The Meaning of Life: A Trick Question?

The meaning of life when examined is really a trick question. There is none. Let's begin by examining what meaning is. Meaning is something that you do something for. Something you get out of something. The meaning of me going to the grocery strore is to get food. I get food out of going to the grocery store. Therefore, through this view, when you examine what you get out of life you realize that you get nothing. Out of years and years of working hard to make it to the top you then die and lose everything. So there must be no meaning to life. I suppose we are just creatures that float around doing things that make us feel good until we die. I can't extract any real reason for life so far. Though maybe I'm looking in the wrong directions. To prove my theory, if you can find a meaning to life, post it here. If I am not able to prove it wrong by my own reasoning then you will have shown me the meaning to life. Though, if I am able to disprove every reason then I must be right. Please do not make any ignorant posts. The content of this thread should be intelligent and well thought through.

this is stupid. You can say whatever you want. Obviosly you are an athiest. I could say any theist's point of view you would start a flame or say that it hasn't been proven so you are still right; so there is no right response to this message except to create a fight or to bash you. I don't see why you started this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by linuxdude

this is stupid. You can say whatever you want. Obviosly you are an athiest. I could say any theist's point of view you would start a flame or say that it hasn't been proven so you are still right; so there is no right response to this message except to create a fight or to bash you. I don't see why you started this.

---

Sometimes when people don't wan't to face their fears they react with anger. Maybe you are afraid that if you look at reality you will realize there is nothing there but a large mass of molecules.

Not every action that we take has a meaning that we understand at the time. Example:
From day 1 of boot camp right handed people were forced to sit left leg over right leg, left handed people right leg over left leg. This is counter to what most people are used to and is quite uncomfortable. Why did we do it? Because we were told to. Still it had no meaning to us. When we reached the rifle range the meaning did become clear, sitting in that position provided a better support then with the legs cross the other way. We were forced to sit like that prior to that so that our muscles would become used to the position and the discomfort went away.
Now with life the meaning might not be known to us until its too late to share it with others.

So then you are saying that the answer to what everyone strives for never comes until they lose the chance to gain it. You saying that means that possibly you don't learn the meaning of life until you die. So then why is suicide looked at like a crime and not like reading a book. If you read a book you are just gaining knowledge. The same thing would be true with death.

Actually what I am saying that sometimes we don't have any idea why we do what we do. I theorized that we might not realize what why we spent our time on the earth until we are at a point that we aren't able to share it with others. Now this could because they won't have enough experience to draw on to understand it or maybe they will just refuse to believe it.

Also as life is a very personal thing, the meaning of life could be so individualized that no one else would be able to understand it.

I do know one thing: New people to messageboards shouldn't start religious or political threads and insult the majority of the people with quips such as

Quote:

---

Please do not make any ignorant posts.

---

All i have to say on the matter is Ninja

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by prog-bman

All i have to say on the matter is Ninja

---

When I said ignorant posts I didn't mean ones related to one's religeon, but ones like these.

Would those be the cprog's elite ninjas or just general ninja's prog-bman?

i would have to say cprog's elite ninja's they love cookies so you have to love them

Only warm soft cookies. I mean they are ninjas, not heathens.

Yes, now the thread loses all meaning because of the distraction of some ignorant comment. Thanks prog-bman for stupidifying this thread.

1) Welcome to the GD board
2) This thread was stupidified from the beginning.
3) Don't attack established members

this thread was stupid when it was still a little poop covered gem in your mind.

and that's coming from another atheist.

closed.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chix/w/guns

When I said ignorant posts I didn't mean ones related to one's religeon, but ones like these.

---

You should read Camus or Sartre. I particularly recommend "The Myth of Sisyphus" as a starting point on the subject of the (supposed) absurdity of life, which your original post vaguely hinted at. I think it's fair to say that prog-bman was making a fairly astute joke on the nature of the meaning of life by highlighting the absurdity of the discussion (which is at least an arguable claim and one many people would agree with), with a twist of irony that the discussion itself is on the subject of the absurd.

Also, on a meta-level, by derailing the thread early, he may be hoping to stave off the inevitable flame war that erupts whenever people who don't know each other discuss religion, politics, or Microsoft.

In any case, I think a particular Camus quote is relevant in regard to you original post: "You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."

EDIT: Looks like prog-bman was pretty successful.