doesn't matter to me if you are a banker or the man who picks up the garbage, i need the both professional persons in my life like everybody else does. That is why you cannot judge a person on the profession a person exerces, but on the person's actions while on his/her passage on earth.

I also don't believe that once you are dead, everything made on earth is so futile. Again, it depending on what exists or not after death and on the beliefs that you have. If you believe that you are going to reincarnate in another future life, what you learn now can be usefull in the future. Because i don't really believe that some people are just genious only and can make wonderful things so young (like playing piano like Beethoven or other less known people that i saw shows about many years ago). Maybe they just remember a part of their anterior life. But, each individual is free to believe what he/she wants to believe in.

And i believe that when you die, you bring with you UP (in Paradise) if you go there, all the Love you had when you died. Just for that, i don't believe anything we do is that futile.

Sorry if you think my answer is out of subject, but i felt that way replying to you about your question.

Hope you also can accept my point.
Glad you placed your question.

Answer 4

Makes sense to me. You might find these validating...

Check these awesome videos out.

What Is The True Nature Of Humankind?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPodvGwHnKY

Perceiving Reality
A cool look at the nature of existence and our purpose in life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0drT_L4G8w8

There are 53 other videos like these here...
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=ARIfilms&page=2

Initially from this organization:
http://www.kabbalahmedia.info/
http://www.kabbalahlearningcenter.info/
http://www.kabbalah.info/

Answer 5

I think you are on the right track. It's what has brought me this far. My children are my only true chance at immortality. Teach them as best we can.

suggested reading: The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield there are 2 sequels "The Tenth Insight" and "The Secret of Shambhala". they speak of what you were saying :)

Answer 6

I still hold that "meaning" and "purpose" are artificial constructs, and thus questioning into the "meaning of life" is no more logical than seeking the meaning of rocks, aliens, or floam.

I do not discount the search for meaning in one's life, as purpose is a valuable concept in the human mind -- otherwise we wouldn't have created it.

I like your idea, and I hope it is satisfactory to you.

Answer 7

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 8

Great! It's not just your theory. It's the theory of many enlightened people. I guess you just connected the dots. The good things humans can last generations as well as the bad things! Just remember that.

Answer 9

I like it but it does have it downfall like what if you don't have a future generation and live on your own - but even then i suppose that no man is an island and even staying on our own effects the house that we own and the neighbourhood that we live in - so good going

Answer 10

Yes, The Roman emperor Nero is best remembered by that thought. he burned Rome the capital, to have his name remembered through ages.