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42 is not the answer.

2007-03-19 06:26:38 · 11 answers · asked by Alex A 1 in Arts & Humanities Philosophy

11 answers

Life isn't the sort of thing that has meaning. Sentences are the sorts of things that have meaning. Life has a sort of purposefulness built into it, but as for the specifying of how that purposefulness is to become manifest, you pretty much have to make up your own mind.
___There are guidelines. People who have been considered wise persons have left behind texts that articulate their notions of what's valuable. And even if these disagree on some of the specifics, there's a commonality of approach, a seriousness of thinking about the matter, that you could emulate.
___Such texts are as rare as hens' teeth in the past century or so, though. Don't get carried away with nitwits like Thoreau or Voltaire.

2007-03-19 12:19:47 · answer #1 · answered by G-zilla 4 · 0 0

Somehow that is the most, and least, important question of our existence. The Tao Te Ching is full of similar dualities. If someones entire life is spent trying to answer this question, as worthy of contemplation as it may be, upon reaching that last day on Earth, they may still be no closer to an answer, let alone the right one.

The best solution to this puzzle, is it's personal relevance to you. Searching for your purpose within nature's design is a way of finding individual meaning, and is logically much more attainable, compared to discovering life's meaning overall.

The universe is unique in the way each different life experiences it. Each member of our universe will have a different sum of total experiences during the time that they exist. Even if in the slightest way, this colors individual experience, it creates a singular reality for that one member.

To monitor, record, track and evaluate every living element of even a small community of life would be a tremendous undertaking. For example, an isolated local pond or tree for example, would include such a immense amount of data from beginning to end, it would take one human an incredibly long time to sift through it all. That one pond or tree, seperate as it might seem to be, is connected to the Earth and the air and all the living things therein in more ways than we might be able to perceive, as our abilities to do so are limited to only our five senses.

Some will say the answer is to be found through religion, although religion was created by man, which is only one group experiencing life in a shared universe. Spirituality is something that is innate, something more than anyone can completely define. Look within yourself.

I believe Carl Sagan said it best regarding a related subject: "Who knows for certain? Who shall here declare it?"

If you want something that will really get you asking questions - read just about anything by Carl. He was a true credit to the whole of humanity.

As with so many things, it is the journey, not the destination.

2007-03-19 14:17:13 · answer #2 · answered by Mr. Shockey 2 · 0 0

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.....

2007-03-19 15:48:01 · answer #3 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 0 0

If the meaning of life was God we'd be in heaven already. You miss the point of "42" - it mereley highlights the absurdity of trying to simultaneously live life and knows it's meaning. All you know about your life is that it's a story, and that your actions determine it's outcome. Focus on your own values, logic or lack of logic, loves and hates, purpose and dreams abnd leave paradoxes and philosphy behind.in four words? Tempus Fugit - Carpe Dium! (time flies - seize the day!)

2007-03-19 13:53:40 · answer #4 · answered by Hmmbox 3 · 0 0

it is not an opinion,
but if people can make things to show a pewrson can use,

then everyone forgets that and understands that one day all will meet all and learn everything that there is,

see if you have too many friends ,, then you could spend your time making each one of them something, without enjoying their company,

and all people do is draw a map, about how many reaesons
people can use something, and why it comes from the same place as why people are worth more than the objects they think about all day everyday,


but i am the op[posite

2007-03-19 13:55:59 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

The meaning of Life is that there is NO meaning of life.

2007-03-19 16:18:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

To come to the understanding that each individual is both wholly separate from, and wholly connected to, all other individuals.

This is learned through the experiences of many lifetimes.

2007-03-19 14:00:06 · answer #7 · answered by Sweetchild Danielle 7 · 0 0

it's to live for God and not your-selfish-self.
Read God's Word [The Holy Bible]
also a great book would be
"Purpose Driven Life"

2007-03-19 13:35:10 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0 1

Maybe it has something to do with a cry in the wilderness.

2007-03-19 15:12:33 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

The meaning of LIFE: you... have not died yet.

2007-03-19 21:10:14 · answer #10 · answered by tony n 2 · 0 0

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