what do you think is the meaning of life?

*Cracks Knuckles*

Alright.

First problem with this question that has oft been asked since man had language and the cognitive ability to pose such a question is the basic assumption of there being an answer. As humans we instinctively search for patterns and meaning because if we understand the pattern or find the reason behind events we may be able to exploit our understanding of those events for our benefit in some way.

Accepting the fact that there is no answer for this question is something that is incredibly difficult for the human brain. The idea of there being no answer unsettles us on a level we can't really explain. We have so much great understanding about the world. We have asked so many questions and always found an answer, even if it wasn't the one we thought or hoped we would find. Our brain is hardwired to say that if a question exists then an answer must also exist.

Let me give an example of a question that doesn't make sense.

Have you ever been in a relationship with another person and then seemingly out of the blue its all over? Suddenly this person is no longer a part of your life and you want to know the reason why? Did she cheat on me? Does she love me? Is there someone else? Was I good enough? These sorts of questions run through your head. You want to know what happened. You keep asking "why?". The thought that there might not be a real reason at all never occurs to you and yet it sometimes occurs that a relationship ends with one person quite literally having "Fucked if I know why i want t over" under the list of reason the relationship ended. Yet maybe you tried to work it out and they gave you reasons why it wouldn't work and they seemed really valid. This is because humans often post rationalize. I've caught myself doing it sometimes when I fucksnap at someone and then justify it to myself later when I really should be apologizing for losing my temper for no reason.

I've experienced this scenario for a good few different angles. I've had girls tell me they had no reason only to find out they were cheating on me later, or to be told a house full of reasons when the more honest response would be to just say you've got no idea and it doesn't feel the same.

And I've been on the other side of the coin. I've told girls I had no reason when I didn't want to enter a relationship. I've given reasons when I had none. Sometimes relationships end for no reason. The brain is complex.

Can you see now that asking the question "Why did the relationship end?" to the outside doesn't really make sense. Its very hard to get a straight answer from the outside world. We spend our time looking for answers to these questions from the outside world. A far better way to search for answers is to look within an upon yourself stripped of your ego from an objective standpoint. Depressed and arrogant people find this hard. Arrogant people see themselves in overly capable positive light and depressed people see themselves in overly negative and incapable light.(Generalizing)

Lets look the question "Why did the relationship end?" for establishing an idea around the question of "What is the meaning of life". Anyone reasonably experienced in relationships know that breaking up can be confusing as hell along with the potential emotional turmoil namely the fear associated with change and loss.

Funnily enough the idea of "What is the meaning of life?" having no answer brings about the same emotions(In my own experience) in a small way. From what I can discern I became attached in some way to the comforting thought that there is a meaning to this life I live, to throw that away in some way felt like hope and goodness was leaving my belief system. My brain rebelled and tried to demand I search for meanings. It couldn't accept that I was losing the belief that there was an answer. I realized as time passed that I had actually tricked myself or been tricked into the comforting idea that there was an answer to be found and as a result I felt like I was losing something when I considered the opposite.

These revelations helped me free myself from religion aswell. I had been given the "gift" of faith at a young age. With no choice or say in the matter I was carted off to church on a fairly regular basis. I was given communion and confirmation at the age 8 and 12 respectively. For me personally I developed slowly mentally with regards to certain areas. I was awesome at maths, language, art and socializing but there is no way in hell was I prepared at the age of 8 and 12 to make a conscious and reasonably well thought out decision with regards to my religious belief.

I am antitheist now I think. My personal definition of antitheist would be that I actively oppose religion and faith in higher beings of which we give tangible attributes. My reasonings and arguments are very very long and will not be covered here. But let me put this here, I have not lost an argument about religion in a very long time. I am patient and determined. I keep one speed with an argument and I will press forever. Only when I see defeat will I relent. I have never seen tanglible irrefutable evidence of a god. These argumentative traits in me have lost me friends and put strains on my relationships. As you know Ireland is a very Catholic Country. While Catholicism is a lot more progressive with regards to science than most religions in america and the rest of the world, they accept the theory of evolution for example [SIDE FUCKING NOTE. HYPOTHESIS = AN IDEA ABOUT HOW SHIT MIGHT WORK. THEORY = SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN AND GIVEN A WHOLE BUTFUCK TONNE OF EVIDENCE TO BACK IT UP] but I got in one little fight with a friend and my mom god scared she said you're moving in with your aunty and uncle in bel air.

Alright so Troll Sidetrack aside.

There is no meaning of life. Stop asking about it. It doesn't exist. If you think there is a concrete meaning to life you better have some absolutely fucking stellar evidence to back it up. Other than that search within yourself and find a meaning you life whatever it is you sick fuck. Much like a relationship ending, we have to look within without criticizing ourselves too hard to find an answer to be happy with even if its bullshit or just plain wrong.

A more important question is why do you care? Do you feel that if there is no meaning to your life that your life is insignificant and unimportant? Do you have any idea where and when you are? We are literally a civilization on the cusp of deep space travel and massive galactic exploration(in terms of scale throughout our history). You have the power to band together and set the precedents and demands of yourself and society. Imagine humans settle another world. Suddenly there is a physical divide between us. A river separating two tribes is enough for them to rape pillage and loot each other. Unless we learn and demand tolerance and live not through religion, but its message(Religion Abridged Edition: Don't be a dick[plus some shit tacked on for political reasons, sound familiar? I digress]) the vast void of space between us will be enough to plunge us into war over and over again for all our species existence. We here today in this generation can start working on building a future that wont involve planet surfaces being turned to glass and ash in the name of metric distance. How dare you have the audacity to consider yourself unimportant when you have the responsibilty of being ancestor to the countless descendants who will come after you. Through co-operation, understanding and less being power dickheads we here today have the potential to build an amazing civilization. Stop whining about your life having meaning or not and just get some shit done okay?

[Don't do drugs kids, this post is what happens.]

 

tl;dr

 

Just read the text after the red stuff.

 

Just kidding I read it all.

So basically all you wanted to say was:

"You're happy not knowing, and don't need to find a meaning"

In which case you have the same views as me, I am against the idea of religion, I think is a fabrication of the human mind to have comfort for there being a reason, an answer to the questions.

We have no way of knowing yet, and won't do for a long time I imagine, so get on with living you life t make yourself happy, and contribute to the human race.

 

Indeed but I like verbose walls of text.

Oh my Science.

 

I like the

word... verbose :D

 

I don't believe there's such thing as no reason. Nobody leaves a relationship because one moment they're in a relationship and the next moment they kind of teleport out of it. Oh look, I seem to be single now. Well would you look at that! You can say the human mind is complex and you don't understand it's reasons, but you can't say there was no reason.

 

The purpose of life is to capture the flag. Unless you're playing some other game mode. Games have represented life in some way for a long time, AFAIK.

By extension, I think there is an objective "standard" that gives meaning to our lives. I guess this is a huge leap in philosophy, but it's reassuring that I can make it easily--even if it was put into me by society, it sounds reasonable. Doing things and thinking it was optimal feels good. Like with a game, the meaning of life is to win. People do this naturally by selecting things best for themselves, when they're thinking clearly anyway. The rules are confusing but the stimulus is quite clear; you know when you feel like you're winning. Some people take their cocaine all at once and have seizures, some people live long happy lives, and the rest of us debate afterwards about who won, why, how to make more people win, and how people in the future might win. This is why celebrities are popular, curse them, people must love to imagine being on the winning side with them.

It appears to me that there are a number of patterns in the world. Mechanical, aerospace, and electrical engineers were all lumped into the same differential equations classes because they applied to circuits, springs, and I guess wings. Potential energy by gravity is a lot like potential energy due to electric fields, maybe because they're all wrapped up in an undiscovered grand unified theory but I like the idea with patterns better. Analogies are one of the most useful inventions of man because they capitalize on the presence of patterns.

 

Hmm... tricky, I'm not exactly a philospher (or a thinker in general), But I would have to say my personal attitude towards life is that, if there is such a thing as heaven, a place where 'good' (dodgy term that) people go when they die, I would prefer to live out my life how I see fit, enjoying all its wonders and what it has to offer. I do not want to be a person who is only 'good' because they believe they will get the eternal reward of heaven when they die.
As for my beliefs, I am an athiest, and sticking that way. Say for example, if you were an athiest, or not religious, and then there was suddenly conclusive proof that a god existed, would you believe in that god, or simply acknowledge its existence? Two very different things, and I know what I would choose, what about you lot?

 

There is no centralized meaning behind life. Purpose is for the individual to determine themselves.

 

the meaning of life is to have the most likes

 

CONAN, WHAT IS BEST IN LIFE

 

Can someone lock this thread so I stop reading it. :D