How much would you give away to know the meaning of life?

Question

What's it worth to you, in terms of

1. Time
2. Money
3. Emotional and physical effort

?

Answer 1

Many people will tell you that they would not give anything away to find out the meaning of life. I believe that if people were actually confronted with this situation in reality though that they probably would give away as much as possible to know it. It's one thing to speculate in a philosophical and abstract sense about this choice and it's another thing to actually have the opportunity to know the meaning.

I would give away some money since money isn't too important and some degree of time and emotional/physical effort. I wouldn't hurt myself or others to know, but I would want to know.

Answer 2

nothing, because I already know it.

Let me ask you: what is the meaning of rocks?

If you are a little puzzled, don't worry. I am just trying to make a point here. This point is that absolutely nothing has an inherent meaning.

Meaning is a concept that humans create. Thus, there can never be a one-size-fits-all answer to the question about the meaning of life. A religious person may tell you that the meaning of life is to serve God et cetera, yet this answer would be based on the assumed premise that there is a God, and that this God actually wants us to serve her/him and a variety of other prior claims. So it becomes clear that the answers you will get will always be based on peoples' prior experiences and perceptions. So it is a subjective thing.

Let's look at it it terms of semantics (a branch of linguistics):
Any word is really just a mix of sounds. None of these sounds have an inherent meaning. The meaning of the sounds or letter combination 'pen' is created through a matrix of agreed meaning in the English language (though there is variation in that, too). Think about what you pictured when you read the word 'pen'. Was it a ball-point pen, a pencil or a texta? All of these are pens, yet how do you know which of these is meant by the word? Of course, all of them are meant, but not because the sound necessarily represents them, nor because of any other magical inherent meaning. It is only because all English-speakers (to some extent) agree that these three letters mean 'something you can write/draw (etc) with'. But at the same time, I could take a rock and draw something onto wood by scratching into the surface. Does that make it a pen? You may decide that for yourself.

It is essentially the same with the meaning of other (bigger) concepts. I believe this is the essence of sayings like "life is what you make of it" and so on. 'Your' meaning of life is created through the matrix of your prior experiences and beliefs. A rock is just a rock until you interpret it (according to your ideas) and use it for something to make it meaningful. It is the same with everything else, from simple objects through to complex concepts.

So the meaning of life is to give your life meaning...

Answer 3

Agree with above. If I could know the meaning of life, even though I think I might be very disappointed with the answer...just because it's quite an interesting and appealing offer. I'd say...some time, money, and/or effort, but not so much (e.g. 1 year) that the gain I get from knowing the actual meaning of life (which is not much) is outweighed.

Answer 4

You cannot know the meaning of life because you are a human being. You would have to be able to understand it all to understand the meaning of it. So, you don't need to worry about how much you would be willing to give away. You wouldn't be able to understand the answer anyway.

Answer 5

Nothing, not a thing. Such knowledge would be meaningless and would not increase the value or pleasure of my life at all; because if someone had to tell me, all the person could tell me would be their decision about the meaning of life, not mine.

Answer 6

I would give away nothing. I am not interested in knowing the meaning of life. Just managing it to my satisfaction.

Answer 7

I gave away nothing to know the meaning of life.

Answer 8

I'm not sure there is much meaning to it. However, if by chance there is, I think we're here (on this planet, not at Yahoo!Answers) to figure it out. What fun would it be to know it all?

Answer 9

The Monks, Mystics and Yogis have been doing that very thing for thousands of years.

That kind of ultimate meaning and the knowledge comes to those who open up to the inner light of life. (Holy Spirit in religious terms)

This resource explains it very nicely.

Answer 10

i wouldn't
the meaning of life is learnt as you get older
and when u die there will be no fun finding out
:)