What is the meaning of life?

Answer 1

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 2

42

Answer 3

We have inside of us this great need to have a meaning for our lives. No doubt of that at all. Where did this great need come from? If we are created beings, then that great need came from our Creator. If we are products of evolution, then that great need came from a mindless process eons ago.

If we decide there is no God, then it is evolution and we have the need but no way to satisfy the need for we know through our intellect that there is no meaning. (see reference to Bertrand Russell below).

The utter hopelessness of evolution forcing us to search for something that isn't there ought to drive us to the blackest of despair. In fact, the very thought ought to drive us to seek our Creator even if we don't have any direct evidence that He even exists.

But if you are going to deny your Creator, then I suggest doing what the answer above suggests, i.e. fill your life with activity so that you can avoid thinking about the subject of meaning.

BTW, I'm one of those religious folks but I don't let the church think for me.

Answer 4

meaning means that unless there is some sort of significance then its not worthy. Therefore your question shows that unless life is worthy then what is the point of living, the point is to not ask questions and live to gain experience, and experience builds knowledge.

Answer 5

Definately 42.

Now we just have to figure out what the correct question is.

Answer 6

Life is the opposite of death, therefore do something worthwhile to stop death.

Answer 7

To enjoy it.