What is the meaning of life?

[Cuthien, Wolf-maiden]

THE STATION
By Robert J Hastings

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision.
We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent
We are travelling by trains. Out of the windows we drink
in the passing scene of cars on highways, or children
waving at a passing crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of
smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and
wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides
of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our mind is the final destination.
On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station.
Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there so may
wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will
fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace
the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering, waiting, waiting
waiting for the station.

‘When we reach the station, that will be it! We cry!
‘When I’m 18.’ ‘When I buy the new 450SLMercedes Benz!’
‘When I put the last kid through college.’ ‘When I have paid off the
mortgage!’ ‘When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever
after!’

Sooner or later we must realise that there is no station, no one
place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip.
The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

‘Relish the moment’ is a good motto, especially when coupled
with Psalm 118:24 ‘This is the day that the Lord has made; we will rejoice
and be glad in it.’ It is the regrets over yesterday
and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves that
rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles.
Climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often,
Forge more,
watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less.
life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.


I think this poem hits the nail on the head.

Yeah, we really should enjoy the day.  I look forward to things, but I always forget that every day is a gift from God, to use it for His glory.  That's what I believe, but yet I always forget, sadly.  Just, everyone, enjoy the day you've been given.  It's a gift, that's why it's called the present.  Corny, I know, but true.

why cant we just be an accident?  There are reactions going off in space all the time.  Maybe other life forms have been created by these.  Maybe we all survived because everything was in the right place and time and sync.

Well, we work too well.  Yeah, there's disease, but I still marvel at the ability of the human body to fix itself.  Given the right help (plenty of nutritional supplenments and nutritionally dense foods, not chemo), the body can even rid itself of cancer.  I mean, how can an accident create emotion?  The ability to love another person, or even your dog.  How can an accident create the ability to make art and music?  You can throw a bunch of parts together and hope it will make a violin or a skateboard.  Someone has to build it.  And the complexity of the human mind could not have come from an accident.  A reaction between two random particles cannot create the brain of Einstein, nor the laugh that you share with a friend. 

[morbid_mind]

Here...its this simple...the meaning of life is 42...err...or was it 43? hmm...i got it!!! 42!! right?? lol jp its definitly 42

[EG]

yeah but what is the ultimate question

[The NOT So Magical Elf]

is there really any point worring about the meaning, because while u sit and ponder.. its out there passing u by.
 
as long as U feel uv lived a worthwile life what does it matta..

howeva i am kinda curious as 2y im here in the first place
but whateva the reason, idunno.. Liv Long N Prospa

[Taurendil]

Life on Earth is an accident, it appeared due to special conditions and we’re a natural development of those micro organisms, I’m sure. This naturally suggests that there is not meaning of life and so I thought until I asked myself a question how all the universe itself appeared. If it is a creation of something or someone then there is meaning of life since we were intended to be. Though there is no proof of that there is no proof of the contrary.
I feel discontent with the ideas like ‘to live for the others’, ‘to seek some goal’ or ‘to live for life’. All of these make me think of other questions like ‘why to live for the others’ and ‘what the goal should be’.

[Gollum]

Other popular ones are:
To live
To be happy
To reproduce
To help others
To fulfill yourself or live for yourself

To me, the only possible meaning would be to reproduce and continue the species, as that's the only thing that counts in the natural world.

[Mithrandir]

But that's not a meaning, that's a reason.

[Taurendil]

To me, the only possible meaning would be to reproduce and continue the species, as that's the only thing that counts in the natural world.

And for the sake of what may I inquire?

[Gollum]

But that's not a meaning, that's a reason.

Meaning, reason, they're both the same.

And for the sake of what may I inquire?

As I said, for the subconscious and instinctual belief of continuing the species and passing on your genes.

[Mithrandir]

But that's not a meaning, that's a reason.

Meaning, reason, they're both the same.

No, they're not. Which is my point.

[Taurendil]

To me, the only possible meaning would be to reproduce and continue the species, as that's the only thing that counts in the natural world.

And for the sake of what may I inquire?

As I said, for the subconscious and instinctual belief of continuing the species and passing on your genes.

So, as far as I understand you, to reproduce and continue the species for the sake of reproducing and continuing. Is not it a closed circle? Life for the sake of life? 

[Gollum]

Well what are the differences if they are so completely unrelated. To me on a basic level, they are equivalent.


And without that level of understanding as to the meaning of life, there would be no life to have a meaning for.
This however I believe to be the meaning, if and only if there has to be an ultimate one.

[Mithrandir]

Despite being two years older, and wiser, I stand by what I said in this thread (page 6) almost two years ago...

I don't see why life has to have a meaning.

We all know life is the act of living, I don't think it is anymore than that.

There is no pupous to our living, just that we are what we are.

[Taurendil]

And without that level of understanding as to the meaning of life, there would be no life to have a meaning for.

Well, that's obvious. But what is the meaning of reproducing then? What's the meaning of continuing of life??

Despite being two years older, and wiser, I stand by what I said in this thread (page 6) almost two years ago...

I don't see why life has to have a meaning.

We all know life is the act of living, I don't think it is anymore than that.

There is no pupous to our living, just that we are what we are.

So, according to you, the life hasn't got a meaning? I agree with your quopte, but however life MAY have a meaning that's what I think.

[Jim]

Life on Earth is an accident, it appeared due to special conditions and we’re a natural development of those micro organisms, I’m sure. This naturally suggests that there is not meaning of life and so I thought until I asked myself a question how all the universe itself appeared. If it is a creation of something or someone then there is meaning of life since we were intended to be. Though there is no proof of that there is no proof of the contrary.
I feel discontent with the ideas like ‘to live for the others’, ‘to seek some goal’ or ‘to live for life’. All of these make me think of other questions like ‘why to live for the others’ and ‘what the goal should be’.

But if there is no meaning to life, then why do we have intelligence that allows us to have an awareness, something other animals don't.

Because we have that intelligence over other animals, we have meaning to life, it's what you make of it. Thats my take.

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