# The meaning of Life- What's it all about-What's important and what's not



## z104 (11 Nov 2009)

What's it all about?

Are we just here to eat, sleep, work and watch Television?

Should it not all be about making the world a better place for everybody to live in?


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## Caveat (11 Nov 2009)

This post will be deleted if not edited immediately. 

Hardly _shooting the breeze_ is it? 

But for what it's worth, I agree with you.

The answers will depend a lot on posters religious/spiritual positions I guess though.  It's all a bit more existential for athesists/agnostics I would say.


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## z104 (11 Nov 2009)

Caveat said:


> This post will be deleted if not edited immediately.
> 
> Hardly _shooting the breeze_ is it?
> 
> But for what it's worth, I agree with you.


 
Would you believe this crossed my mind while considering getting sky TV in .. I'm just thinking, Watching T.V. is such a waste of time. I know it's entertaining but there has to be more than keeping yourself entertained.


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## Caveat (11 Nov 2009)

Niallers said:


> Would you belive this crossed my mind while considering getting sky TV in .. I'm just thinking, Watching T.V. is such a waste of time. I know it's entertaining but there has to be more than keeping yourself entertained.


 
Don't go joining some cult now!

(Says the man who got Freeview last year himself)

Yes, TV watching can waste a lot of time but the key to TV is discipline I think.   Don't just turn it on for the sake of it - we never do.  Check to see if there is anything that you genuinely, really want to see and if not, don't even switch it on.  Quite often a day or two would go by in our house without TV at all.

Regarding 'entertainment' generally, be it music, games whatever I think it's by far the lesser evil.  I don't feel guilty about keeping myself entertained - I'd go mad if I didn't.  Depends what you mean by entertainment in a broader sense though I suppose.


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## corkgal (11 Nov 2009)

We are here to breed a better next generation, raise them and then to die to give them the resources to breed in turn. Its how Natural selection drives evolution.

Thing is to enjoy yourself and stay healthy and wealthy enough to do that for the longest possible time.


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## liaconn (11 Nov 2009)

corkgal said:


> We are here to breed a better next generation, raise them and then to die to give them the resources to breed in turn. Its how Natural selection drives evolution.
> 
> Thing is to enjoy yourself and stay healthy and wealthy enough to do that for the longest possible time.


 
So those of us without kids are not here for any particular purpose?


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## Latrade (11 Nov 2009)

corkgal said:


> We are here to breed a better next generation


 
Which implies a very important act missing from the original question:



Niallers said:


> Are we just here to eat, sleep, work and watch Television?


 
Add that in and I'd say you've nailed it as far as I'm concerned.


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## Caveat (11 Nov 2009)

liaconn said:


> So those of us without kids are not here for any particular purpose?


 
...and if you add to that those of us who do not believe in an afterlife either, well, I must be part of the world's worst group of 'gooseberries' then 

There's no point in me being here at all!

On a more serious note, 'work' would be very low on the list of our purpose in life as far as I'm concerned. Bettering yourself, enjoying your 'vocation', pursuing your interests maybe - but this may not necessarily fall under 'work'.


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## callybags (11 Nov 2009)

Work is generally a facilitator to enable us to achieve most other things.


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## Latrade (11 Nov 2009)

Caveat said:


> ...On a more serious note, 'work' would be very low on the list of our purpose in life as far as I'm concerned...


 
I can see this turning into another Public Sector Bashing opportunity...


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## truthseeker (11 Nov 2009)

42?

Seriously though, the meaning of life is to pass on your genes to the next generation and ensure the continuation of your genes through the human race. Evolution is the only meaning.

As humans have evolved we have eradicated a whole heap of issues that would have faced past generations and made it much harder to survive long enough to pass on genes. 
On the flip side we have introduced a whole new slew of issues that wouldnt have an opportunity to exist when we were busy just trying to survive.


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## Caveat (11 Nov 2009)

truthseeker said:


> Evolution is the only meaning.


 
To what end though? 

I know what you mean but it's not really an answer to the question.

(Not that I have answered either i admit)


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## liaconn (11 Nov 2009)

truthseeker said:


> 42?
> 
> Seriously though, the meaning of life is to pass on your genes to the next generation and ensure the continuation of your genes through the human race. Evolution is the only meaning.


 
It's an important issue, but what about people who do good without procreating? Or people who can't have children?  Should we all just get our coats now and leave quietly???


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## truthseeker (11 Nov 2009)

Caveat said:


> To what end though?
> 
> I know what you mean but it's not really an answer to the question.
> 
> (Not that I have answered either i admit)


 
There is no end. The beauty of evolution is that is simply carries on and on and on and on - for no other purpose than to make pretty patterns when viewed on a computer simulation 

From that perspective - there is no reason, there is no meaning.

Heres a question to focus the mind a bit more. Its all very well to ask what the meaning of a humans life is, but whats the meaning of life for a butterfly (or any other creature). If you figure out the answer to that, youve got your answer for humans too.


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## Caveat (11 Nov 2009)

By 'to what end' I meant more 'for what purpose' really, not a physical 'end' as such.

Nope. Don't buy it anyway.

Clumsy analogy maybe but to me, saying the meaning of life is simply to evolve is a bit like if I asked you what your role is in your company and you simply answered "To be good at what I do and to adapt".

Obviously the nature of evolution will mean that what might be regarded as important now will almost certainly not be regarded the same way in 1000 or even maybe 100 years, but I think there is more to life.

I don't know what, but I can certainly say what it _shouldn't_ be about - but then so can everyone.


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## Betsy Og (11 Nov 2009)

"Life is for living" ... my mam
"We're here for a good time, norrah long time"... Mrs. Brown, the Brendan O'Carroll film

Basically we should aim to enjoy ourselves and lead happy stable lives - thats my motto anyway. So I work hard, make enough to pay bills, enjoy family time, sports, the odd bit of boozing etc. Its all about balance, and making the most of yourself - or at least doing the things that make you happy.

Luckily everyone has a different idea of what would make them happy and that makes the world diverse - I admit the world would be fairly dull if full of people like me.

So there wont be one answer to the above question, but maybe there could be a general theme and I predict it, or one of them, might be

 - People/relationships are more important, or have the capacity to make you happier, than material things.


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## Abbica (11 Nov 2009)

The meaning.... who the heic knows, we are generally bred as robots, hell, as soon as we can speak we are moving swiftly into creche to be educated, to be sent to school, to college, to work, to pension, to casket. The only time you can truely enjoy life is when you retire and that is when life has left your body, for most. 
So maybe there is no meaning, everybody goes through the above routine in a different way. Survival of the fittest I suppose, any animal on this planet is here to breed, survive. Humans are the only animals on this planet that are greedy. What we want is to breed, survive but with plenty of money, which is what generally drives us all to be slaves, work...circle of life as Elton John would say. What you do inbetween, fair play, that's your business.


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## ivuernis (11 Nov 2009)

_"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different."_ - Kurt Vonnegut


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## roro123 (11 Nov 2009)

We are here to pay off bondholders in banks, well that's the meaning of life now for the next number of years or decades.


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## RMCF (11 Nov 2009)

Thanks for some of the posters on here for enlightening us as to what its all about.

I thought it was about (among other things):

Out of control capitalism
Out of control consumerism
Gaining as much money as possible
Showing no respect or care for your fellow human beings
X Factor
Jedward
Simon Cowell
Bono
Katie Prices' marriage
Soap operas
.... i could go on.


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## z107 (11 Nov 2009)

Maybe there is no meaning to life, the Universe and everything. What purpose does Earth and its inhabitants serve in the whole scheme of things? I can't see any external reason for our existence. Why does a rock exist, for example?

Then again, maybe we are here just to make plastic.


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## truthseeker (12 Nov 2009)

Caveat said:


> By 'to what end' I meant more 'for what purpose' really, not a physical 'end' as such.


 
What better end (or meaning) than be to taking part in The Greatest Show On Earth?

I agree with you though, its a bit flattening when you think about it - but Ive thought long and hard about it and I do believe that we are just here as part of the pattern of evolution and that its just a happy accident that we are sentient beings.

Thinking there is any more to it is (imo) ascribing a higher purpose to our existance that is unwarranted. We're gene replicators, like every other gene replicator on the planet.


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## Tomodinhio (12 Nov 2009)

This question makes my brain hurt, all i want is a nice cup of tea. I'll come back later and someone better have the answer otherwise ill get a headache.


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## z107 (12 Nov 2009)

> its just a happy accident that we are sentient beings


Why do you think you're sentient?


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## woodbine (12 Nov 2009)

Tomodinhio said:


> This question makes my brain hurt, all i want is a nice cup of tea. I'll come back later and someone better have the answer otherwise ill get a headache.


 

the answer is WISPA but they're all afraid to admit it.


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## Tomodinhio (12 Nov 2009)

woodbine said:


> the answer is WISPA but they're all afraid to admit it.



Are you suggesting that the meaning of life is so the Womens International Squash Players Association can exist. Froody  Makes about as much sense as anything else... i feel that headache coming on.


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## Vanilla (12 Nov 2009)

umop3p!sdn said:


> Why do you think you're sentient?


 
LOL


For anyone struggling with this question I highly recommend reading a good variety of poetry.


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## Caveat (12 Nov 2009)

Vanilla said:


> I highly recommend reading a good variety of poetry.


 
Is this a compilation then?

Sounds like _Best of Music_ or something.


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## Vanilla (12 Nov 2009)

Caveat said:


> Is this a compilation then?
> 
> Sounds like _Best of Music_ or something.


 

Don't be silly. That would be 'A Good Variety of Poetry; with foreword by...'

I'm reading Brendan Kennelly at the moment.


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## truthseeker (12 Nov 2009)

umop3p!sdn said:


> why do you think you're sentient?


 
lol!!


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## levelpar (12 Nov 2009)

I can feel a headache coming on.  However, I can't resist putting in my twopence halfpenny's worth.



> I do believe that we are just here as part of the pattern of evolution


 
I agree on the understanding that it is just an opinion as the meaning or purpose of life has no answer.  Humans, because unlike animals, do not want to believe that life may not have any purpose so most  believe in some kind of god rather than face the possible fact that there is nothing beyond death.

Personally, I think we will keep evolving in physical appearance and adapting to  changes .  Man no longer needs  strength  to hunt and  fight .  His physical appearance will adapt over hundreds of years to earthly conditions . Women will become more dominant and men less so.  

Man's nature will change over several hundred years and roles between men and women will interchange.


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## Teatime (12 Nov 2009)

For me, the meaning of life, its about laughing. You just have to laugh, every day, preferably many times a day...not at people, with people...

The Monty Python folks summed it up well too...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzlCdWwYn2I


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## Pique318 (13 Nov 2009)

umop3p!sdn said:


> Why do you think you're sentient?


Post of the week !


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