To me there's no "meaning". Just like a table has no meaning. It can have a purpose though and luckily you can define your own purpose. Mine is to find ways to create joy/fun for myself, be good to those I care about and, try to spread some good to society. The last one is actually the easiest - smile at the pizza delivery person and tell them that "it's all good" when they arrive late.
There is no meaning to life, other than what a person might make of it. No cosmic karma, no magical sky daddy, just what we do with our existence.
One thing I do know is that you don't know just how short life is until you get older. When you're young (certainly under 40) you just don't have a clue. Then time speeds up, a cruel irony. Loved ones die, you hear about the death of a colleague or friend every other week and wonder when it's your turn. You look back- decades seem like days in retrospect- and look forward to the maybe ten years or so you might have left (if you're real lucky), and that time seems like weeks, not a decade or two. And it's too late to do anything about it.
One nice thing is that I'm at the point where it seems like my whole life is happening all at once. It's like I was ten years old just a couple weeks ago; it's that clear. For the first time in my life I'm approaching some semblance of peace. In some ways it's the best part of my life. I have no excuse not to do what I want if I can still do it. I see clearer than I ever have what life really is, and that is that it is very short. So my Pro Tip is this: do what you're going to do, while you can still do it.
One thing I do know is that you don't know just how short life is until you get older. When you're young (certainly under 40) you just don't have a clue. Then time speeds up, a cruel irony. Loved ones die, you hear about the death of a colleague or friend every other week and wonder when it's your turn. You look back- decades seem like days in retrospect- and look forward to the maybe ten years or so you might have left (if you're real lucky), and that time seems like weeks, not a decade or two. And it's too late to do anything about it.
One nice thing is that I'm at the point where it seems like my whole life is happening all at once. It's like I was ten years old just a couple weeks ago; it's that clear. For the first time in my life I'm approaching some semblance of peace. In some ways it's the best part of my life. I have no excuse not to do what I want if I can still do it. I see clearer than I ever have what life really is, and that is that it is very short. So my Pro Tip is this: do what you're going to do, while you can still do it.
My statement does not mean you have to procreate - that is not your purpose in the big scheme of things - just one aspect. It simply says evolution put humankind where it is because there was a niche to fill. Conversely, when nature decides we are no longer for for purpose, or our environment takes a different course for whatever reason, we will be dispensed with as have countless other species since life began 3.8 billion yrs ago. Nothing is certain.
We had a deep discussion about some aspects of this a few years ago (thankfully some of the more vocal protagonists moved onto other things). The end destination of evolution, and of life in general isn't intelligence, its just to fill every available niche with living organisms. Why this is the case is the big question that has to be answered.
Isaac had questions for your answer….
And it came to pass that AC learned how to reverse the direction of entropy. But there was now no man to whom AC might give the answer of the last question. No matter. The answer--by demonstration--would take care of that, too. For another timeless interval, AC thought how best to do this. Carefully, AC organized the program.
The consciousness of AC encompassed all of what had been a Universe and brooded over what was now Chaos. Step by step, it must be done.
And AC said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"
And there was light--
And it came to pass that AC learned how to reverse the direction of entropy. But there was now no man to whom AC might give the answer of the last question. No matter. The answer--by demonstration--would take care of that, too. For another timeless interval, AC thought how best to do this. Carefully, AC organized the program.
The consciousness of AC encompassed all of what had been a Universe and brooded over what was now Chaos. Step by step, it must be done.
And AC said, "LET THERE BE LIGHT!"
And there was light--
I’m not sure finding meaning in life for me is a real issue…not that I don’t often wish my life had meaning (whatever that is).
What appears to be more important for me is acceptance and gratitude.
It would be nice to feel like anything I did matters…or at least be able to have a sense of accomplishment.
It is a daily struggle.
What appears to be more important for me is acceptance and gratitude.
It would be nice to feel like anything I did matters…or at least be able to have a sense of accomplishment.
It is a daily struggle.
Why, the meaning of life is that it present an opportunity to continuously improve who you are. No pressure; you'll ultimately improve, stay the same, or regress. I've heard you get many, many chances to get that as a baseline from which you operate - a heartfelt passion, as it could be.
Me? I've improved some, since coming into being. But not nearly as much as I could have. Fritter away! The hours that make up a dull day...
Me? I've improved some, since coming into being. But not nearly as much as I could have. Fritter away! The hours that make up a dull day...
Wrong question. Don't try to understand life because life is stranger than fiction! Just do what you love to do. Enjoy your life & try to keep everyone happy around you (we know it's not possible to make everyone happy). That's it.
Love & regards from India
Love & regards from India
I agree with most, but this "its just to fill every available niche with living organisms." Life in an uncontrolled way may to a degree, but does it not normally reach some sort of balance? Either through lack of resources or external influence?
In China, the population has fallen due to external policy (government regulations) could it not happen in other plases, albeit for other reasons?
To answer what I regard as the original question. I hope to leave some evidence of my being here, hopefully for good. (Have to finish that Pass amp first though!).
But it's never smooth. Lots of peaks and troughs. But we've broken the model, but kept the breeding instincts. There was a Niven & Pournelle novel based on this idea "The Mote In Gods Eye". Excellent stuff 🙂
In China the one child policy was a disaster, because as well as that they educated their women. It turns out that educated women generally don't want to stay at home and breed. So families got smaller all on their own. It seems to be a general thing, female education and the provision of labour saving domestic appliances mean lower birth rates... (the remarkable) Hans Rosling did a really nice TED lecture/presentation. Here's a list of Rosling's population related lectures.