Life is a very complicated thing. For something so complicated their cannot be just one answer. I agree with e fn w : there could be a million reasons for life.
I believe that the purpose of life can vary from each individual; for a teacher, it would be to help youths by gaining a substantial amount of knowledge and to pass that knowledge on knowing that you have helped a young life. Like what Miser 67 said –finding something in life that you truly love, dedicating you life to it – I like it – but not in an obsessive way – moderation I think is another quality in life humans should seek out.
I think in general, what could be strived for amongst most human beings is: acceptance, tolerance, safety and happiness/contentment.
Maybe the meaning of life is to be prepared for the afterlife, or as others have suggested, glorifying god or just simply continuity – to keep living. This all depends on the individual. If a person dies happy and feels fulfilled, I believe they have found all of the above qualities that can be found in life, and therefore, although the absolute meaning of this is unclear, know that they have ‘lived life to the fullest’
However, it is not easy to gain acceptance, tolerance, safety and happiness/contentment – acceptance in a world full of judgment, tolerance in a life full of impatience, safety were nothing is certain and happiness and contentment in a world of sorrow and inequality. Could you really, as some one put it, smile in the face of adversity?
Maybe these hostile environments we are surrounded in are what are stopping us from fully seeing the meaning of this life. Because humans are too busy fighting wars, consumed in greed and hate and jealousy it is blinding us from working together and to stamp out all of the wrongdoings and injustices in the world -
Maybe the meaning of life is a test from the big guy in the sky – to see how long we can overcome these differences and stand in unity / union and achieve peace.
Life is a beautiful thing to have been given even if we don’t understand it and it seems to me that we our ruining the experiences by constantly fighting and belittling people for various reasons : power, greed, selfishness, pride, Narcissism ect.
Because of all the hurt these emotions and their consequent actions causes people, the pain and suffering, it is obvious that we are not living life ‘properly’ as a whole because we should be focusing on increasing the positive aspects on life and decreasing the negatives.
We are not experiencing life to the fullest extent in that we should be.
Or maybe, as some people could argue, that feeling loss, pain, sorrow, hunger…these are all ways to truly experience life, living it the fullest extent: you cannot of fully experienced life if you have not felt all the sensations that it has to offer. I ask is it fair that some people experience the negatives and others do not?
Living life to the full…? – Maybe this is the bigger picture? Maybe we can achieve everything we strive for by really living life, feeling every breath, tasting every morsel or food or appreciating the smell or the smile on your loved ones face, and doing everything to the best of our ability, that will eventually result in us really experiencing life and be at peace with ourselves : acceptance, tolerance, safety and happiness!
Jus my opinion anyways. ;)
2007-08-03 23:54:53
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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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.
2007-08-03 16:26:58
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answer #2
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answered by Its not me Its u 7
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There is only one answer, I don't know why this question is sooo hard. Our purpose in life is to do what we were created to do.
Our purpose is to glorify God. In this alone will you find true happiness.
People say that the meaning in life is to be happy, yet nothing of this world will make you happy.
Does money make you happy? Are rich celebrities happy? NO! They die of drug overdoses and have lives much more screwed up then our own.
Does knowledge make you happy? You will never be able to know everything, so your purpose will never be complete and thus you will not be happy. Your only chance is for you to act on your knowledge.
Will religion make you happy? True Christians have an inner peace that the Holy Spirit provides, which is the only way truly happiness exists. Some other religions boast of happiness, but the God shaped hole still exists inside of them.
So in effect, it circles around. You will only find true happiness when you fulfill your purpose in life, which is to glorify God will your entire life. Any other fleeting pleasures are just that, temporary illusions of mindless pleasure.
2007-08-03 14:25:39
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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I have no authority to speculate on the Absolute Truth but I will give you the authorized answer from the ancient Vedic Wisdom coming from God. We are eternal spirit souls, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul, also known as Krishna, Allah, Jehovah,Vishnu,etc. Though eternally we are one we are also different. (Unity in diversity and Diversity in Unity) We never die, only these mortal bodies die. This world is called Maya (illusion) which is The creators material energy. It is her job to keep the souls in the illusion that they desire. When they are tired of suffering in this material world and they take up the process of Self realization (Bhakti yoga) they then at the end of life will return to the eternal Spiritual Kingdom where we all enjoy eternal, blissful, loving relationships. The energy always comes from the energetic. (God is not impersonal) The light energy that emanates from His eternal Spiritual Body is called Brahman or Nirvana. It is not the goal of life to merge into that. That is a temporary situation for those rascals who don't want to serve Him. The Goal is to Serve The Supreme Person named above. for info read Bhagavad Gita as it is By Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada asitis.com Tells all I love this process. I know where I am headed.
2007-08-03 14:27:36
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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It's the limit. The limit allows us to feel a need to rush things, to hurry up and finish our goals. because we want to have a meaning before we die. Don't want to die without anything done. Do you think you're going to die happy knowing you have done nothing special in your life?
Or would you be happier knowing you're done something special. If you're going to say being born and given a life by god is already special. Yes, it is special to be given a life. But do you know how many people wish to have a long life like yours too. Those many children, they die at early age. They aren't as special as you are, getting a chance to live longer, live fuller. If you're not going to cherish that, then what a waste. There's other people who wish to have it.
In this point of view, living it until it's time to end it, that's what i'm going for.
--Cherryie
It's like a book. Can you read only the beginning and the ending and skip the middle. I rather not. It one, ruins the story. Two, there's no climax, just a The end and Once upon a time.
Just live it as one chance. ãWe're only given one lifetime to feel it. Just take it as a chance to do something special. Not everyone gets such a long life to even get to ask Whats the Meaning of Life. Not everyone is as happy as you are, living under a roof, having a computer, a way of communication.
How do we get it? We work for it. Without the meaning of life, we don't have to work, we get nothing. we live on the soil, we have no heating, no ac. We live for the meaning. We're waiting for the answer.
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To me, I live so that i can feel how it is to be sad, to lose the most important thing to me, to be loved, to feel all those emotions. And then, to die, in a honorable, worthing way. Also to die only because either it's worth it or either because my life is just plainly over instead of suicide or accidents.
--Cherryie
2007-08-03 14:39:41
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answer #5
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answered by Xiao 3
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I just turned 42 and still have no idea. I have no idea what my purpose is for being here, for doing what I do etc. My career choice has made it possible for me to see death and dying, the worst in people. It has also made it possible for me to help those in dire need and to maintain law & order. There was a catastrophic event that I witnessed and participated in back in 1994. At that time everyone told me it was a message for me take action. Still trying to figure that one out.
2007-08-03 21:02:22
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answer #6
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answered by D squared 6
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Living, I don't think its worth being alive and taking up space if I'm not actually living. By living I mean actually doing things feeling things not just roboticly going through the functions of work and family and what not. Have you seen Tuck Everlasting ? The father in that movie gets it Right in my opinion. Its not worth it to just exist if your not actually living. Does that make any sense to any one other then me ?
2007-08-03 14:52:08
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answer #7
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answered by ~*~AmethystMoonBeams~*~ 5
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I know it sounds goofy but I'm being serious: the meaning of life to me is in finding meaning in life. It's kinda like one of those zen things where the journey itself is the destination, I guess.
2007-08-03 14:24:47
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answer #8
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answered by Acorn 7
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Well I believe there is no meaning. Everything is meaningless.
So either create a meaning for yourself personally. Or just live completely conscious of everythings futility.
2007-08-03 14:53:36
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answer #9
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answered by Clint 4
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For me, the meaning of life has always been to strive to remain happy in the face of all adversity.
2007-08-03 14:45:05
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answer #10
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answered by cradle2resurrection 3
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