Seriously - what is the meaning of it all (life)?

I can only provide a few quotations that impressed me so much with their truth and beauty that I have kept them on a list to provide a resource when my own spirit was lagging.


“He who has so little knowledge of human nature as to seek happiness by changing anything but his own disposition will waste his life in fruitless efforts."

(Samuel Johnson)


“If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.”

(Rene Descartes)


“Say not, ‘I have found the truth,’ but rather, ‘I have found a truth.’
Say not, ‘I have found the path of the soul.’ Say rather, ‘I have met the soul walking upon my path.’
For the soul walks upon all paths.”

(Kahlil Gibran)


“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

(Albert Einstein)


“It seems to me that the strangeness and wonder of existence are emphasized here, in the desert, by the comparative sparsity of flora and fauna: life not crowded upon life as in other places but scattered abroad in spareness and simplicity, with a generous gift of space for each herb and bush and tree, each stem of grass, so that the living organism stands out bold and brave and vivid against the lifeless sand and barren rock. The extreme clarity of the desert light is equaled by the extreme individuation of desert life forms. Love flowers best in openness and freedom.”

(Edward Abbey – Desert Solitaire)


“A man may conduct himself well in adversity and good fortune, but if you want to test his character give him power.”

(Abraham Lincoln)


"What's it all about?" I don't think any of us can really provide a complete and definitive explanation. But I think each of the thinkers cited above were perceptive enough to have caught a glimpse of "The Truth".
 
powernoodle said:
For me, answering questions like this begins by addressing the question of where the universe came from.

Every theory regarding the origin of the universe falls into one of these categories:

1 - it existed forever
2 - it never existed
3 - it was created without a Creator
4 - it was created by a Creator

As best I can discern, there is no scientific or philosophical support for 1 or 2.

The question for me is then whether it is more plausible that the universe created itself from nothing without a cause, or whether it was created by an uncaused first cause (what we call God). That is to say, is plausible that once upon a time there was no time, space, matter or energy (the stuff that makes up the universe) and that the entire universe sprang into existence from that nothingness without a cause.

In an age of relative scientific enlightenment, for me :) it strains credulity to the breaking point to assert that nothing caused something, i.e., that the universe sprang into existence by itself. It would be as if I asked, "where did that basketball come from?", and someone answered that it created itself.

If I ask somewhere where universe came from, they might say the big bang. I then ask what caused the big bang, and maybe they say a singularity - an infinitely small point of space-time. I then ask what caused the singularity, and eventually it becomes clear that this line of thought leads to an infinite regression of finite causes. The real question is what started it.

Contemporary culture would opine that nothing started it. That it just started by itself.

Since we recognize that every effect must have a cause equal to or greater than itself, I cannot accept the common notion that the universe created itself out of nothingness. When I look at plausibilities, I am inexorably led to the conclusion that there must be an uncaused first cause - God.

This is not based on mere faith in the inerrancy of the Bible, which I have, but on reason and evidence. Much more could be said, but I won't.

Having concluded that God must exist, the next question for me is "who" is that God and what is the nature of God. By asking "who", I am attributing human characteristics to God, but that is how we mere humans have to handle these questions. Without writing a thesis on the subject, I believe it can be demonstrated that God is real, that the Bible is divinely inspired and contains literal truth about Him, and that Jesus has the credentials to support his claim of being God incarnate.

Developing a relationship with God helps to answer the question set out in the original post. It gives us hope - not in blind faith - but faith in evidence. And, for me, it would be a frightening prospect to contemplate the claim that mere randomness created us and that we are a mere compilation of atoms. I do not believe, though, that we assembled ourselves from nothingness without a cause, but understand that angst of those who believe that we did. It would be a truly frightening prospect for me to believe that our Creator did not have his hand on our lives.
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I preface this saying that I come from a spiritual agnostic perspective.

I agree with nearly all of your points. I personally veer off when it comes to the point of theology. I find that the existence or absence of God can be no more proven than the big bang theory. After all, if God has always existed and God created all of existence, why could all of existence simply have always existed? I say this NOT to start an argument or debate, but simply to state my personal beliefs.

I ultimately feel that whether a God/Gods exist is ultimately an irrelevant point when it comes to how we choose to live our lives. We should not be good people either out of a desire to please some unearthly creator, nor out of fear of his/her/its wrath, but simply for goodness' own sake.

The meaning of life in and of itself is simple--to create more life. For all we know we could be nothing more than a temporary glitch in the system--after all what is it that life does in the universal sense of things? The universe loves order, and while life is built out of order it creates chaos by its very nature. This is not something to be feared, but to be accepted.

The lighthearted side to all of this is that by virtue of the simplistic and ultimately meaningless nature of life itself, we are able instead to assign our own meaning to our lives. That is the magic.

The greatest thing about the world we live in is that it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to come to understand the Truth of existence. We are but a single cog in an infinite machine and cannot comprehend it precisely because we are a part of it. We are given only the smallest slice of a view from the inside rather than the comprehensive inside-and-out view that would be needed to gain true understanding. That is NOT to say that we shouldn't try damn hard anyway. ;)

Just my thoughts. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion--and I know you all have them! :)
 
stabman said:
In my view, there is NO meaning at all to life, other than remaining not dead. None.
While some may find this depressing(I sure used to), I now find it nicely liberating. It allows me to create my own meaning for life.:)
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Yeesh, that statement reminds me I need to get to the barber for a shave..:D


WalterDavis said:
Ask your kids;):thumbup:
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Yep, I think you're on to something.


Seriously - what is the meaning of it all (life)?
Rather than try to relate it to yourself relate what your life "means" to others...


...and congratulations on making it to "middle-aged"!
 
Life is about living for God and others (your fellow man).

(less than my 2 cents worth;))
 
Ken C. said:
This thread should not have been started in this forum. W&SS is about just that...wilderness and survival skills. W&SS skills is not a catch-all forum to post whatever you wish. This topic is more suited for Community. It has absolutely nothing to do with the wilderness or survival skills.
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I posted it there, Ken, because I trust W&SS people and many of them are my buds. They are my people.

No harm intended bro. ;)

TF
 
I understand that they're your people but your people can find their way to this forum just as easily as they do W&SS. Allowing Off Topic threads in W&SS is something I will have to address with that forums mods.
 
baldtaco-II said:
"You have to think of yourself as your own planet. That's the most important part. You have to realize that your life is entirely separated from everybody elses. Comparing yourself to others is entirely pointless.

Your life will only happen once, no matter what you believe in. It's going to end some day. Even if you believe in the "after life": this life will still only happen once.

You've got two choices: enjoying yourself or not.

One ticket, one ride. Doesn't matter what you do. The only thing that matters, the only possible point to life, is to enjoy yourself.

Then you have to ask yourself, what is it that you enjoy? Then you do it. Life is way too short, no matter how long it is, for you to do things you don't like."
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What's this from? I googled it and came up with a comment on Reddit, is that it?
 
TyMathews said:
42

-Tye
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My first thought... :thumbup:

Sometimes you need to step back, and enjoy. Be glad you can stub your toe, have itchy skin, help someone else by advice, hug, or tough love. There are many who can no longer do any of that.

Turn some of your sights to others. Helping another, no matter how trivial to you, can be very rewarding. Don't expect a big rush of warm fuzzy, just stash away the fact that you may have unknowingly made that persons day.

Life is very short. Enjoy as much of what it has to offer as you can.

Almost have to adopt the Yoda-like approach...seek not and find...

Let it happen... If you go looking, it can change circumstances/factors, so the result is not what it might have been....
 
A good question. But I dunno the answer. However the answer must be awesome.

When I consider all the good things in the universe: the care showed by one creature for another, the abundance, the variety and the beauty.... I'm inclined to think that there is something good behind it all. I just can't accept that a butterfly, my children or my wife evolved from the primordial ooze.

I was raised in a religion, but I don't participate in many rituals nowadays. Maybe I don't properly understand the concepts, but I just cant accept the line that God made us capable of sinning, then condemned us as sinners when we did sin, then came to die on the cross for us as a form of atonement (or sent his son to die for us as a form of atonement). This is just inconceivable for me if God is the infinitely intelligent being that he is meant to be. And as for watching my every move in judgement..... dang.... what about the other six billion people in the world? What about His/Her other tasks in this infinite universe? I know folks might pray for me as a hopeless heretic for saying this, but I'm inclined to think that organised religion may very well be all about control of the masses..... or maybe it stems from a desire for the exoneration of the founders' beliefs..... or maybe just to get conformity.

There are many wonderful things that are associated with religions, and many wonderful people subscribe to the various systems. But currently that is not for me. And I certainly don't want to argue.

Here is a list of points that help to show where I'm currently at:

1. I feel free to think for myself. I question authority (just quietly, mostly). I don't subscribe to any organised 'system'.

2. I think that Love may be the ultimate power.

3. I believe that we experience what is thought about and believed. So it is important to watch our thinking.

4. I think that if we feel drawn to something, or if we enjoy doing it.... then that is a hint from the universe that is the thing we should be doing more of. But I hasten to add that if what we feel drawn to could be harmful to ourselves, others or the environment, then maybe we are fooling ourselves a bit. Writers nowadays have said "follow your bliss". Good advice for a satisfying life.

5. Listen to intuition and act on it. Look at what happens to you and ask why. Look at what happens to others and ask why. I think that there is hugely more to life than we might believe. And listen to your own thoughts and intuition when you are presented with 'the facts' by someone else. Trust your intuition.

6. "Conscious worth satisfies the hungry heart and nothing else can". I believe that something like this was written by Mary Baker Eddy and I agree with her. My Grandma said if you are feeling down (not that the original poster is) then go do something good for someone else. Good advice. If you truly feel useful in your profession/job then you are much more likely to enjoy your work.

7. I love playing around in the outdoors (especially using a decent cutting tool).

Best wishes.... Coote.
 
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My life became meaningful when I found my "calling". I believe what I am doing now is what I was made for. I realize how easily i could have missed it.
For the last 30 years I have made a living working with my hands as a sculptor. The satisfaction I get from this can not compare to the fulfillment I get from being a husband, father and grandfather.
Twenty one years ago when our first two daughters were 6 and 8 years old a pregnant teenager came to live with us. She came to us from a remote Indian village. She had been abused her whole life and has fetal alcohol syndrome. She was sent to town to get an abortion. After my grandson was born they lived with us for ten years. My wife taught her how to be a mother and work for living. My grandson is now 20 and sifter attending college for one semester has just joind the Marines. He is one of the finest young men I have met
Over 15 years ago we became foster parents and are now working on our sixth adoption.
My wife Vickie has become a expert at putting the lives of abused children back together.
Our two biological daughters each have six children, ten boys and two girls.
Life is not easy but it is sure good. As others have said I think the secret is finding something bigger than yourself.
Chuck
 
It's always hard to do in the city but every time I get out to the sticks I look up at the massive cloud of stars that is the milky way and realise I am staring up at the expanse of our galaxy stretched before us.

Nothing on earth has the same effect on me. I feel both immensely tiny but also connected to something truly awesome. There are places and ideas yet to explore and experience. There are things we may struggle to understand and others we simply cannot comprehend. For an atheist this is the closest I get to a spiritual moment.

I think, at this point in my life, this is the most meaning I can get out of what is a chaotic and stressful life.
 
SMILE.jpg
 
Tal, I've always suspected you were a little off....now you've erased all doubt.
 
Truths are found by looking unflinchingly into the great reality around us. And remembering that we Humans are complete noobs to the entire immensity of the universe. It doesn't need us like we need it.

Andy
 
I always liked Alfred E. Neumann's succinct philosophy...."What, me worry?f"

As an atheist/rationalist, I have no notion of some cosmically-designated purpose or plan for life.
At the lowest level, one should live in a manner that is pleasing to you, while annoying as few other people as necessary...
On a higher level, there is a sense of responsibility attached to having developed rational brains.
We have some sense of duty to our fellow man and responsibility for the preservation of the human race.
Essentially, I'm a humanist insofar as life-philosophy. Of course, as a rather seen-it-all old copper, I am also painfully aware of human failings and have little confidence that humanism will catch on anytime soon!
 
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