johnny fishface wrote:
Maybe 'e was dictating.
I had to sign up for this topic.
This is one subject that just makes me sad. Sounds like Mort had one of those epiphanies and we couldn’t let him savor it. There is only one thing that no single person will ever know - why we are here. What is the meaning of life?
There isn’t one. But we act as though there is. People like Mort, who makes babies and the satisfaction and joy that these children bring to the new parents makes them feel as though they are contributing and fulfilling some greater meaning.
But the truth hits when you sit down to ponder why we have more kids? More and more generations, piling up and adding up. Using up the resources of earth, looking for fresher planets to habitate. Your kids will have kids, their kids will have kids.
Those that buy into God, think that it’s God’s will to procreate. But for what? Is the last generation somehow the lucky one that will be let it on the “Grand Master Poobah Plan?” Well, aren’t they just the bees knees? Guess we’re all just the grunts that do the work to put forth this lucky final, future generation?
Rather depressing. So …to Mort, Congratulations, revel in the feeling of knowing why we’re here. You are one of the lucky few that does.
I never will get the joke.
Yeah, yeah. 42.
Welecome to the SD message boards JustAnnie. I, myself, am a relative new comer. I think you’ll find the boards very mentally stimulating and fun.
JustAnnie wrote:
I think this is the second or third time I’ve seen this type of comment in this thread, and while I do agree that there may not be a universal meaning to life, I do not agree that there isn’t one, and I do not think that we ‘act’ as if there is. Nearly all of us have something that drives us, something that gives our life meaning and purpose. To bastardize what tracer wrote earlier, maybe it has become a genetic part of our species; those with allele A (whose life has meaning) propagate , while those with allele B (whose life has no meaning) kill themselves.
So, on a personal level my life has meaning - my kids, my wife, my writing, etc. - but, the things that mean something to me, are not going to mean anything to you.
johnny fishface wrote:
Um … wait. You don’t think we “act” as if there is a meaning to life, and nearly all of us have something that gives our life meaning?
Maybe ya ought to clarify this little apparent contradiction here. The second sentence sounds to me like we do act as if there is a meaning to life.
tracer wrote:
I don’t think there’s a contradiction, but I see where the confusion lies. I meant it’s not an act; the things I mentioned above trully give my life meaning, but in and of themselves, are not the meaning of life.
The purpose of life is to crush your enemy posters, drive them before you and listen to the lamentations of the SDMB moderators.
mipsman wrote:
no, no. I thought “they” were the enemy!
The question “What is the meaning of life?” baffles me because I don’t think it makes any sense. What is really being asked? It’s not asking what the definition of life is. As was pointed out, it is asking what is the purpose of life (or of each individual life.) Or perhaps, what is the function of each individual life? What role do I serve and what actions am I supposed to perform while I exist? And who decides what that role and those actions are? And do we include non-human life in the question?
If you ask, what is the function of a hammer, by looking at it, you could determine it was made to strike objects with a great force. In theory, one could claim the function of a hammer is to hold water for people to drink, but it fails miserably. So what is the meaning of a hammer? Whatever you want it to be?
The human body (or any animal’s body, or any plant) is made to survive and reproduce. It does this extremely well. What other role does it fulfill as well? Making everyone happy? If every person on the planet were miserable, would life cease to exist? No. Only if every person stopped reproducing.
So asking “What is the meaning of life?” (or “Why is life?”) is like asking “Why is water?” It’s a bad question.
This post is like a sneeze.
God bless you.
Gesundheit.