Do you look for meaning in your life?

[Birdjaguar]

I see... so by your logic if there's a mirage in the distance I can somehow make it real by wanting it badly enough ? I believe that this is popularly referred to as 'delusion.'

It's a Sufi parable that says without a great thirst for the Truth, what is true appears as an illusion and what is an illusion appears as true.

And yes, it is naturally arrogant that you believe you have any meaning in a universe of a billion billion stars and a thousand thousand galaxies and a hundred hundred planets, none of which are in the least affected by the actions of some relatively hairless simian life form on an ordinary planet in an ordinary solar system in an ordinary galaxy.

If you look for truth among "a billion billion stars and a thousand thousand galaxies and a hundred hundred planets" you will only find it in yourself. Again your inability to find truth does not mean it does not exist. Perhaps you are looking in the wrong places. Perhaps your guide has mislead you.

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

Things are simpler then they perhaps look. Everybody need satisfaction or else he feels emptiness in life. So if what gives you sense of satisfaction is to say that there is no meaning in life who am I to stop you from doing that? Everybody is running after satisfaction with or without thinking about the meaning of life. Satisfaction is the meaning.

 

[Souron]

Do you regard your life as having a meaning, either known to you or not conscious yet? This may sound religious, but it does not have to be about a theological belief, although such a belief could suffice as to grant the impression that one's life has a recognizable meaning.

There is a nice little phrase by Borges, according to which a person was said to have no meaning at all in his life, but sometime inspired an author to create a character who was later studied by millions. So meaning could also exist in an entirely hidden way, more so to the individual person, who might not even be looking for it anyway.

I often reflect on how others influenced me, and how i influenced others. Perhaps those influences alone would give meaning to my life, since i know that, inevitably, if i was not there then things would be different for other people too, in varying degrees. That said i am a very introverted person, and to have the view that i caused an effect on others while being so closed to myself might even show that less introverted people cannot fail to have a more obvious effect on their environment.

Earlier today i was at a bookstore. The three people working there had read my published story in the magazine, and said they liked it a lot. This is a form of influencing as well, that they felt something positive while reading a story which would not exist if i did not exist.
So personally i can always be of the view that my life would have had meaning, in some respects, even if i died tomorrow, since already there is my work around, my nearing 7500 pages of diary notes, my 400 pages of prose fiction, and some lesser works. Maybe even if i perished they would find their way to a publication, much like Pessoa's 35.000 manuscripts were discovered in his attic some time after his death.

So, the question is the following: do you find your own life meaningful, and is it meaningful in a way intelligible to you? Moreover is it meaningful in relation to yourself, or to others, or both?

Do I look for meaning in your life? As phrased, I may be tempted to say yes. However, with your definition of "meaning" I'd say no.

I'm not out be remembered or make an impact. I'm just out to have a good time and do the right stuff.

 

[Linkman226]

It's a Sufi parable that says without a great thirst for the Truth, what is true appears as an illusion and what is an illusion appears as true.

Yes, you're right. Invisible pink unicorns exist, and they are the ultimate Truth (with a capital T, to make my inner simian feel important about himself). The rest of you that disagree are just not thirsty enough.

If you look for truth among "a billion billion stars and a thousand thousand galaxies and a hundred hundred planets" you will only find it in yourself. Again your inability to find truth does not mean it does not exist. Perhaps you are looking in the wrong places. Perhaps your guide has mislead you.

You're right. If you can't find my invisible pink unicorn, perhaps you're just not searching in the right places. Or your guide has mislead you.

 

[Ayatollah So]

A lot of people in this thread have chosen to interpret "Meaning" as a singular overarching life narrative that doubles as a crystalline life-purpose.

I choose not to interpret the word that way - meanings, small m, keep popping up in my face whether I seek them or not.

As far as I'm concerned, my life doesn't need a meaning.

I'm with ya there. On the other hand I don't need root beer, either. Or a tiger eye gem. Or John Lee Hooker*. But when these things come my way, I appreciate them.


*OK I lied, I do need my Hooker.

Speaking of singular narrative:

Calvin: I believe history is a force. Its unalterable tide sweeps all
people and institutions along in its unrelenting path. Everyone and everything serves history's
single purpose.
Hobbes: And what is that purpose?
Calvin: To produce me, of course. I'm the end result of history.
Hobbes: You?
Calvin: Think of it, thousands of generations lived and died to produce my exact specific
parents, whose only reason for being, obviously, was me. All history up to this point has
been spent preparing the world for my presence.
Hobbes: Hmm! Four-and-a-half billion years probably wasn't long enough.
Calvin: Now I'm here and history is vindicated.

 

[MantaRevan]

So, the question is the following: do you find your own life meaningful, and is it meaningful in a way intelligible to you? Moreover is it meaningful in relation to yourself, or to others, or both?

This may sound nilhistic, but no. And I don't see a problem with nilhism, but I really don't understand why life would have a meaning. The idea seems to force against my philosophical instincts.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Yes, you're right. Invisible pink unicorns exist, and they are the ultimate Truth (with a capital T, to make my inner simian feel important about himself). The rest of you that disagree are just not thirsty enough.

You're right. If you can't find my invisible pink unicorn, perhaps you're just not searching in the right places. Or your guide has mislead you.

Neither IPU nor FSM are my idea of truth with or without a Capital "T". In fact I don't recall ever actually describing my particular view on the matter in this thread. I have asked you, though, and you have not answered, how is that your inability to find meaning means that it doesn't exist?

I can certainly accept and understand an individual's inability to find meaning in life, but I cannot follow your logic to the next step you take: anyone who finds meaning in life is delusional. Care to explain?

 

[GenMarshall]

I don't find any meaning in my life.

To worried about the future.

 

[Linkman226]

Neither IPU nor FSM are my idea of truth with or without a Capital "T". In fact I don't recall ever actually describing my particular view on the matter in this thread. I have asked you, though, and you have not answered, how is that your inability to find meaning means that it doesn't exist?

I can certainly accept and understand an individual's inability to find meaning in life, but I cannot follow your logic to the next step you take: anyone who finds meaning in life is delusional. Care to explain?

Because the exact same argument could be used for the existence of the IPU, and your failure to discover him.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Because the exact same argument could be used for the existence of the IPU, and your failure to discover him.

I haven't made an argument for the existence of IPU. I am just asking you to explain your post:

Anyone who thinks there's meaning in their life is suffering from delusions of grandeur or dementia, possibly both. Usually the former, owing to humanity's sheer arrogance.

You clearly see no meaning in your life. How do you get to the next part where you say anyone who does is delusional?

You say "the exact same argument could..." What argument are you talking about?

 

[carmen510]

I don't search for meaning in my life, but I do want to live my life so that it has benefited myself and others.

 

[Linkman226]

I haven't made an argument for the existence of IPU. I am just asking you to explain your post:

You clearly see no meaning in your life. How do you get to the next part where you say anyone who does is delusional?

You say "the exact same argument could..." What argument are you talking about?

You're missing the point. Your argument could be made for the existence of the IPU, illustrating the inherent absurdity of your argument.

 

[Souron]

And yes, it is naturally arrogant that you believe you have any meaning in a universe of a billion billion stars and a thousand thousand galaxies and a hundred hundred planets, none of which are in the least affected by the actions of some relatively hairless simian life form on an ordinary planet in an ordinary solar system in an ordinary galaxy.

Heliocentrism wouldn't help give people meaning. The universe doesn't have any inherent value, so it hardly matters if it's large or small.

 

[Birdjaguar]

You're missing the point. Your argument could be made for the existence of the IPU, illustrating the inherent absurdity of your argument.

No I am not missing the point at all. You refuse to explain your post and how you got from A to B and are trying to focus the discussion on fantasy unicorns instead.

I fully understand the difficulty you are having in trying to explain your post. I've tried to figure out what you might say and every time I have an idea, I sound like an arrogant, hairless, simian life form.

Anyway, get back to me when you decide to actually explain your post.

 

[Artifis]

Oh, don't get me wrong. I have strong, strong dreams. I have grand goals that are attitude-forming and large parts of my life. They're much more than various stages of hedonism. I have a motivating paradigm, and it's certainly focused on making a better future for humanity (and myself).

But it's not the meaning of my life Like I said, I'm sure that I'd want to live even if I didn't want these things. I've noticed that people who want the opposite of the things that I want are still motivated to live, so the urge to live is much different that my motivations for myself

I suppose at this point we then have to try and draw a clear line between what is "motivaion" and "instinct". In other words, the meaning of life is to live, but it's the motivations which are the icing on top, no?

 

[Perfection]

Nope already found it.

 

[mayor]

please, oh Great Head, enlighten us, mere mortals.

sorry couldn't resist

but seriously, are you willing to share it with us?

 

[Perfection]

Snappy one liners.

 

[Mechanicalsalvation]

please, oh Great Head, enlighten us, mere mortals.

sorry couldn't resist

but seriously, are you willing to share it with us?

well you know, I guess, if you have Perfection (or at least Great Head) you dont need anything else...

 

[Artifis]

please, oh Great Head, enlighten us, mere mortals.

sorry couldn't resist

but seriously, are you willing to share it with us?

Pfft. It's not that big a secret.

The answer is 42.