The meaninglessness of life

[Specialboy]

If meaninglessness is a word, haha.  Anyways, I hear alot of people talking about how they have become sad because of how meaningless and pointless life is.  I'm willing to accept this is true, but why is life being pointless a bad thing?

If life had an end goal, a singular meaning, THAT is when I would become extremely sad.  As is, I am happy with life being pointless.  Makes me feel like I'm not just a train on a fixed track to a single destination.

What's your opinion on this, how would you feel if life were pointless?

On a side note, I'm not sayin that life IS pointless, I'm just asking what your feelings would be if it were.

[Jackabomb]

If it were pointless, people would merely invent a point. They do that today. Usually bad ones like, get rich, become the hottest guy around, have awesome sex 24/7, and be 'cool'. Not all of these things are bad, but none of them are worthy of being the primary mission of the human race.

[ARTgames]

Meaning is a pointer to a quick use of a thing. A cup for drinking, a car is for diving. When in real life there just things that exist and that we have gave them a value based off what they are and can do. In the grand sceam of things meaning is a illusion. Don't let it get you down. Just live your life and be happy. Its why we still exists.

Here something i posed in the past.

We base life off being so special just because we don't want to loose it our self's. When in reality meaning, reason, right and wrong, etc, are just values we make up to suet the one thing we really try and retain. And that thing is happiness. We are all selfish and do things to maintain our happiness. Even when giving your life for another you did that because you thought that was best and wold have a better payoff and makes you happier then if you did not. Even killing ones self is an act of choosing that death is better then living. Or in other words makes you die instead of loosing all happiness or the thought of never getting more.

happiness, what it does is tries to set up a ground that will be the best in persevering this thing we know of as life. Buts its got its imperfections like everything in this world. But without it we would not be here.

happiness tells me that's a good thing i have it. But in reality its the same as everything else and just sits on the brink of our existing world doing what it does. Meaning is an illusion set up by happiness because that's what life does. Like how fire is hot and candy is sweet.

[Torch]

The meaning of life: the course of existence of an individual (as defined by google definitions)

[EpicPhailure]

You live, and at some point, you die. I believe that there's nothing you can do in between to change that. You can only change HOW you live, which I believe is the meaning of life. As long as you're alive, don't think about what'll happen after your death. Just concentrate on what to do next to improve your life.

[Lingus]

I think the question here is whether our actions amount to anything. If all we ever do in our lives comes down to nothing, then why do anything at all? For some people, they want to know that it will "mean" something in the end. I think the reality of it is life is a meaning in itself. Our actions are not a means to an end. They are the point. If you aren't happy with what you're doing, do something else.

[Trogdor]

Hmm, I guess I've never thought of life that way. It really makes you wonder how life can even manifest itself in the first place. For example, after the Big Bang, what gave consciousness to the loose mass of atoms that now are working in tandem with each other in the form of a primordial cell? What makes one localization of atoms any different than another when considering the potential for life? If a mass of atoms function together for their own wellbeing, does this mean a single atom possesses consciousness? If an atom is indeed conscious, does that also mean that all things composed of atoms, inanimate objects included, possess some level of awareness?

Since life is a rare and unreasonable thing, it could go both ways: life could have absolutely no meaning (e.g. the random assembly of atoms was a quirk, one that the universe let slide), or it could have the utmost amount of meaning (some sort of force that manifested itself through matter, be it a force beyond human comprehension/undiscovered in the scientific field, some sort of "Creator" or "God", etc.).

How one interprets life depends on said person's upbringing, environment, health, social interactions, observations, hierarchy of the mind and body in terms of functionality, and on and on. No one person was raised exactly the same as another, so each person's view on life differs. I believe life has no meaning, but humans have the potential to give it meaning.

Imagine life as a blank canvas: simply stating there's nothing there is quite true, and you can repeat that essential truth to yourself as many times as you'd like. However, if you ever decide that you'd like to see a tree on there, you have it in your power to pick up the paintbrush and paint one. Sure, life may limit you in your abilities to perform a certain action, just like how someone is limited artistically by how well they can paint. All it takes is a great deal of motivation, determination, and practice.

The point I'm trying to make here is life has no meaning until you give it some. It's completely up to you how you want to perceive life, and you are always free to change your stance if the whim ever arises.

[Lucifer]

The Meaning of Life

If you're not convinced, and the meaningless of life still depresses you.
Further Meaning

And to add onto Lingus and Tragdor's statements,
The Bright side of Life

[Red October]

Further Meaning

The summary of my long post, which I was going to make.

[Syco]

Well, one thing my Grandmother told me right before she passed away was, "You can't stay angry and depressed all the time, you need to do whatever possible in life to make yourself happy. One day when your in my position, your going to want to look back on your life and see no regrets. You need to make the best out of what you have, no matter the situation..."

So...I guess, the point of life, if you want to give it one, would be to enjoy it, cherish every moment of it, and to whatever possible during life to make yourself happy. So Specialboy you seem to be right on track :)

[Seifer]

Aside from reproduction, there is no real meaning to life.

Jackabomb mentions that people strive to "be rich" or "Sleep with people 24/7" and really, thats logic. We have nothing better to do with our lives than live them in such a way as to make them as enjoyable as possible. Good looks, money and constant sex can make a person very happy. The best we can all hope for is to just enjoy life to it's fullest, do what makes you happy.

[Scotty]

Happiness.

[Specialboy]

Although everyone brings up good points, you are sort of side-stepping the question.  I asked whether or not you thought life being meaningless was a bad thing, not what the meaning of life is.

[Jake]

Although everyone brings up good points, you are sort of side-stepping the question.  I asked whether or not you thought life being meaningless was a bad thing, not what the meaning of life is.

I personally think it's disappointing, but that's also going under the presupposition that life is meaningless.

[Lingus]

Although everyone brings up good points, you are sort of side-stepping the question.  I asked whether or not you thought life being meaningless was a bad thing, not what the meaning of life is.

Kind of difficult to answer if you don't truely feel life is meaningless. I don't believe there is any kind of end goal if that's what you're saying... but even so, there is some kind of meaning to it.

I guess to actually answer your question, I view it as a fact. It is what it is and I accept it. In the end it makes no difference to our daily lives. In reality, I think I would be overwhelmed if there was some greater meaning to everything we do. It would be too much pressure I think.