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The meaning of life is based on the individuals standard of living; his values. We are all here to survive, produce (with our minds), and succeed (achieve our goals). When you set the standard and reach or find your top value then you have accomplished the meaning of life.
The meaning of life is that there is no meaning to life. You make your own meaning through your actions as an individual. You could give your life up to a cause you believe is worthy. You can stay at home and smoke until you don't care. You can fight to make your existence meaningful through discovery. You can raise your children to be ready to start their own journey into the fabric of life. There is not logical meaning for our existence, I believe. You guys should look at this:
Uncertainty principle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
and
Observer effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
That is extremely relevant believe it or not. It shows that our very existence and being able to observe changes the movement of subatomic particles. This leads into countless theories of reality. I can't really explain it better than wiki.
I love these debates.
This is the question which only religion and Hollywood can answer. Or think they can answer depending on your religion.Quote:
Originally Posted by meatw4d
yhelothar--
You are right about one thing; the meaning of life is based on the individual. But, the individual has to choose to grasp reality. Existence exists. This computer I am typing on and my fingers doing the typing all exist. No one can deny, alter, or will away reality. It comes down to the individual choosing rationality and reason as guidance. If not, then they are doomed for self destruction.
Yes, religion is at the bottom of the dirt. Brainwashing people to submit their minds to faith; to call to someone they have no proof exists; to take no responsibility for themselves because there is some divine plan already in place.
If any of you reading this have some extra time, read these excerpts from a few Ayn Rand essays:
Rationality--
Rationality is the recognition of the fact that existence exists, that nothing can alter the truth and nothing can take precedence over that act of perceiving it, which is thinkingâ??that the mind is one's only judge of values and one's only guide of actionâ??that reason is an absolute that permits no compromiseâ??that a concession to the irrational invalidates one's consciousness and turns it from the task of perceiving to the task of faking realityâ??that the alleged short-cut to knowledge, which is faith, is only a short-circuit destroying the mindâ??that the acceptance of a mystical invention is a wish for the annihilation of existence and, properly, annihilates one's consciousness.
Reason--(Leonard Peikoff, heir to Rand's estate)
The senses, concepts, logic: these are the elements of man's rational facultyâ??its start, its form, its method. In essence, "follow reason" means: base knowledge on observation; form concepts according to the actual (measurable) relationships among concretes; use concepts according to the rules of logic (ultimately, the Law of Identity). Since each of these elements is based on the facts of reality, the conclusions reached by a process of reason are objective.
The alternative to reason is some form of mysticism or skepticism.
Free Will--
That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call "free will" is your mind's freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom, the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and your character.
Faith--
Do not say that you're afraid to trust your mind because you know so little. Are you safer in surrendering to mystics and discarding the little that you know? Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life. Redeem your mind from the hockshops of authority. Accept the fact that you are not omniscient, but playing a zombie will not give you omniscienceâ??that your mind is fallible, but becoming mindless will not make you infallibleâ??that an error made on your own is safer than ten truths accepted on faith, because the first leaves you the means to correct it, but the second destroys your capacity to distinguish truth from error.
To live free and
die well
I used to think the meaning of life was to find someone else who you can share mutual feelings of love with. Basically someone who would be by your side who would help you through the hard times and you reciprocate this toward them. I guess my view is that life is cold and meaningless and the only good thing about living is being able to find someone that makes life worthwhile but who knows. ill let you know when i find out.
Lol - Never ask a whimsical rasta the meaning of life, unless you have time.
Ask not who will love you, but who needs your love.
I also think that the meaning of life is a personal thing, not an arbitrary thing.
For me, the meaning of life is having a good time. I think that you can apply that simple idea to just about anything. Just having a good time.
"The Tibetan book of living and dying, by Sogyal Rinpoche "
It changed my life.
If we are really in a computer generated world then the meaning of life is to get the highest score.