Meaning of life

[Asiam]

I was pondering on what the meaning of life could be. What if the meaning of life is to avoid pain and that's it? Obviously it used to be to reproduce so the species survives for the ecosystem and balance of earth or whatever. Now we're overpopulated that's not valid anymore Imo.

Survival instinct might just be developed to avoid a painful death in hopes of a peaceful one eventually, somehow. What if killing yourself peacefully could actually achieve the meaning of life?

 

[je.suis.prêt]

Human beings are just another animal species, the main differences between us and say, elephants is that we have fingers and credit cards. The purpose of life of life is the continuation of the species through adherence to the natural order; have sex in order to make new members of species, then protect the new (young) members of species, repeat. Things like religion and social order are just there for humans to feel superior to other animals; think about pastors who preach the non-importance of money but live in mansions, or how the idea of the traditional family is being replaced with adultery and debauchery.

But then again, "the meaning of life is that you give it."

I don't remember where I saw it, but I once read some quote that said something to the effect of 'the brain is designed to keep you alive, not happy'. So as long as you're here, you'll – possibly – create new members of the species, thus doing what nature intends. So a suicide, in my opinion, is the opposite of all this.

 

[Unending]

Meaning is completely subjective as I understand it, which brings me to the conclusion that there is not one set meaning for the whole of life. There is the potential for individual meaning though but that is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Seiko]

I think any meaning of life is derived from nature over nurture. The desire to consume, reproduce, and indulge in hedonistic pursuits drives any animal. In the case of humans, we've developed our own subjective meanings, such as "do whatever makes you happy/fulfilled/content."

And as free as that sounds, I can't help but feel we've reached a point where we have already done it all. Modern human life is trivial; we have to make up our own responsibilities and hobbies to keep us fulfilled. And I think that pro-choice stances on suicide are the counterculture. Even if you aren't horribly depressed, living life until you die naturally is exhausting, and everything in between is self-imposed "filler." A person in their rational, prudent, and sober mind may wish to make the sovereign choice to fast-forward to what we all ultimately fall to—even if they're content with their life.

 

[FuneralCry]

I just don't think that life is something meaningful in anyway, there is no reason as to why we exist other than the human species being a consequence of evolution. That's it really. And I think the fact that we have the ability to be conscious and aware means that it's often difficult for humans to accept the true meaningless nature of existence so they question 'what is the purpose' of life and they invent theories as to why we are here and what is after death and things like that. But I think that if someone is trying to find an objective purpose to all of this, then they won't find anything.

Life has evolved in such a way to just temporarily exist, with the fate of all individual existences being to die. Our lives really are insignificant and meaningless, humans may subjectively attach meaning to what they experience, but everything that humans perceive as being important to them will eventually be forgotten about no matter what. All that life is, is just a distraction from the fact that we will all die someday.

 

[pipapo]

"meaning" is solely a fictional story in ur brain. there's no meaning.

 

[regal20]

I used to think about this intensely and the answer came in a dream. The meaning of life is not to be found in the life of the individual, but in the life of the universe as a whole. The meaning is the awareness of one's own existence within oneself, without being given special meaning by external reference points. He who feels superior to others errs just as much as he who feels inferior. We are trapped here together and should learn to cooperate.

 

[ksp]

meaning of life

perception of existence:

the only, and huge difference between humans and the rest of the animals is intelligence

animal awareness - basic knowledge for navigating the immediate environment

humans consciousness - much higher level of observation and perception of nature, including the concept of self awareness (most important aspect)

• why am i here? what is my purpose? (philosophy)
• why was i born / why do i die? (meta-physics)
• why am i sad / happy / feel pain / regret / suffering? (psychology)

how many lions do you know that

• wonder if they should eat that antelope? (is morally wrong? should i feel guilty about it?)
• worry that they might damage the environment, or endanger the eco-system?
• or feel pure empathy or altruism/selflessness?

how many ants do you know that asks themselves: why am i here? what is 'me', or 'my'?

all other animals are only driven by basic instincts - thirst, hunger, reproduction, and that's it
automatically continue to reproduce and expand - mindlessly, without any reflection, or after-thought (question nature's experiments)

humans have logic, creativity, imagination, power of self-reflection, of extrapolation, concept of existence

we are not gifted, superior, or arrogant - we are cursed; by nature - we have the ability to understand and observe how miserable we are; the enormous potential of our suffering and our depth of despair, to such extent that we ask ourselves: is our existence worth it? and for what? what's the end goal of all this?

—-

from the universe's perspective, life is one of the trillions of trillions of xN of experiments executed over the 14 billion years of natural evolution trillions of trillions xN of variables) - this little experiment resulted in an extreme anomaly: life; not only that, but intelligent life! and painfully aware of our loneliness - desperately seeking alien life forms

the extreme case of suffering - to drive life's progress at all costs, the only true motivation extreme desperation against an enormous dead universe

so what is the true meaning of life? why does life exist surrounded by death? what is it trying to accomplish?


i don't see its purpose:

let's say that it will eventually take over all the planets in all galaxies. then what?
will everything stop? somehow? and how? and why? or why not?

however, life will never manage to take over the universe - simply not possible
because all galaxies expand away from each other faster than the speed of light - it can never-ever catch-up

and

all galaxies are spiraling towards their centers - supermassive black holes
after they devour all stars around them, and if they are close enough to each other, they'll devour themselves
and at the end, when the universe is full of super-super-super-super-supermassive black holes (sssssm), without stars or matter - all the existing remaining sssssm black holes start to erode, until there is nothing left of them
and now the universe is completely empty: no light at all (no photons), and no neutrinos - no matter

the space will be a complete void, void and time - this is actually the death of death itself

is this a complete reboot of a cyclical universe? (infinite expansion / collapsing cycle?)

or is it that all supermassive black holes become smaller universes in themselves? (infinite recursive cycles). will some of these universes generate life and consciousness again? and then again? etc?
as a tangent: should we continue to debate after-life? would this be productive in some way? will my consciousness 'move on'?

—-

and now we ask ourselves again:

what is the meaning of life?
what is its purpose?
and why does it exists?

is life relevant? to what end? our own closure mechanism? so we die 'happ'?

there is no meaning or purpose for life… it will accomplish absolutely nothing, at the end

…results of a wondering (tormented) mind, with too much time on my hands (put my out of my misery :)

ps. actually, the true meaning of life is… 42

 

[wantittoendsoon]

meaning of life

perception of existence:

the only, and huge difference between humans and the rest of the animals is intelligence

animal awareness - basic knowledge for navigating the immediate environment

humans consciousness - much higher level of observation and perception of nature, including the concept of self awareness (most important aspect)

• why am i here? what is my purpose? (philosophy)
• why was i born / why do i die? (meta-physics)
• why am i sad / happy / feel pain / regret / suffering? (psychology)

how many lions do you know that

• wonder if they should eat that antelope? (is morally wrong? should i feel guilty about it?)
• worry that they might damage the environment, or endanger the eco-system?
• or feel pure empathy or altruism/selflessness?

how many ants do you know that asks themselves: why am i here? what is 'me', or 'my'?

all other animals are only driven by basic instincts - thirst, hunger, reproduction, and that's it
automatically continue to reproduce and expand - mindlessly, without any reflection, or after-thought (question nature's experiments)

humans have logic, creativity, imagination, power of self-reflection, of extrapolation, concept of existence

we are not gifted, superior, or arrogant - we are cursed; by nature - we have the ability to understand and observe how miserable we are; the enormous potential of our suffering and our depth of despair, to such extent that we ask ourselves: is our existence worth it? and for what? what's the end goal of all this?

—-

from the universe's perspective, life is one of the trillions of trillions of xN of experiments executed over the 14 billion years of natural evolution trillions of trillions xN of variables) - this little experiment resulted in an extreme anomaly: life; not only that, but intelligent life! and painfully aware of our loneliness - desperately seeking aliens

the extreme case of suffering - to drive life's progress at all costs, the only true motivation extreme desperation against an enormous dead universe

so what is the true meaning of life? why does life exist surrounded by death? what is it trying to accomplish?


i don't see its purpose:

let's say that it will eventually take over all the planets in all galaxies. then what?
will everything stop? somehow? and how? and why? or why not?

however, life will never manage to take over the universe - simply not possible
because all galaxies expand away from each other faster than the speed of light - it can never-ever catch-up

and

all galaxies are spiraling towards their centers - supermassive black holes
after they devour all stars around them, and if they are close enough to each other, they'll devour themselves
and at the end, when the universe is full of super-super-super-super-supermassive black holes (sssssm), without stars or matter - all the existing remaining sssssm black holes start to erode, until there is nothing left of them
and now the universe is completely empty: no light at all (no photons), and no neutrinos - no matter

the space will be a complete void, void in time - this is actually the death of death itself

is this a complete reboot of a cyclical universe? (infinite expansion / collapsing cycle?)

or is it that all supermassive black holes become smaller universes in themselves? (infinite recursive cycles). will some of these universes generate life and consciousness again? and then again? etc?
as a tangent: should we continue to debate after-life? would this be productive in some way? will my consciousness 'move on'?

—-

and now we ask ourselves again:

what is the meaning of life?
what is its purpose?
and why does it exists?

is life relevant? to what end? our own closure mechanism? so we die 'happ'?

there is no meaning or purpose for life… it will accomplish absolutely nothing, at the end

…results of a wondering (tormented) mind, with too much time on my hands (put my out of my misery :)

ps. actually, the true meaning of life is… 42

well said. Your questions raised one in my mind and I really think it is important. How many animals accumulate more than they need, I don't mean squirrels hording nuts for the winter. Only humans(some) have multiple homes while others have no where to live, have more food than they can eat while others starve, accumulate wealth they could never spend while others are poor...and many more things...It would be interesting if this wasn't the case to see how it would effect the world.

 

[ksp]

How many animals accumulate more than they need, I don't mean squirrels hording nuts for the winter. Only humans(some) have multiple homes while others have no where to live

yes, we are the masters of our own suffering, and everything around us…

 

[geogaddi]

Meaning creating is a universal amongst humans so it is real in the same way that happiness, depression, anxiety etc is, it evolved as an instinct for our survival and propagation. Subjectivity is more real than the numbers and abstractions of materialism because by definition its the only thing we can experience directly, so even though our feelings and instincts can't be quantified and isolated, the meaning or lack associated with them is as real as anything else we can know out there. probably garbled but am tired,always tired.

 

[Forever Sleep]

all other animals are only driven by basic instincts - thirst, hunger, reproduction, and that's it

I think about this a lot and to an extent I agree- animals do seem to be focussed more on survival rather than self awareness. (They have to be- poor things.)

Still- the interesting thing I find is animals we keep as pets or young animals. They DO seem to have awareness of what is 'right' and 'wrong' because they have been taught it. I think most of us can think of animals that push their luck and be 'naughty'- knowing that it's going to annoy their care givers. It's part of play in a way- which we hold in common with our animal friends.

I do find it interesting that animals brought up around humans DO seem to sometimes exhibit more signs of self awareness. They almost become more human in a way because we tend to treat them like that. Kind of off-topic- sorry to the OP but I find it interesting to think about. Sorry for de-railing the thread.

What if the meaning of life is to avoid pain and that's it?

I think it's a question most of us have asked ourselves. I guess the cliche is to find happiness/ to be as fulfilled/ happy as you can for as longer periods as you can- and like you said- try to avoid pain on the way.

Sadly though- I think this to some extent may actually do us more harm than good... I hate exercise for example. It's mildly painful to be out of breath and have your muscles ache. Still- if I don't make the effort to do it- I end up feeling worse. I also want to have a creative job. The best chances of that happening are trying to get multiple freelance projects. Constantly job hunting isn't pleasurable, neither are interviews or working for companies who exploit you, or filling in tax returns. The alternative of getting a 'proper' job would certainly be simpler but I'd hate it even more!

I suppose what I'm trying to say is- pursuit of a longterm goal can SOMETIMES give us more sense of purpose in our lives- even if the steps to attain that goal aren't always that pleasant. To avoid pain means avoiding all risk because with risk comes the chance of failure (which is painful.) I think sometimes we simply end up living exceedingly boring lives (me included) BECAUSE we are trying to avoid pain and the things that scare us.

Still- ultimately- I do have to agree with you- with death on the cards anyway, it kind of makes everything feel rather pointless! It's terribly tempting just to take the short cut.

 

[MideonNViscera]

The meaning of life is just what you get out of it. It's a personal thing. I have kept going this long for entirely different reasons than anyone else here, and it's the same for them. There's also a nearly infinite number of reasons our lives have lost meaning.

Scientifically I guess the meaning of life is just to procreate and keep the species going. Not everyone does that, but a lot of our positives emotions towards other people are still tied up in it.

 

[ksp]

They DO seem to have awareness of what is 'right' and 'wrong'

you're right - i was too dismissive of animal intelligence (feel pure empathy or altruism/selflessness)
i know of dogs (elephants, dolphins) that refuse to eat until death, because of the death of owner, or life mate
obviously, animals are not immune to suffering. not because they can't sustain themselves, but in spite of this

 

[SamTam33]

If we're still contemplating the meaning of life after all this time on earth (with no definitive answer), maybe the logical conclusion is that there is no meaning.

But eon after eon, generation after generation - we're still asking the question.

It's like we refuse to accept our lack of significance or purpose.

I don't know that the earth ever needed humans, tbh.

Like all the millions of species of insects. They don't ALL have a purpose. They're just... here. And so are we. For a little while.

 

[SFB123]

If we're still contemplating the meaning of life after all this time on earth (with no definitive answer), maybe the logical conclusion is that there is no meaning.

But eon after eon, generation after generation - we're still asking the question.

It's like we refuse to accept our lack of significance or purpose.

I don't know that the earth ever needed humans, tbh.

Like all the millions of species of insects. They don't ALL have a purpose. They're just... here. And so are we. For a little while.

Yeah for real I agree with you that we refuse to accept lack of significance in the grand scheme of things. I think the reason for that is it's hardwired into our brains and neural networks due to the evolutionary advantage of believing we have purpose as an individual, because purpose = will = increased chances of survival to propagate your genes to your offspring. Then these poor individuals (your offspring) will ponder the same question until they eventually pass on their genes and so forth ... the conundrum continues until the end of time (or should I say us humans).