The Meaning of Life

[Watcheroftrends]

I am currently at a cross-roads in my life. I've been extensively examining what I should be doing with the time I've been given, and I can't come up with a definite answer. If I had to classify myself, I'd use the term "nihilist" - the belief that nothing is worth being passionate about; that everything is pointless. When I look up to stars at night, and I realize how little of this universe I am... It's hopelessly depressing. I'm not under any physical hardship, and I've been given more in my first 19 years of life than most people will ever have. Despite everything being in my favor on the surface, I am slowly deteriorating from the inside.

I wish I could get people to see what I see - the complexity of my worldview has become so convoluted through the hours I've spent trying to find some sort of reasonable explanation for action that I'm effectively paralyzed. I've tried to render myself helpless to the world - to allow disclosure of its secrets - but now I want no part of it.

I feel inhuman. It's like I'm more of an observer, simply peering through the window of my body rather than residing in it.

If any of you have some advice for me, I'd like to hear it.

 

[Vault101]

ummmm......

I was going to say jsut do what makes you happy and not overthink it buuut.....

...buuut yeah..I really dotn knwo what to say here

I will say: "acording the universe we are small and insignificant...but who gives a fuck what the universe thinks?"

 

[arnoldthebird]

I haven't really been here for long but if you move this to the Advice Forum then you will get incredibly whole response's, the guy's and gal's in that section have a lot of heart.

But as for my two cent's, I don't know. Explore the world and try to find something that you think is worthy and enjoyable, until you find that something then you may constantly feel the emptiness. I'm sorry that I couldn't give more but good luck to you, I hope it works for you.

 

[manic_depressive13]

IN BEFORE 42.

Seriously though, you sound a bit depressed. How's your social life? Was there a some event that triggered your melanancholia?

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

Well thats easy. It's 42 duh. (I apoligise if that has been used to death already).

Ummmmm... I just think it's.... ummmm..... ahhhh....going to.... ummmm ...i guess.... hmmmmm....doing the....... arrr....ummm something? I dunno. I guess it's what you make of it.

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

IN BEFORE 42.

Dammit, beat me to the punchline.

Goddamn ninjas these days

 

[default]

The meaning of life is relative to that who is experiencing it. That is all.

 

[Zeema]

What would knowing the meaning of life do for your life?

have you ever considered that everything you have done wether large or small has done something to help someones life in a good way or not.

 

[Hoplon]

I am currently at a cross-roads in my life. I've been extensively examining what I should be doing with the time I've been given, and I can't come up with a definite answer. If I had to classify myself, I'd use the term "nihilist" - the belief that nothing is worth being passionate about; that everything is pointless. When I look up to stars at night, and I realize how little of this universe I am... It's hopelessly depressing. I'm not under any physical hardship, and I've been given more in my first 19 years of life than most people will ever have. Despite everything being in my favor on the surface, I am slowly deteriorating from the inside.

I wish I could get people to see what I see - the complexity of my worldview has become so convoluted through the hours I've spent trying to find some sort of reasonable explanation for action that I'm effectively paralyzed. I've tried to render myself helpless to the world - to allow disclosure of its secrets - but now I want no part of it.

I feel inhuman. It's like I'm more of an observer, simply peering through the window of my body rather than residing in it.

If any of you have some advice for me, I'd like to hear it.

Advice? no.

Other things to think on? Lets give it a shot.

From the Book Cryptonomicon

Let's set the existence-of-god issue aside for a later volume, and just stipulate that in some way, self-replicating organisms came into existence on this planet and immediately began trying to get rid of each other, either by spamming their environments with rough copies of themselves, or by more direct means which hardly need to be belabored. Most of them failed, and their genetic legacy was erased from the universe forever, but a few found some way to survive and to propagate. After about three billion years of this sometimes zany, frequently tedious fugue of carnality and carnage, Godfrey Waterhouse IV was born, in Murdo, South Dakota, to Blanche, the wife of a Congregational preacher named Bunyan Waterhouse. Like every other creature on the face of the earth, Godfrey was, by birthright, a stupendous badass, albeit in the somewhat narrow technical sense that he could trace his ancestry back up a long line of slightly less highly evolved stupendous badasses to that first self-replicating gizmo--which, given the number and variety of its descendants, might justifiably be described as the most stupendous badass of all time. Everyone and everything that wasn't a stupendous badass was dead.

As nightmarishly lethal, memetically programmed death-machines went, these were the nicest you could ever hope to meet.

You are both stupendously banal and a near miracle. You are made of the dust from dead stars just like everything else on this world. Believe in nothing or everything since in the long run is all means about the same.

 

[Nimcha]

Ah, I was hoping for an in depth discussion of the film. Oh well.

 

[Neuromancer]

Why must there be a purpose? Why must life have a meaning? Isn't this meaningless and pointlessness wonderful in its own right? No greater plan, no nothing. You are free to make your own choices, free to do whatever you like (As long as you understand the consequences of your actions.)

Yes, death is inevitable and nothing in life will ever mean anything in the end, but that doesn't mean you don't have to enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[The Night Angel]

I don't think anyone can tell you. It's all subjective really, you'll have to find your own meaning. You are right though, nothing really matters in the end, not to the universe anyway, and not to most other people. It's about finding what you care about, or what matters to you, regardless of whether anyone else think it is worthwhile.

 

[Soviet Steve]

I am currently at a cross-roads in my life. I've been extensively examining what I should be doing with the time I've been given, and I can't come up with a definite answer.

The title makes it sound like you want to know the meaning of life.

Before I start you have to understand that the individual person cannot do much on their own and it is therefore necessary to describe it from the perspective of our species rather than the individual, though the needs of our species is tended to by individuals.

While humanity has yet to gather all of the information in the universe we do have records of our own history and as such it is not unreasonable to calculate based on our progress thus far where we might be headed for.

Thus far humanity has attempted to gain control over nature to secure our own survival. That is guaranteed by sufficient nutrients, water and the ability to reproduce and continually better our prospects. Our species is set up so that we gradually expand and develop, always requiring more space and resources. We either use what we have more effectively or gather more of it.

Currently we have settled most of the planet and have mapped most resources, so what we currently need to do is develop more effective means of utilizing our resources and space, as well as the ability to obtain more of it. As Earth is unlikely to expand this must be gained from other worlds.

So in short nature commands us to seek our own survival, and that is what we do, all that's changed is that now we're on a cosmic scale rather than the plains of Africa.


Individually there is not much we can do to further these goals. Civilization has been running for thousands of years now and while we do have permanently manned off-world stations we have not managed to get very far.

You as an individual can look to several ways in which you can further our goals. You need to provide services for others which are valuable. The more advanced a service you can provide the better compensation you will receive.

I feel inhuman. It's like I'm more of an observer, simply peering through the window of my body rather than residing in it. If any of you have some advice for me, I'd like to hear it.

You have survived past infancy and as such significant resources have been invested in you. If you are wise I would recommend going into management of our resources (business or politics) or pursue science. If you are especially gifted at other things like entertaining others or you are physically adept then perhaps you should look to these things.

The feeling of being an observer is not wrong as such. If you are having trouble with yourself I would recommend deciding on an overall path in life and then setting objectives to meet along the way. No task is impossible if you break it down into small enough steps.

 

[Gerishnakov]

If life appears to have no meaning then you give it meaning.

This may mean making some hard choices, and going through some serious changes, not just in your life but even within yourself. Try anything - get a new job, start a new hobby, try meeting new people somewhere you've not tried before, change where you live, reconnect with old friends, and probably one of the simplest (but admittedly also could be most difficult): get laid.

 

[ChupathingyX]

You know what you should do to feel better?

Watch Monty Python, or just watch more comedy in general.

 

[winginson]

Theres another way of looking at it. In all that vastness of 14 billion light years of visible space, in the one thousand billion billion billion cubic-light years we know of, there is only one of you and you are unique.

 

[Ldude893]

Watch Monty Python, or jusy watch more comedy in general.

*weeps*

But doctor, I AM Pagliacci Monty Python.

OT: I've got a similar worldview in that the only meaning in the universe is the ones we inject to it, but frankly I wouldn't have it any other way. A flower may be just a structure of atoms and strings produced by a larger system of photosynthesis and what not, but it's still beautiful don't you think?
Personally, I find the fact that the universe and nature could produce something like the world around us remarkable. You're in in a million sperm cells who won a race to an egg, and that's awesome.

In terms of society, I can't think of much to say other than to find something to do; something you really like and/or something that can help others. It's doing something that makes life meaningful.

 

[Zhukov]

A nice old biologist lady of no particular repute once told me that the pillars of life are fighting, feeding and fucking.

One of the truest things I've ever heard.