Why are you, you?

[flamingjimmy]

Objectively I can't help but wonder that life is ultimately void of meaning. Subjectively, I suppose I can give my life any meaning I wish.

 

There is certainly not an objective meaning to life, at least not one discernible from our current understanding. Life can mean whatever you want it to for you, that's the way I've always looked at it too. At least we agree on some things.

[espadrille]

Objectively I can't help but wonder that life is ultimately void of meaning. Subjectively, I suppose I can give my life any meaning I wish. It is this distinction that interests me. Can one be subjectively nihilistic, for example?

 

Are you saying that your life is void of meaning, or life in general?

[harvey19]

The odds against any one of us being conceived and born with our uniqueness are massive.

Therefore we are all special individuals.

Enjoy life and be gratefull for being here.

[epiphany]

Are you saying that your life is void of meaning, or life in general?

 

Life in general.

[espadrille]

Life in general.

 

Ok

 

To me the meaning of life is to make a difference. To pass something on to somebody or something. This was apparent to me in August this year when my 85 year old Mum passed away and I decided that I would give a little speech at her funeral.

Of course she is now gone physically but every day I know that I can see what she passed on, to me, to my daughter, to my son etc.

My daughter has the ability to make something out of nothing. She can take a piece of material say from a charity shop and make it in to something useful. My Mum taught her to do that. We have just ate some lovely mince pies that she made, which my Mum taugh her how to do.

 

So making a difference is important. Well it is to me anyway.

[danot]

Life in general.

If that's what you truly believe then you're right. It is.. to you. It isn't life that's wonderful, it's you that has the potential capability to make your own life, or someone else's life wonderful.

[epiphany]

There is certainly not an objective meaning to life, at least not one discernible from our current understanding. Life can mean whatever you want it to for you, that's the way I've always looked at it too. At least we agree on some things.

 

Yes, it makes sense. It's difficult sometimes what with so many private interests out there trying to give your life meaning for you, labelling and categorising you, creating false identities etc.

[spooky3]

Isn't it the same thing. If you are walking a path that you have never tread before, then you havent had that experience so in a way that is an experiment. isn't it?

 

As I replied previously, no, not when using the word "experiment" in the circumstances prescribed...

 

Not when conforming to 1a

 

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/experiment

 

e.g.

1.

a. A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something previously untried.

 

Otherwise, yes anything can be an experiment. But the reasoning behind the results may yield false positives.

 

For instance I cannot disprove God, yet I have no evidence for it. Just because I don't understand why something happened, through 'scientific' experimentation I could eventually. It's like I was told when it rains it is God crying, I can prove otherwise.

[epiphany]

Ok

 

To me the meaning of life is to make a difference. To pass something on to somebody or something. This was apparent to me in August this year when my 85 year old Mum passed away and I decided that I would give a little speech at her funeral.

Of course she is now gone physically but every day I know that I can see what she passed on, to me, to my daughter, to my son etc.

My daughter has the ability to make something out of nothing. She can take a piece of material say from a charity shop and make it in to something useful. My Mum taught her to do that. We have just ate some lovely mince pies that she made, which my Mum taugh her how to do.

 

So making a difference is important. Well it is to me anyway.

 

Bear in mind everything you said there represents subjective meaning - meaning you have given to your life. However, I'm not saying it is less noble as a result.

 

I too wish to make a difference. But that again is me giving my own life meaning. There is no objective reason I can think of to help anyone.

[espadrille]

Bear in mind everything you said there represents subjective meaning - meaning you have given to your life. However, I'm not saying it is less noble as a result.

 

I too wish to make a difference. But that again is me giving my own life meaning. There is no objective reason I can think of to help anyone.

 

I once read somewhere that there is some line of thinking ( and I cant remember what it was ) that says that we are all basically selfish.

I studied this a bit when research autism, derived from the greek word meaning self.

It is said that we are all somewhere on the spectrum and I agree with that.

I believe that ( maybe subconsciously) we only help others when we feel that there is something in it for us. For eg, if we help others and they recognise our efforts and offer thanks for what we did, then that makes us feel good about ourselves. This is just one example. I am sure that there are many others.