The Meaning of Life?

[boreial]

The purpose of life, is to give Time observance. Without observation, does Time exist?

[Amanda44]

Recycling .....

Life is the consciousness of the universe, the mind is a product of evolutionary processes, the ability nature formed with which to view it's handiwork.

[Onep]

Some times, things have no meaning.

[NOOBY93]

42

[Sollar]

I don't know man .. this is a hard one.

If one may ask himself has anyone really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?

[GenghisKhan44]

Is there anything that makes you absolutely positive there is no point to the universe?

Look at everything else on the earth that has died before you

When you squash a spider, that is the end of it all for that creature. In seconds its life is forgotten and gone

Aside from it eating to remain alive and reproducing, what was the purpose of that life?

I don't really see humans as any different

Sure, we accomplish greater things and we grow over time, but 200 years from now no one will know your story or how many friends you had, or how much money you made or whatever. Everyone that currently exists today will not exist at that point in time

All that's left then is:
- descendants from your line
- positive changes that you may have left from throughout your life

Any innovations or discoveries that were made by you would be molded and built onto until your small contribution merges in with the rest and you yourself are forgotten

When enough time has passed, the sun explodes and we go out with it, to be erased and forgotten, or maybe to be replaced by something new

In the end, I think that's its best to live your life in a way that satisfies yourself. To continue on with the human race until the very end, and to try your best to leave things in a decent shape for the people who will take the wheel when you are gone

I don't know why we are here, but I don't look to the stars and see a creator that cares about us, or anything for that matter. That's just just based on what I've seen

Death is a scary thing, and rather than fabricate ideas about what happens after the fact, or worry about if my beliefs are the right ones or not, I try to keep it simple for now

I'm sorry if you want to believe in something more, and are hoping that I will accept your beliefs, and in a way I wish that I could have that sort of faith because it would take a lot of the stress away from The End. It's just not something that I see as probable right now

Oh, Coles. I like you, and you are a smart guy.

I have come to exactly the same conclusion sitting where you sit - a materialist. The material universe is right pointless without some reality beyond the measurable. You're absolutely right about that. But why do you suppose the only alternative is to make up fantasies about what you want to be true?

I'm well aware that the Earth is a "tiny blue dot" in a universe that swallows it up like plankton in a whale. I know when you leave your footprint, time washes it back out to tide pretty quickly. I know that, in the 14 billion years the universe has existed, the human race is hardly a moment in the natural order. I had a very wise biology teacher who convinced me of evolution. And of course the universe isn't for us. There's no way we could explore, never mind exploit, it all.

All that and so many other unpleasant truths I accept as fact. And, no, I don't believe in spite of them. Nor do I twist them to somehow fit the narrative that all this is for the human race. Belief in spite of fact is stupidity. And again, it's obviously silly to say the universe exists merely for the human race. It's far too fantastic.

But I don't find any of that is any reason to despair of finding real meaning in our lives. Actually, it does the opposite; all this pushes me to find meaning.

Take that spider you'd squash (as would I). Well, it lives a certain way. It crawls around. It makes webs. It eats bugs. And for some reason, science seems to tell us that nature is filled with all sorts of patterns like this. Iron is strong and malleable. Salmon travel upstream to spawn. The Earth takes 365 days to revolve around the sun. Speaking of stars, they have lifespans, and a range of possible evolutions.

So? Am I now going to tell you it's obvious God exists?

No, but it seems hilariously stupid that the ants, the spiders, the gas giants, the galaxies, the horses, and the dust particles all behave relatively predictably, without angst or existential crisis - despite having small brains or none at all - and yet the smartest species in the universe not only can't find meaning or value, we can't even agree on how we should behave. Don't you think that's a bit funny?

Well, anyway, it's half of what presses me to live a certain way - particularly in a way that seeks truth. But I made that choice to live this way of my own free will. No one forced me - or could force me. And much as I do pray that eventually everyone does at least seek truth, I will not pound it into your head with a mallet, Jordan. I couldn't no matter how hard I tried.

So, if you want to drop it at that, I'll do so. But I did want to at least offer a rational starting point to finding meaning.

[LadyV]

Oh the philosophy of the young.

Life is a journey. Like all journey' that which you do along the way makes the trip much more than the destination. As I already said the meaning of life is whatever you make of it. Yes relationships are part of your journey from the lowly spider to every Human interaction. That is part of the journey. So my advice to you all is have a good journey, your destination will come soon enough. Who knows maybe you will then begin another journey. We are a speck in infinity and we have only just begun.

[Jalpha]

The universe is made of loose fractals. You can see the same patterns of behaviour and appearance replicated from the smallest objects to the largest.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the whole universe is at it's core an RNG which uses the number 42 as it's starting reference.

[azrid]

The meaning of life is to win.

[GenghisKhan44]

Oh the philosophy of the young.

I'm, sure Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas would appreciate the compliment. But most of the young people I've met sound just like you. The lot of you.

Hm. But maybe you're right. Maybe it is that St. Thomas and Aristotle, five hundred years after being buried, have been reborn, and are younger and livelier than the old Descartes and the ancient Sartre. Maybe we can breathe some life even into that holy old windbag.

Life is a journey. Like all journey' that which you do along the way makes the trip much more than the destination. As I already said the meaning of life is whatever you make of it. Yes relationships are part of your journey from the lowly spider to every Human interaction. That is part of the journey. So my advice to you all is have a good journey, your destination will come soon enough. Who knows maybe you will then begin another journey. We are a speck in infinity and we have only just begun.

I am reminded of a particular chapter in "The Great Divorce". More than ever would I like to write a sequel to it.