or which/whose theory you believe might be closest to correct

it can be as simple or as detailed as you want

and you can discuss any aspect of it you like

you can troll in this thread, or you can be serious; it doesn't really matter (or does it??)

I feel like I or someone else already did this thread, but I can't find it (i.e. I did not make an effort to find it)

I'm just looking for some insight, and hopefully some non-cliché (or cliché, whatever) answers

I'd put this in the lounge, but I doubt I'd get any respect there anyway so I put it here

3/16/2011 3:57:30 AM

http://www.busty.pl is the meaning of life

3/16/2011 4:04:42 AM

is it? it looks a little lame at first glance

3/16/2011 4:09:11 AM

enjoy yourself without hindering anyone else

pretty simple

3/16/2011 4:11:35 AM

that seems like a pretty solid mantra, bro

3/16/2011 4:12:09 AM

but what if you like

need to hinder someone

like for instance

we probably should have hindered Hitler

or something.

3/16/2011 4:15:53 AM

we are just sperm and eggs with intelligence tacked on. our minds are really just a result of atoms colliding in a successful way, in that this ultimately proved to be successful for our procreation (so far). the majority of our thoughts, when stripped down, are designed for our own survival (and survival of the species as a whole).

for men: spray and pray

for women: think like an egg, get penetrated (mentally/physically/emotionally)

3/16/2011 5:00:03 AM

go read a book

3/16/2011 9:35:01 AM

A better question is:

What is the meaning of any other animal's life?

Answer:
Live long enough to reproduce, raise young, and continue to spread dat dna.

3/16/2011 10:09:02 AM

its hard to justify that.... al ot of people hae no desire to have kids....which brings us to tree twistas mantra

3/16/2011 10:19:12 AM

are you calling out cody?

3/16/2011 10:25:15 AM

People can give themselves a meaning to their own life; but, they exist because of their parents innate desire to continue the species.

3/16/2011 10:29:21 AM

lol, nahhhhh.

we both have baby fever

it's seems pretty haphazard to apply what you think the meaning of life to humankind as a whole.
there seems to be too much intricacies (totally had to look up that spelling) in that.

im not saying mr chill did that !!

and i think im reading too much into it, this thread is about what is YOUR meaning of life.

Quote :

"they exist because of their parents innate desire to continue the species."

but why do they exist, not the reason they exist, but their motive for even living?? they obviously do not care to perpetuate the species...

[Edited on March 16, 2011 at 10:33 AM. Reason : just curious..]

3/16/2011 10:32:36 AM

to live your life according to the guidelines set in a 2,000 year old book that was written as a medium for a bearded man who lives in the sky and occasionally grants us wishes

also,

3/16/2011 10:33:46 AM

actually this made me think of another question....



does anyone know if there are other species that willingly choose not to reproduce?
(i guess it would be hard to figure out if they do it willingly )

3/16/2011 10:37:22 AM

love that damn dino

3/16/2011 10:38:50 AM

pandas don't seem to be big on fucking (at least not in captivity, fuckin prudes)

3/16/2011 10:40:22 AM

Joie,

We don't 'need' a motive for living anymore than any other living organism.

We are hardwired to strive to live and hardwired to want to reproduce.

Your pursuit to give meaning isn't searching for a reason not to commit suicide.

[Edited on March 16, 2011 at 11:09 AM. Reason : f]

3/16/2011 11:04:40 AM

3/16/2011 11:55:42 AM

i came in here for:

3/16/2011 11:56:58 AM

I think our brains are the key to everything... I mean i really think we have the ability to manifest events just by concentration.

so i guess i'm Buddhist ?

3/16/2011 12:02:48 PM

We get to define our own meaning, which is neat. Some people select the prepackaged options, some don't.

The meaning of life to me is advancement of knowledge and understanding, not only of self, but of the world at large.

3/16/2011 12:02:48 PM

what is this 10th grade?

i'm astraladvent and i approved this message

3/16/2011 12:06:32 PM

BB asked a srs question I gave a srs answer

3/16/2011 12:15:06 PM

I saw this sign in an old folks home the other day.

Quote :

" The purpose of life is to have purpose in life."

I thought it was kinda neat.

3/16/2011 12:34:34 PM

I agree with mcdanger...

It is what you make it...

3/16/2011 12:37:13 PM

Yeah of course, and that's obvious

But I'm pretty sure all of us grew up listening to people tell us about how the meaning of life is to praise god or some hilarious bullshit like that

3/16/2011 12:39:33 PM

After intense study, secular education and a lot of introspective reflection I have come to finally accept that "divine" literature produced by fellow humans does not constitute divine authority, nor verify the existence of any such authority. Thus we are presented with many famous human works supposedly written to answer all of life's inquiries, explain the past, predict the future and rectify the present. As humans, we are gullible to the notion of divinity, due to in part our own personal fear of death and the unknown. Once we accept that we can not prevent death or the final eventuality after death, we are faced with acceptance and reconciliation. We must move forward making our life positive and achieving goals. A legacy is a noble thing to strive for along with loving memories and a good reputation. I believe that all holy books make that assertion as well.

3/16/2011 12:59:27 PM

Quote :

"I agree with mcdanger... It is what you make it..."

LIFE'S WHAT YOU MAKE IT SO LET'S MAKE IT ROCK!!!!


lol well I'll go through the responses more in-depth later

I'm too lazy to be serious right now

apparently that only happens at night

3/16/2011 1:12:22 PM

1. You will receive a body. You may love it or hate it, but it will be yours for the duration of your life time on Earth.

2. You will learn lessons.… You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called “life.” Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error: experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately “works.”

4. A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6. “THERE” is no better than “HERE.” When your “there” has become a “here,” you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”

7. Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. Each reflection is an opportunity for growth.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie inside of you. The answers to Life’s questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen and trust.

10. You will forget all of this at birth! You can remember it whenever you want.



~Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott

3/16/2011 6:50:16 PM

I think I would have preferred for this to be a nastoute thread, but we'll have to make do.

3/16/2011 7:20:57 PM

somebody on the radio the other day said life was Plan B

like, you plan on doing stuff, and it doesn't go according to plan, so life is how you deal with it

i dunno

3/16/2011 7:23:34 PM

Quote :

"does anyone know if there are other species that willingly choose not to reproduce? (i guess it would be hard to figure out if they do it willingly )"

Dolphins are the only other mammal that have sex for pleasure. I guess that counts....

3/16/2011 7:26:44 PM

Infinity and Transience are the only things I feel sure of

[Edited on March 16, 2011 at 7:41 PM. Reason : ...]

3/16/2011 7:29:58 PM

Quote :

"7. Others are only mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. Each reflection is an opportunity for growth."

While I agree in theory with all the other things that person said, I really, really like this one for some reason.

3/17/2011 1:37:01 AM

fuck it, I just live

3/17/2011 1:38:34 AM

apparently I feel too crappy to discuss the meaning of life

I'll try to make some more music or something

3/17/2011 1:39:45 AM

creating is the meaning of life!

you got it!

3/17/2011 1:46:32 AM

well that's what I thought too

but then, is there a point to creating

since we're all gonna die, what's the use

future generations will die

eventually Earth's resources will be depleted



but yay I figured it out

3/17/2011 1:55:52 AM

My dad signs every card he gives me (birthdays, christmas, graduation, etc) with the same thing:

"Strive"

I think a more pop-culture way to put it would be "The dude abides," but you get the idea. I try to run with it, anyway.

If that isn't right, my backup is, "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women. "

3/17/2011 1:58:20 AM

it's amazing how your mood can affect your ability to think coherently

I found myself wondering about this lastnight, and tonight I'm just like bleeeh

3/17/2011 3:27:47 AM

I basically agree with what several others have said already. To the best of my knowledge there is no metaphysical meaning to life, but people can still often find fulfillment in their own ways.

3/17/2011 4:50:00 AM

Reply #42 says the answer is 42

3/17/2011 5:04:52 AM

Are we controlling the universe or is the universe controlling us?



Are we approaching the ultimate goal of controlling the universe the way WE want it OR is it the universe's goal to use US to control the universe?

3/17/2011 5:28:53 AM

jchill2,
you are not answering my question.
i'm asking what is your opinion on people who do not want to reproduce.
is their motive just, to live?
they don't have any bigger purpose going on in their heads?


i'm honestly curious about your answer, i am in no way saying its wrong. i'm telling you this because it looks like you got offended last time....i'm just asking questions and curious about your opinion, because we do not have the same one. this does not mean that im gonna try to prove you wrong, this does not mean i am right.
there.


and also: i like this

Quote :

"We get to define our own meaning, which is neat. Some people select the prepackaged options, some don't."

3/17/2011 5:39:38 AM

Joie,

I wasn't offended. It is a hard question to answer and not just because of how open your question is.

1. Reason, purpose, and meaning of life should not be used interchangeably.
The reason for a human's life is that his or her parents had sex and that he or she was raised by the parents or the community.
The purpose of one's life is to continue that tradition -- to which all current forms of life adhere with the exception of young that are self-sufficient.
There is no deeper or higher meaning to life. Humans are not different than any other form of life in this respect. This is obscured because...

2. Higher intelligence affords certain animals the ability to do more than survive and reproduce.
We have evolved, adapted, and changed our environment such that we no longer struggle to survive and reproduce; however, that does not mean...

3. The objective worth of people's lives who cannot or chose not to reproduce is not zero.
His or her life is no more meaningful or meaningless than any other form of life.

I do not believe that peoples opinions and feelings on their own reproduction are invariant over their lives. If they, for whatever reason, do not try to reproduce over the entirety of their lifetime, then they do not fulfill their innate purpose.

3/17/2011 10:25:51 AM

oh ok. i dont want you to think im raggin on you




cool, i like that train of thought.

3/17/2011 10:32:10 AM