But overall voyager, I think you’re right, considering my position. The reason I feel nihilistic from time to time is because I haven’t really done anything yet. I can’t have my own family, or do anything that I want to do because it isn’t up to me yet. I can’t support anything let alone myself, and I don’t intend to prove it by working entry level positions and living pay check to pay check unless I absolutely have to. My time will come but I’m so anxious to do things already, that preparing for it, whether its studying or working seems like an eternity. So I’ll end up feeling like life will always be so unrewarding!!! WAHHH!!!
So thanks for the heads up.
Obviously my thoughts give me some meaning, elsewise i would be 'splainin everything about everything al the time
Welcome to the Dope. A look at your other OPs, in both their quality and considering you’ve been on board 3 days, their quantity, reveals a truly honest inquiring mind. God knows, we can use a few more around here.
Let me first say that I was a “nihilist” most of my until life until recently. If you want particulars, PM me.
The universe, per se, has no meaning. Each of us brings to everything in every situation any meaning it seems to have to . This is to say, believing is seeing. IANAC, but this idea was the most important thing Jesus had to say on the subject of personal salvation, IMHO.
Of course, the standard argument against is that seeing is believing and, ultimately, I am not responsible for my thoughts and am at the mercy of a chaotic universe. I agree the “evidence” for this is at times seems overwhelming and enough to turn any thinking person into a nihilist.
But take hope in the fact that you are responsible for and can change your thoughts and that believing is seeing. Look within and find all the meaning you need. As it comes to you, you will immediately begin to recognize it in the world you see. Happy hunting.
Again, IANAC, but as Jesus put it, the kingdom is within and at hand, and I interpret that to mean, not sometime in the future.
Well, as a solipcist, I know that you all are just figments of my imagination.
So I don’t worry at all-I am ALL, I will ALLWAYS exist, there is NOTHING but ME!
So why should I worry?
This is my first SDMB post and I have to apologize because it is as true as a poem. I actually do know the answer but I don’t have the time to organize it and type it up; also it won’t fit in this margin. ; )
Even if I could type up the meaning of life I don’t think it would be any more or less meaningful than 42 unless you put in the time to understand it yourself so I am going to give you a number of lenses to help focus your question a bit more.
Problem solving inspired solution: start small and and try to generalize. I asked about the meaning of Winnie-the-Pooh’s life. I know A. A. Milne created Pooh and even have some data on why Pooh was created. I can also know everything Pooh has done.
Calculus inspired: cut life up into shorter pieces and shorter pieces and try to discover the meaning of your life right now then integrate the meaning from birth to now/death/infinity.
Biology wonderfully explains the mechanics behind Life itself.
One might be tempted to look to Psychology to understand the meaning of life for your individual mind but I only trust Psychology as far as Neurology can throw it and that is getting farther everyday.
Lastly, I would strongly suggest that you consider the remote possibility that you may never need to die without getting bogged down in the technical details. Does living forever change the meaning of life?
When I was a nihilist, what I was actually doing was denying responsibility for the seemingly chaotic and eminently unfair universe I had seemingly been born into without my say so. Hey, fuck who’s ever responsible for this shit. It ain’t my fault.
Were I a solipsist, I would claim credit for it all but still feel I could unhypocritically join the bitching chorus. I’m doing it, I hate it but I can’t stop doing it. Make room on the bench, it ain’t really my fault, guys.
Were I a theist, I would imagine a Creator (names vary) which had dumped me in a pile of shit and expected me to dig myself out, either in this life or the next, be that on earth, in heaven or hell.
Atheists get to shovel shit in any direction and tell everyone else to STFU.
Agnostics have it the easiest. The occasional duh? suffices.
There is an alternative and that’s all I’m saying. Period.
Now! This is our new member’s thread and I am really out of here.
I have expressed a few opinions and if anyone wants to question them, take it to the board of your choice, I’ll be there.
And once again, mu, good work.
On preview, I see that ToborAton is a poet and he knows it.
I’m sure you are right that we are all shaped by the knowledge of death - but we are also shaped by having to eat, and wanting to keep warm, and lots of other things. All I’m saying is that it doesn’t affect what I’m doing now very much. Though I suppose if I knew I were never going to die I’d have put more in my 401K.
I’ve never been big on just looking for immediate rewards - I spent 7 years in grad school. I started saving a lot when our first kid was about 1, and we timed our kids so that they would not be in college at the same time. It is possible to think ahead, and I recommend it - when they were in college, not at the same time, we were damn glad we had thought of this.
I have a father who is 94 and very healthy, so let’s say I haven’t canceled any magazine subscriptions yet.
I suspect everyone in this thread is talking about the meaning of life to us. Not much more we can say.
In my thinking,Life’ is’ purpose. We were born to live as long and as well as we can. Animals, plants etc. propagate to keep the species going. Our singular purpose is to live as well as we can, and that means helping others as it also betters our lives, and our decendents. One reaps what one sews in most cases. A good deed seems to come back to us at one time or the other. That has been my experience.
Plus, you can’t say morality has a role in anything anyway. Because morality is defined by what people say, like everything. And if everyone doesn’t agree, than it’s not inconsequential and people will still do whatever they want, as they always have.
Even Bad people have done some good things. I often wonder why people choose to do bad things, what happened in their lives to make them want to hurt others? People like Hitler who prosecuted Jews when his own biological father was Jewish!
A minister was giving a sermon. he kept (in a loud voice ) saying" what are we hear for? After saying this several times, a young boy stood up and yelled back"Because we are not all there!"
Regardless of what you may have been taught by religion or science, there is a purpose and meaning to life. There is a higher consciousness or power that created both you and the universe. Physical life is like a school of accellerated learning to become better than you are now. The point is to grow emotional by helping others to grow. The main points are the law of attraction, love, forgiveness, and non-judgement. The more you practice these the more you will understand the meaning and purpose. You will live on after the death of your body, and this instruction will be most important to you. If you are sure this is incorrect, then just keep doing as usual.
That is how ‘you’ believe it to be, and I would not interfere with your rights to believe what you want to believe,neither your, my, or any one’s belief is fact…Just belief…a personal thing!
One can cling to a belief and if it does no harm to others it doesn’t bother me in the least! We still have to live in the now the best we can. You are just a human like the rest of us so your thinking to me is that of a human and I feel my thinking is best for me, and others who disagree with you also have the right to think their own thoughts!
