The Meaning of Life

[there4eyeM]

"What is the meaning of life?" is a good example of how vocabulary and grammar can be married to form meaningful-sounding questions that are insignificant. In the question is the implication that meanings exists and life must have one.
Meaning is something humans seek and see. Meaning is not 'out there'. Meaning, like the kingdom of heaven, is within one.

Now, I'm off to the pizza shop to have them make me one with everything...

 

[Votto]

Seriously though, I think the meaning of life is that we have experience that evolves our conciousness.
We are an immortal spirit that incarnates countless times for experience sake. We eventually acheive a state of grace, or enlightenment ,and after that we continue to evolve in a spirit world as immortals.

I often have nighmares about my last life. I was an ant gathering food for the colony and all I remember is look up and seeing a giant shoe and then everything went black. It makes me break out in a sweat and I wake up right after that.

Did I mention that I was a king ant? I was royalty don't ya know.

 

[uscitizen]

The meaining of life?
That I am not dead yet.

 

[Votto]

The meaining of life?
That I am not dead yet.

What makes you so sure?

 

[Unkotare]

Seriously though, I think the meaning of life is that we have experience that evolves our conciousness.
We are an immortal spirit that incarnates countless times for experience sake. We eventually acheive a state of grace, or enlightenment ,and after that we continue to evolve in a spirit world as immortals.

I often have nighmares about my last life. I was an ant gathering food for the colony and all I remember is look up and seeing a giant shoe and then everything went black. It makes me break out in a sweat and I wake up right after that.

Did I mention that I was a king ant? I was royalty don't ya know.

Do ants sweat?

 

[Votto]

Seriously though, I think the meaning of life is that we have experience that evolves our conciousness.
We are an immortal spirit that incarnates countless times for experience sake. We eventually acheive a state of grace, or enlightenment ,and after that we continue to evolve in a spirit world as immortals.

I often have nighmares about my last life. I was an ant gathering food for the colony and all I remember is look up and seeing a giant shoe and then everything went black. It makes me break out in a sweat and I wake up right after that.

Did I mention that I was a king ant? I was royalty don't ya know.

Do ants sweat?

How would you know if they did? Got a microscope?

 

[Unkotare]

I often have nighmares about my last life. I was an ant gathering food for the colony and all I remember is look up and seeing a giant shoe and then everything went black. It makes me break out in a sweat and I wake up right after that.

Did I mention that I was a king ant? I was royalty don't ya know.

Do ants sweat?

How would you know if they did? Got a microscope?

Shouldn't you know?

 

[westwall]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYSXBsGOVuc]Monty python - Universe song ( original ) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Colin]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ECUtkv2qV8]Monty Python - always look on the bright side of life (with lyrics) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Dajjal]

Seriously though, I think the meaning of life is that we have experience that evolves our conciousness.
We are an immortal spirit that incarnates countless times for experience sake. We eventually acheive a state of grace, or enlightenment ,and after that we continue to evolve in a spirit world as immortals.

I often have nighmares about my last life. I was an ant gathering food for the colony and all I remember is look up and seeing a giant shoe and then everything went black. It makes me break out in a sweat and I wake up right after that.

Did I mention that I was a king ant? I was royalty don't ya know.

Thats funny, but you are going to get a serious answer.
According to the spirit teachers I have studied under, animals do not incarnate as humans, and humans never go backwards in evolution. We are a species that have individual souls, but ants have group souls. I do not know what happens to ants group souls as they evolve, but I am sure they do not become human.

 

[midcan5]

Thats funny, but you are going to get a serious answer.
According to the spirit teachers I have studied under, animals do not incarnate as humans, and humans never go backwards in evolution. We are a species that have individual souls, but ants have group souls. I do not know what happens to ants group souls as they evolve, but I am sure they do not become human.

The problem I have with this sort of dialogue concerning meaning in a philosophic discussion is that there is no way we can analyze what is pure speculation. Funny, but just the other day I was joking with my wife about reincarnation, a friend of hers and my sister are firm believers. I told her that with reincarnation I could have been anyone so I preceded to tell her of my past existences. She gave me her usual reply, 'stop talking like an idiot.'

"If I was dead, I wouldn’t know I was dead. That’s the only thing I have against death. I want to enjoy my death." Samuel Beckett

 

[Votto]

Seriously though, I think the meaning of life is that we have experience that evolves our conciousness.
We are an immortal spirit that incarnates countless times for experience sake. We eventually acheive a state of grace, or enlightenment ,and after that we continue to evolve in a spirit world as immortals.

I often have nighmares about my last life. I was an ant gathering food for the colony and all I remember is look up and seeing a giant shoe and then everything went black. It makes me break out in a sweat and I wake up right after that.

Did I mention that I was a king ant? I was royalty don't ya know.

Thats funny, but you are going to get a serious answer.
According to the spirit teachers I have studied under, animals do not incarnate as humans, and humans never go backwards in evolution. We are a species that have individual souls, but ants have group souls. I do not know what happens to ants group souls as they evolve, but I am sure they do not become human.

Oh dear, another fundi reincarantionalist who refutes evolution.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

I often have nighmares about my last life. I was an ant gathering food for the colony and all I remember is look up and seeing a giant shoe and then everything went black. It makes me break out in a sweat and I wake up right after that.

Did I mention that I was a king ant? I was royalty don't ya know.

Thats funny, but you are going to get a serious answer.
According to the spirit teachers I have studied under...but I am sure they ...

Oh dear, another fundi reincarantionalist who refutes evolution.

Taking the Daj serious would require checking reality at the door.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

The Meaning of Life


with or without interruptions ...

does being beaten down make one a better person, would one be the same otherwise - is turmoil necessary in the meaning of life?

'better' is too subjective a term. necessary?

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

"Eternity has nothing to do with time. Eternity is the dimension of here and now which thinking and time cuts out. This is it. And if you don't get it here, you won't get it anywhere."

Joseph Campbell

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

...the movie city slickers. In it, Billy Crystal goes to a ranch out west in a mid life crisis as he tries to determine what the meaning of his life is all about. He runs into this cowboy who seems to have a great many answers to life and Billy asks him what the meaing of his life is. The cowboy then holds up one finger. Perplexed Billy asks what the finger represents. The cowboy responds "one thing". Billy asks what the one thing is. The cowboy retorts, "That is for you to decide".

Ahh, what it 'represents' not what it means.

What it refers to.

 

[Dajjal]

Oh dear, another fundi reincarantionalist who refutes evolution.

Not really, I consider evolution theory as fairly well proved. But I also think the soul evolves.
The soul and body evolve together, pushing each other forward. There would be no point in evolution going backward, so we do not become animals. But according to some spirit teachers I have studied, animals evolve toward perfection in their own right, and they do not become human.

I think the universe is a realm of experience created for us to spiritually evolve in, and we are the ghosts in the machine. We survive physical death, and reincarnate thousands of times, until achieving enlightenment. After which we continue to evolve as immortal beings in the spirit world.

I reject the biblical and quranic notion that we die and are judged to go to heaven or hell.
Such a system where we were judged on just one life, would have injustice built into it.

 

[midcan5]

http://ec.libsyn.com/p/7/1/d/71d0bd...1ce3dae902ea1d01cd8334d6cc598f07&c_id=1778994


"The perennial ideas that grip the philosophical imagination and more or less exhaust its endeavors can be summarized as two: the idea of meaning or value in the universe, and the idea that reality has an ultimate nature." A. C. Grayling

 

[jan]

The Meaning of Life:
To understand and appreciate the beauty in everything and every person around you, the interconnected design of all elements in harmony with the greater whole, and the love and good purpose in everything in the universe.

That's as good of a description as I've ever heard.

The Meaning of Life


with or without interruptions ...

does being beaten down make one a better person, would one be the same otherwise - is turmoil necessary in the meaning of life?

I don't enjoy the trying times in my life but it does seem that the biggest lessons are learned during those times for some reason. Perhaps it's because my spirit is receptive to the ultimate spirit more during times of striff? Maybe during those times the channels open more?

The funny thing is that basically I really like my life to move along quite peacefully...so those blips in the plan really throw things out of whack for me.

The Meaning of Life


with or without interruptions ...

does being beaten down make one a better person, would one be the same otherwise - is turmoil necessary in the meaning of life?

Do we not learn more from our mistakes and negative experiences than otherwise? If we had no failures, no pain, no sorrows, would we feel our joys, successes, good times as much?

I think the hard times are a growth experience...but dag-gone...sometimes I just don't wanna grow anymore!!!!!!

Thats funny, but you are going to get a serious answer.
According to the spirit teachers I have studied under, animals do not incarnate as humans, and humans never go backwards in evolution. We are a species that have individual souls, but ants have group souls. I do not know what happens to ants group souls as they evolve, but I am sure they do not become human.

The problem I have with this sort of dialogue concerning meaning in a philosophic discussion is that there is no way we can analyze what is pure speculation. Funny, but just the other day I was joking with my wife about reincarnation, a friend of hers and my sister are firm believers. I told her that with reincarnation I could have been anyone so I preceded to tell her of my past existences. She gave me her usual reply, 'stop talking like an idiot.'

"If I was dead, I wouldn’t know I was dead. That’s the only thing I have against death. I want to enjoy my death." Samuel Beckett

Ok...and with that quote let me just say that I think that's probably what it's all about...being able to "enjoy" your death. To be able to look back on your life to not necessarily see perfection, but to see a life in which those around you have somehow been uplifted by your being. To be able to live an honest life...being true to yourself as much as possible and true to others as well. Less than that would leave regret on one's deathbed...which personally I'd like to avoid. In those moments before I pass...I want to feel connected to the universal spirit...and without honesty I believe it an impossibility.

I realize all that gets into the spiritual / religious state of mind that I carry...but there it is. The end is a culmination of the race...for better or worse. I just want to be able to face it honestly...and without pain. Give me the pain meds when I'm on my deathbad! No pain...please.

 

[oldfart]

The Meaning of Life
does being beaten down make one a better person, would one be the same otherwise - is turmoil necessary in the meaning of life?

Do we not learn more from our mistakes and negative experiences than otherwise? If we had no failures, no pain, no sorrows, would we feel our joys, successes, good times as much?

We learn different things from adversity and good fortune. Too much of the first results in broken people; too much of the last results in shallow people. In both we define meaning by what we hold onto and what we let go.