Meaning of Life

merlin.:

So you say the meaning of life is to be better than the Joneses?

Who?? lol

merlin.:

Wow.

Okay.

"Better than the people around you."

Lol i meant who was you talkin to. XD

@ merlin.

In that case then no, only to become the person you want to be and prove everyone who doubted you wrong.

I don't think that the meaning of life involves being superior than anybody else, as you've said

TheFucking scene kid:

you become more successful or happier then they are.

everyone is successful in their own way. just because you may make more money than them, does money equal happiness? who says a person wants to be a huge CEO to a big company? maybe their views of success involve getting a good, stable job that may not pay the best but makes them happy. you may be a CEO to Apple, but they have their own job they enjoy doing. does that mean you're more successful? technically, yes, but from a different perspective, no. I don't think huge success has anything to do with anything.

it's what makes YOU happy as a person that counts. the meaning of life is the person as a whole and their likes and dislikes.

lycia.:

maybe their views of success involve getting a good, stable job that may not pay the best but makes them happy. .

Or not even having a job, and staying on the road experiencing life as it comes to them. I would be miserable doing that, but some people would be miserable in my place, so I can't assume I am "more successful."

I think the meaning of life is to actually do something with yourself. You should make people know you rather it's for becomeing a famous scientist or just voliteering once or twice a week somewhere. You don't have to go to the extreme or anything just follow you're dream and keep perservering, die happy, I think that's the purpose.

lycia.:

I don't think that the meaning of life involves being superior than anybody else, as you've said

TheFucking scene kid:

you become more successful or happier then they are.

everyone is successful in their own way. just because you may make more money than them, does money equal happiness? who says a person wants to be a huge CEO to a big company? maybe their views of success involve getting a good, stable job that may not pay the best but makes them happy. you may be a CEO to Apple, but they have their own job they enjoy doing. does that mean you're more successful? technically, yes, but from a different perspective, no. I don't think huge success has anything to do with anything.

it's what makes YOU happy as a person that counts. the meaning of life is the person as a whole and their likes and dislikes.

wel i may have worded it wrong... I meant it as a "become what people said you wouldnt"

I do not know the purpose of my life as of right now but i do have a feeling that one of the greratest purposes for me in my future life is to be a very great mom and wife. I do not know why i feel this but its something i have felt for a very long time. I think one knows their purpose in life rarely, they find out what it is in their death bed knowing that they didnt have to do anything and all they
(that person on the death bed) ever wanted to fullfill or do was done to their best of their ability making that purpose real. If people know the purpose of their life and are vwery ambitious or something, mayube when they reach their goal or purpose from an instant their life may become meaningless if they have nothing to do anymore after they have fullfilled their purpose in life.

ok i know theres a religion thread BUT i think the meaning of life is to praise God.

Lovesick Melody.:

merlin.:

And it's not because something is meant to happen. It's just because, whoops, these atoms touched these other atoms by chance.

So like a sequence of chemical accidents? I think that's what you meant, and I totally agree.

Other animals are born simply to reproduce. Their main goal in life is to mate and produce offspring so their genes are inherited. It could be said that we are simply vehicles to genes. I wonder what makes humans think we are any special, like you said before. How are we any different to animals around us? Why should we be considered biologically special?
I think that a lot of people (and by a lot, I do not mean all) can't accept that we don't have a higher purpose other than reproduction, and subseqeuntly turn to religion and creationism to explain a special purpose in our existance.

Why should humans be any different to the drives of reproduction in animals?

(did I go a little bit off topic? :/)

It kind of overlaps with the way people look at the meaning of life. I, as a person who believes in science over religion, see all organisms as things that want to reproduce and produce offspring before we die.

Lovesick Melody made this post on the Evolution and Religion board, and I kind of thought it fit here.
I think we are just vehicles for our genes. The purpose for which we were "created" is simply to reproduce. But I think we're at the point where we consciously realize this and have the capability to control it to some degree. Just the fact that we realize there might be a meaning and purpose of life means that we will try to create one, and now that instinct isn't the only driver of our behavior, this "meaning" is what gets us up in the morning, what keeps us from becoming spiritually empty shells .

Pauvre-fille.:

I think part of finding the meaning of life is to question why we are here.
And we partially create our own meaning in life, by doing what you believe in and doing what gives you joy. I think that's as good a purpose as any, to find joy in life.

Also, helping people and last but not least, reproducing .

the_black_parader:

ok i know theres a religion thread BUT i think the meaning of life is to praise God.

I'm pretty certain about the meaning of my life on this world, whatever anyone else may be, and I do think it is all about religion.