What is the meaning of life?

Question

Why are we alive? What is our purpose?

Answer 1

Well, we're either alive because God created us or, if God doesn't exist, because of natural processes, e.g. evolution, biology.

If it is only natural processes, then there cannot be any purpose of our existence. Natural processes cannot give purpose because the word "purpose" implies an intelligence and a plan.

Without purpose, there cannot be any meaning. Love is not a meaning, living, procreating, doing the best you can do, living life to the fullest,etc. None are meanings. They are simply things to do that will occupy our time and divert our thoughts until we can die.

If we assume a God, then it seems rational to me to seek God instead of directly seeking purpose.

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

I'll try to be serious for you because I think you seriously want to know Dude. I believe we are here to BECOME.....

The Greatest Version of The Grandest Vision We Ever Had About Ourselves and Live that by showing Through Our Example which is simply choosing Love as the Highest Thought Action and Deed Every Time.

Hope that Helps. I could go on....but no one really cares

Answer 4

The purpose of life is to know the answer to the question you asked.

Answer 5

"The Joy of Life"

This is the true joy of life. The being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. The being a force of nature instead of a feverish and selfish clod of ailments and grieving senses complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and that as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work, the more I live.
I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got to hold up for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

- George Bernard Shaw.

Answer 6

Meaning is a subjective quality you yourself need to assign to subjects such as life etc. You will never be wrong, except to yourself, in retrospect after you change your mind and find a newer, more important meaning.

If you are looking for an absolute, "meaning" is the wrong word.

"Consequence" is your new best friend and will keep you running for a while...

Answer 7

Do you really think anyone has the definitive answer to that question? You just have to struggle through like the rest of us do. Find your own meanings and inspirations. But I think doing good, brings about good.

Answer 8

Well the answer to those questions are easy......but they must be answered in reverse........interesting

Q: what is our purpose?
A: so that we can be cleaned of all the junk before we are born sorry i meant to say die ........Giggle (you wouldnt understand it the other way)

Q: why are we alive
A: so that you can live out your sentence in the flesh

Q: What is the Meaning
A: to one day forget

Answer 9

Ideally only one meaning to do something for human kind so that for the many years people remember you. But how many people are doing so? First of all we have to leave selfishness and be ready for sacrificing.

Answer 10

A movie by Monty Python