No needOriginally Posted by peregria
I'm glad you liked it.
No need
I think if I believed that I would be suicidal, sorry to say. I believe the meaning of life is to love, and simply that. That contradicts what you say if you consider love an emotion but I would consider it more of an ability. We are on this earth to learn of love, learn how to love, and love. Its just that. I can't think of anything more powerful, more necessary, or more meaningful than love. I would even go as far as to say that most of my beliefs are based on the belief that love is why we are here. I probably sound slightly obsessive, but I'm sort of a hopeless romantic, I guess you could say.
I agree with this and I think it's the best answer anyone's given in this thread. It reminds me of a wonderful clip of one of my favourite directors, John Cassavetes, sitting at a café table and saying, roughly, well, other directors, I don't know what they're interested in, but what matters to me is love, just love, and that's what I try to make my films about.
I hoped I'd find it on Youtube and be able to post it, but no such luck. It's better than my version here. And part of what's so nice about it is that Cassavetes' films aren't sentimental or particularly easy to watch. They show people striving through difficulties, often of their own making, not necessarily achieving love or any sort of simple, happy ending, but you feel their neediness and desire very strongly and, with it, Cassavetes' intense empathy and compassion.
I agree with this as well. But I would take it one step further and that if when we leave this world it is a little better then when we came into than that is all the meaning that I need. Even if you only have it in your power to make one persons life a little better then job well done I say.
I believe that we are here to make ourselves known and our destinies unforgotten.
If I were to tell you exactly what I feel my destiny is, it would be that I am here to sacrifice my happiness for the sake of others. To suffer so that they can learn to live and believe in something bigger than themselves.
I strive to do that every day and I guess that's what makes us US. What we do every day is who we are and what will, eventually, shape our futures.
In essence, we are what we wish, or strive, to be.
My words to all of you:
This is YOUR life. This is your ONLY life. Make it mean something more than just money, sex, or drugs because you only have one chance, no matter what you believe in.
"Do or do not.... There is no try.... ~Yoda
In my opinion, theres two types of meaning of life. Spiritual and physical.
If you are religious, then straight away you have a motive/purpose in life therefore have a meaning of life. But for those who arent religious, there would be no spiritual motive in life, as there is no Greater Being to praise and worship. As a Christian, I have a spiritual motive and that governs the main purpose in my life, and that takes the overall form of my meaning of life.
In a physical level, we share a common meaning of life with animals. Does everyone remember the Survival the fittest? This means to reproduce the "best" possible gene combination - In order obtain the highest chance of reproducing such offspring, one must seek the "best" territory and mate. For example, it is natural for human to approve the opposite sex with the best looks and best intellectual ability, and the territory and possessions that is most flamboyant such as the fastest cars and biggest houses. In career wise, it is similar. We all want to be winners, number ones, the best and the most powerful. So if our animalistic innate behaviours are to be accounted in this physical level, the meaning of our life would be to live in the "best" condition and raise "best" offsprings.
But life is short, too short and we ponder the life after death. Again, life is short and death is eternal. That's where the spiritual level kicks back in. Making life in earth a building phase for the life after death is logical in this case. Life after death is eternal life in the Kingdom of God, and it depends on how you lived your life in earth, and that is why God said we are not the people of the world, we are people of His Kingdom- we must neglect the survival of the fittest approach. We must give up the "best" in order to help others. The "best" in earth cannot be compared to the "best" in the Kingdom of God, so the spiritual motive immediately becomes the true meaning of our life - Following God's Words, love Him, love ourselves and our neighbours, share and help others and resist in committing sin.
And after that, what would be the meaning of 'eternal life'?
Many people such as myself who are not religious do feel that life has meaning. The disagreement between religious people and non-religious people is not necessarily between those who see life as meaningful and those who don't. It's between different notions of meaning. For us, the meaning is here and now and only here and now.
i agree with you .. so reasonable talk.
we live once so lets make the best of all. I know that love is a great thing, but we can do more than that, & we can live for many other reasons other than that too.
We can be a great change in the life of many other ppl who need help that can also give a meaning to our life. No one knows the destiny , the hidden destiny of our life but we sure can take part in "designing it " and make the best of it.
Life can't always be great , & we can't always find what we want out of it but we can accept whateva the faces us .
"He is asleep. Though his mettle was sorely tried,
He lived, and when he lost his angel, died.
It happened calmly, on its own,
The way the night comes when day is done."
owl: what day is it?
piglet: its today...
pooh: my favorite day!!
the views of some are very impressive and i may add that i too believe
that life has no meaning and having born dedicate your life to serve
others and love others
pgnambiar
I am a bit confused.. you say it is natural to serve and love, which I agree with, but if you think this why do you think there's no meaning?
I am not certain if you were expressing your view directly to my post but I would like to point out that I never made a statement that non-believers think there is no meaning in life. I only outlined the contrasting motives that non religious and religious people had - religious people have spiritual motives in life that makes up their purpose in life while the non religious people have physical motives (while some non religious people may have none) - which is exactly what you hold -"here and now and only here and now." Isn't it correct that your view in the meaning of life makes up only during life in earth? Therefore it is a physical motive. I.E maybe make the most of everyday as if your last.
You have asked me the definition of "eternal life". It is life after death, to be more precise, life in heaven or hell, that holds no sense of time and space, therefore life is infinite and eternal. I hope you have understood the views of the religious, and please don’t forget I completely respect the views of any non religious or people with varying religions.
Dedicating your life to serve others and loving them makes your life have a meaning. Your statement will not be vaild otherwise.
I think it's great that everyone has a different opinion on the meaning and purpose of life. Some people say there is no purpose; while others say there is a purpose. I think these differences are one of the things that separates us from most mammals. Maybe that is what makes us human? As for my own opinion...I don't know, I am unable to even guess at this point. I think I may be searching for the answer for a long time.
Meaning has obsessed us and we tirelessly busy ourselves with the term.
Life has no meaning and it is meaning less.
Tell me which meaning, and from which lenses? From a spiritual or religious lens or from a scientific lens?
Or from a philosophical standpoint. From no height or corner or angle we can get the meaning of life.
“Those who seek to satisfy the mind of man by hampering it with ceremonies and music and affecting charity and devotion have lost their original nature””
“If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation.
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