The True Meaning of Life??

D

davey

Senior Member
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Ozzieland
We do realize that we really had no choice about being here. That decision was made for us by two other adults male and female. But beyond the original procreation phase - is there another meaning about being here that has yet not unfolded or are we really just a manifestation of a spermatozoa and ovum full stop. And all we need to do is get on with living the dream as some have already suggested on the forum?
 

The common fallacy of begging the question is when one asks a question in such a way that it already includes the answer. It is a form of illogical seduction. Just because someone asks, "What is the meaning in life," doesn't mean life has meaning, but since you asked the question you've tricked the listener into thinking that life must have some meaning, because the question implies it does.

The question is interesting, but unfortunately invalid. Those who agree that there is an answer can't universally agree on what it is. Also, for the question to be valid, it should first be proven that life has meaning. Then we could proceed in a logical orderly investigation.
 
"..it should first be proven that life has meaning."? Proven to whom? Some judge who has the final last word on the truth? Is there some jury or council who, having decided on the validity of the question, will now tell the rest of the world whether life has meaning or not?

There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to the meaning of life. My view is that identifying how to lead a meaningful life is an individual's personal lifelong journey.
OK, I admit that for me it's axiomatic that life is meaningful. The alternative is meaninglessness. Anyone who buys into that opinion is entitled to that opinion.
 

JustDave said:
...Just because someone asks, "What is the meaning in life," doesn't mean life has meaning...Also, for the question to be valid, it should first be proven that life has meaning.
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@JustDave , and @Repondering , so your answer is "I don't know if life has meaning or not". Fair enough but doesn't allow for any discussion. Other's may want to speculate (or by faith) for discussion. Other's may find that it's much easier to have faith that there is meaning rather than no meaning. And thus the curiosity of others than yourselves will be interested in their reasons.

Personally, it would take a lot more faith for me to believe "we are are just a matter of spermatozoa and ovum full stop" than to have faith in believing there is an intelligent designer...God. "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the word of God" Romans 10:17

But as far as, "is there another meaning about being here that has yet not unfolded", I refer to prophecy that has been documented in history of flawless fulfillment, and prophecy that is still unfolding it's fulfillment in today's news and events, which proves there is meaning for us being here.

No fact has ever been given greater verification than the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophesies while He was living on this earth. What is the chance factor that one man could have fulfilled these prophecies?

"If you marked one of ten pieces of paper and dropped them in a hat, the chances that you would draw out the marked piece of paper while you were blindfolded would be 1 in 10. A consevative chance factor that one man has fulfilled 8 Old Testament prophecies is 1 in 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. If you had this many silver dollars, you would be able to cover the entire state of Texas two feet deep. The chance that a blindfolded man, walking around Texas in these silver dollars, would pick out a marked one is the chance that one man could have fulfilled eight prophesies.

(I'm skipping more astronomical examples of proof from the number of electrons in the universe because this is SF, not enough space but I can if requested). To the same degree that we know a man could not pick out a marked electron from that astronomical mass, we know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He not only fulfilled 48 prophecies as documented, He fulfilled over 300.

So this is one of many powerful reason for my faith in Jesus teachings in The New Testament, where He goes into depth the meaning of life and why we are here. It's vast.

The numerical facts here are quoted from "Science Speaks" (Moody Press) 30 years ago but still relevant.
 
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This sounds just like the Free Will argument as in do we have it or not. If anyone has found an answer and proof one way or another to that, I'd like to hear it. But I do agree with do the best you can with life. It just does boil down to your individual decisions and what you do with them. Whether they turn out to be good or bad decisions will come out in the wash.
 
I just gotta thinkin ? [watch out here comes trouble!! hahah] what if everytime you had or wanted to make a major decision about your life and possible movements or changes you could simple call on a mate like for example JC and discuss it out and get some advise ? - I would imagine that many of us would love to be able to do that? Hmmm thinks thinks thinks??
 
davey said:
I just gotta thinkin ? [watch out here comes trouble!! hahah] what if everytime you had or wanted to make a major decision about your life and possible movements or changes you could simple call on a mate like for example JC and discuss it out and get some advise ? - I would imagine that many of us would love to be able to do that? Hmmm thinks thinks thinks??
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You would have to decide if the advice was a good one. You really can't get away from making decisions. You've heard the saying that even no decision is a decision. ========
 
Faith is not fact and if people choose to believe that is fine for them. Personally life is first random good or bad luck such as when and where you are born.

There’s no deeper meaning and people have to live with the hand they are dealt. They make it better or worse based on the decisions they make.

People will be kind and think of others when they aren’t struggling to survive on both a physical and psychological level. If the basics aren’t met they don’t have the bandwidth for deeper connection.
 
DebraMae said:
So, assuming that life has meaning, what might the meaning be?
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Life has meaning to me.
Perhaps the meaning, or absence of meaning, is up to and unique for each individual.
Beyond that, I strive to see if there is some additional meaning to life worth expanding my consciousness to include.

Lara said:
No fact has ever been given greater verification than the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Jesus fulfilled over 300 Old Testament prophesies while He was living on this earth.
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Many people speak in absolutes without having credible knowledge or evidence of such claims being true.
Thus I'm curious why you feel that any of those claims would be true, and what difference that believing them makes.
 
What people find meaningful is the realization of their own expectation in life of themselves. When we see evidence that supports our own world view, we feel congruent with life and content that life for us has meaning.

I never try to talk someone out of their views and expectations of the world because maybe that's what keeps them going.
 
This question that has been discussed by philosophers for generations is poorly posed. Generally it is interpreted using other words, none of which reflects the term "meaning" For example on Wikipedia:

  • What is the meaning of life? What's it all about? Who are we?
  • Why are we here? What are we here for?
  • What is the origin of life?
  • What is the nature of life? What is the nature of reality?
  • What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of one's life?
  • What is the significance of life?
  • What is the value of life?
  • What is the reason to live? What are we living for?

Replying to the sense of the term "meaning" this person would say it ought be addressed as life versus non-life that Wikipedia shows:

Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from matter that does not. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, organization, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, and reproduction. All life over time eventually reaches a state of death and none is immortal.

But actually what is implied but not stated, is "What is the meaning of life for humans". And if so one might simply state as an sub-extension of the above that, we humans are also intelligent life form entities that think with language complexities. All the rest of the answers to the question as noted are about related questions.

One must address, what is meant when something has "meaning". With some web searching, the following fit best.

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/meaning#google_vignette

The meaning of what someone says or of something such as a book or film is the thoughts or ideas that are intended to be expressed by it.

From that I'll state:
The meaning of human life for humans are the thoughts or ideas via human language that are intended to be expressed by describing human life existence. And from that one necessarily points back to the difference between life versus non-life things and how we humans are a special type of intelligent organic life thing.
 
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Olivia said:
This sounds just like the Free Will argument as in do we have it or not. If anyone has found an answer and proof one way or another to that, I'd like to hear it. But I do agree with do the best you can with life. It just does boil down to your individual decisions and what you do with them. Whether they turn out to be good or bad decisions will come out in the wash.
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Wow it’s Olivia. Welcome back Olivia.
Sure nice to see you.
IMG_4486.jpeg
 
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