what is the meaning of life?
• ...to love and find love?
• ...to find the meaning of life?
• ...to learn, invent, reproduce and to overcome the obstacles that are created in life?
• ...to live every day like it is your last and to do your best at everything that comes before you?
• ...to be always satisfied?
• ...to live, go to school, work, and die?

Those seem more like goals than meaning.

Is meaning always necessary? Is "42" as good an answer as any other?

There may be a game of semantics to be had here somewhere but the focus on meaning that some seem to find so essential seems like a construct that is not necessary.

I think we mostly live better with a sense of meaning and purpose but am not convinced that those have to be ultimate answer type meanings and purposes. Those who think they have the ultimate answer tend to have a habit of trampling all over others choices in meaning and purpose.

R0bert

Robert,

I always thought 13 had more meaning than 42. You can do a lot in your life with 13, but 42 is a bit limiting. However some philosophers think 13 and a half is even better.

I've always been a little confused by the meaning of life debate - not the meaning of life itself, that's easy - I'm confused as to why so many people grapple with it.

The meaning of life is to be happy and/or to find contentment.

Now achieving happiness is harder to quantify - hedonism doesn't seem to get you there, love can, but not love alone, and part of that happiness is intertwined with making others happy and taking on personal responsibility.
Happiness is a much more difficult thing to quantify.

The only reason why people can't see this, is they're looking for some magic bullet to validate their existence.
Once you get beyond that need for validation you're fine.
Just achieve something with your life instead of worrying about it.

Peppy - have you no shame. Comparing the mighty 42 with a measly 13 1/2, sad.

TurnRightThenLeft good point about validation. I consider the happiness thing a goal rather than a meaning though. It's also been my observation that those most focussed on finding happiness are often the furtherest from it. Those who work towards other goals appear to be more likely to find happiness.

R0bert

I'd have to agree with you guys. I don't know what the big deal is about having to come up with some Earth Shattering Mission Statement on why we're here. You're here. Accept it and do the best you can with the limited time you have and leave the place a little better than you found it. If you want to be happy treat the world and the people in it as you would like to be treated. Isn't that the basic message of all the great religions teach?

Life on Earth is a chance and random occurence. No-one created it. No-one controls it. Make the most of it. You only get one go.

the poem on this link says it all for me at the moment.

http://www.pryor.com/mkt_info/products/dashpoem.asp

have a happy day

1. [n] - the period from the present until death

2. [n] - the period between birth and the present time

3. [n] - the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)

4. [n] - a characteristic state or mode of living

5. [n] - the course of existence of an individual

6. [n] - the organic phenomenon that distinguishes living organisms from nonliving ones

7. [n] - a living person

8. [n] - a motive for living

9. [n] - the experience of living

10. [n] - living things collectivel

I am a Christian. Do you want my definition of the Meaning of Life?

Well I will give it to you anyway!

I call it the "Fish Tank Theory"

God Created the Universe and observes from a distance like looking into a fishtank. Most people live and die without knowing for sure, and never have any proof to the contrary. But a select few will come into contact and eventually leave the fishtank and meet God one on one.

If you have ever seen the movie "Contact" with Jodie Foster it is a good analogy.

God Bless

Luke 7:35

"God Created the Universe and observes from a distance like looking into a fishtank."

Sorry, but I refuse to just be a fish to amuse God :) I don't
want to meet the alleged him either, too many boring old farts
would hang out it heaven.

The purpose of life is what we choose to make it. You'll
find people busily following their passions, whatever they
are, seem the happiest.

What we do know, is that heaven is here and now. So best to
enjoy and appreciate every day, once the worms move in its
too late :(

WHY RE-INVENT THE WHEEL ?

If someone has done the hard yards, racked their brains and worked it out.. why re-do it?

Solomon concluded in Ecclesiastes as follows:

8 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. [a]
"Everything is meaningless!"

The Conclusion of the Matter
9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.

Yabby.. r u noting?:)

The fear mentioned here is a healthy type, not a cringing type.

I gently challenge Yabby, Robert and all, to read Ecclesiastes from start to finish, and then reflect on the end conclusion.

CHAPTER 1 is here:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=25&chapter=1&version=31

ROFL David, look mate, you love your religion, but to be honest,
I don't have a religious bone in my body, despite everyone
trying to thump it into me as a kid.

I find the bible utterley boring, except when I check out
the contradictions etc, which can be fun :)

My heaven, here and now, is guaranteed! So I am the only
preacher who can actually deliver and prove it, the rest
of you might well be just snake oil salesmen :)

No need to reinvent the wheel. Fact is however, today,
you can know more about the world then Einstein and
others ever did, as our mountain of knowledge increases.

If you think about it, those old supersticious characters
didn't know much at all. Besides, it says in the bible
that I should kill my neighbour for working on the sabbath.
Hey, my neighbour is a friend of mine, the bible
can get stuffed :)

Quite frankly, I'd want nothing to do with a god that needed me to believe in it. Fortunately, any god I could believe in would have much more important priorities.

God would be an it, not a him. If males are defined by a way of thought, that would be testosterone wouldn't it?
Or genitals of course. The idea of god with genitals would mean there would need to be a reason for genitals, which would kind of put a damper on the idea of monotheism.

I'd want nothing to do with the god who allowed Satan to toy with Job and destroy his life on a whimsical bet - it's a good thing I don't believe in that god, because if I did I'd only be able to conclude god is a narcissist, or easily outwitted by the devil.

I've always thought that was an interesting riddle - if the religious man were to find out god exists but is bad... would he renounce the religion if he knew it was accurate, but immoral?

They say god is love, but how can love exist without hate? If god is capable of love then it is surely capable of hate as well.
If I wasn't meant to understand such things, I don't see why god would give me the ability to reason if I was supposed to swallow that. I don't accept that from people and if anything, I'd place higher standards on god.

Unless god does have emotions but we were put here to make our on way on earth, without a god to hold our hands.
In which case, the meaning of life isn't to do with god at all - in this case, we've been gifted with sentience and the ability to detect right and wrong so that we can get by without god and forge our own meaning. This'd mean god's most proud of the atheists and agnostics.

Makes more sense than being locked outside for some metaphysical treasure hunt...

To do is to be - Rousseau,

To be is to do - Sartre,

Dobedobedo - Sinatra. (Graffiti forget where).