Deep Thinkers

[SHIBUMI]

Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.

[Two Bills]

The one with the most toys at the end, Wins!

[Dr.Butler]

Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.

The answer is 42:a20:

[ThirdOfFive]

Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.
Depends on what you see as meaningful, I guess.

As that wise old philosopher Tom T. Hall once so sagely observed, the most meaningful things in life are...

Faster horses;
younger women;
older whiskey; and
more money.

[Dr.Butler]

The one with the most toys at the end, Wins!

based on this statement:

Forty-two is the ASCII code for the symbol * also known as the asterisk. This symbol is often thought to translate to anything or everything. In this instance, 42 = everything, the meaning of life.

[Ecuadog]

Rosebud.

[Two Bills]

based on this statement:

Forty-two is the ASCII code for the symbol * also known as the asterisk. This symbol is often thought to translate to anything or everything. In this instance, 42 = everything, the meaning of life.

I won't argue that, although I thought it was the 'color 9' as one of our old posters used to say about understanding!

[Bogie Shooter]

Depends on what you see as meaningful, I guess.

As that wise old philosopher Tom T. Hall once so sagely observed, the most meaningful things in life are...

Faster horses;
younger women;
older whiskey; and
more money.
:wave::eclipsee_gold_cup:

[Stu from NYC]

Excuse me while I ponder the question, back in a year or two

[frose]

live each day like it's your last, because one day you will be right.

[alwann]

None of this is real. We exist in a matrix which has a worsening glitch. Soon the Webb telescope will see a sign saying "game over."

[Keefelane66]

Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.
“The Meaning of Life” was covered in a 1983 film with the same name. Available on Amazon Prime Video.
Also in books by Douglas Adams reference to “42”

[Laker14]

I remember a t-shirt that said "when I works, I works hard, when I plays, I plays hard and when I thinks, I falls asleep."

Pretty much sums it up for me.

[MartinSE]

Why does there have to be a meaning?

[Blueblaze]

The smartest people in the world tell us life has no meaning; it's just the end result of an absurdly huge number of absurdly fortunate coincidences.

The smartest people in the world also tell us that every particle in the universe is merely a "wave" of possible mathematical solutions to its location in the universe, until it is observed. In other words, the universe cannot exist without an observer.

The smartest people in the world claim that this somehow proves that God does not exist. I wish I could explain that part, but I am not that smart.

I just find it odd that it apparently never occurs to the smartest people in the world that a solution to the observer problem could be that God is, in fact, the only reality; and the Universe is nothing more than God's thoughts -- which would also explain the absurd chain of coincidences necessary for our universe to exist.

If God exists, and we are nothing more than God's thoughts, then the meaning of life must be entertainment -- God's.

[Stu from NYC]

Why does there have to be a meaning?

Why Not?

[La lamy]

The meaning I give my life is to try to better myself, better my home, better my relationships, better everything! I certainly don't always succeed, but that's what gets me feeling useful and meaningful.

[tophcfa]

Dam, I try to make sure the deepest thought I have on any given day be something like, should I go swimming before or after I play golf? If I really get deep, it would be something like, which way should I put in a new roll of toilet paper, so the paper comes out over the top or from around the back and out the bottom of the roll? I’ll leave the meaning of life to Monty Python.

[retiredguy123]

Dam, I try to make sure the deepest thought I have on any given day be something like, should I go swimming before or after I play golf? If I really get deep, it would be something like, which way should I put in a new roll of toilet paper, so the paper comes out over the top or from around the back and out the bottom of the roll? I’ll leave the meaning of life to Monty Python.
The toilet paper should always come out over the top, not from the back. One practical reason for this is that the dog cannot grab the end and run around the house. Another reason is that it is the correct way to do it.

[retiredguy123]

The smartest people in the world tell us life has no meaning; it's just the end result of an absurdly huge number of absurdly fortunate coincidences.

The smartest people in the world also tell us that every particle in the universe is merely a "wave" of possible mathematical solutions to its location in the universe, until it is observed. In other words, the universe cannot exist without an observer.

The smartest people in the world claim that this somehow proves that God does not exist. I wish I could explain that part, but I am not that smart.

I just find it odd that it apparently never occurs to the smartest people in the world that a solution to the observer problem could be that God is, in fact, the only reality; and the Universe is nothing more than God's thoughts -- which would also explain the absurd chain of coincidences necessary for our universe to exist.

If God exists, and we are nothing more than God's thoughts, then the meaning of life must be entertainment -- God's.
I don't view it as coincidences, but as probability. If you flip a coin 100 times, there is a very low probability that you will get 100 heads. But, if you flip the coin a trillion times, you are virtually guaranteed to get 100 heads in a row at least once.

The earth is 5 billion years old, but intelligent life has only existed for about 150,000 years. One reason that intelligent life is unlikely on another planet within our galaxy is that many of the planets in the galaxy cannot exist long enough for intelligent life to evolve. They are located in a congested area where they are destroyed by being bombarded by other larger objects. It takes millions of years with stable environmental conditions for life to evolve into an intelligent life form.

[JerryBeth]

Attempting to take "me" out of the question.

We are here. This is now. The choice is yours as to what to do next.

You will act or react to just about everything you will experience. Most of the time, I find it's better to act than react unless you've had a tremendous amount of training (like EMTs and such).

[Stu from NYC]

I don't view it as coincidences, but as probability. If you flip a coin 100 times, there is a very low probability that you will get 100 heads. But, if you flip the coin a trillion times, you are virtually guaranteed to get 100 heads in a row at least once.

The earth is 5 billion years old, but intelligent life has only existed for about 150,000 years. One reason that intelligent life is unlikely on another planet within our galaxy is that many of the planets in the galaxy cannot exist long enough for intelligent life to evolve. They are located in a congested area where they are destroyed by being bombarded by other larger objects. It takes millions of years with stable environmental conditions for life to evolve into an intelligent life form.

Are we an intelligent life form? Sometimes I wonder.

Find it hard to believe that you are virtually guaranteed to get 100 heads in a row out of a trillion times/

[retiredguy123]

Are we an intelligent life form? Sometimes I wonder.

Find it hard to believe that you are virtually guaranteed to get 100 heads in a row out of a trillion times/
My bad. Actually, the odds of flipping 100 heads in a row is 1 in 1,300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

I am an engineer, not a mathematician.

[MartinSE]

Why Not?

It is impossible to prove a negative, so I can't answer your question

[Woodbear]

Michael Behe offers some great insight into "Intelligent Design" and not Darwins Theory of Evolution. Behe (I think) does a great job of explaining irreducible complexity and how at its core becomes an argument against evolution. From Wikipdia..........Irreducible complexity (IC) is the argument that certain biological systems cannot have evolved by successive small modifications to pre-existing functional systems through natural selection, because no less complex system would function. Think of a mousetrap, you have roughly 7 parts of which none are unique or extravagant. If all parts are not created at the same time or if you are missing a part you do not have a working system.

[jimbomaybe]

Why does there have to be a meaning?

Because some/many need a reason for their existence, ego trip

[Worldseries27]

A soaring eagle surveys her kingdom below, she looks up and sees a few passenger planes cris crossing her sky carrying thousands to their destinations and their goals. She is clueless as to what she is observing.
That is us. The meaning of life is to live yours, by your own choice, as either a positive, negative or neutral factor in this universe.

[Luggage]

Earth is on only one Galaxy among the 500 million galaxies . Each with at least 500 million stars meaning there's something like 10 billion trillion potential Earthes, so statistically they might be 1 million more places where there is life, maybe not as we define it but conscious beings. Just go to the beach one day and try to count each grain of sand on just your one beach and remember there's hundreds of other beaches. Same thing with stars and planets and galaxies. Remember that there are an expansion of galaxies and sons being born every day most of which are definitely over 5 million years old since we are looking at the light over 15 million years in light years.

[Luggage]

The meaning of life is not to have more toys or more money or a trophy wife or a husband. But it is to leave this world a better place in any way possible. Whether you collect clothes for the homeless or contribute money or have taught your children well to hold doors open for people

[Sparky25]

Play hard, pray hard, finish
well.





Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.[/QUOTE]

[MidWestIA]

We are here to evolve our soul to be a better person - doesn't seem that way looking at the world. But you will have to answer to it in your life review so don't screw it up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAm_0LZteCQ&ab_channel=MarkGober

[Stu from NYC]

My bad. Actually, the odds of flipping 100 heads in a row is 1 in 1,300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

I am an engineer, not a mathematician.

Hmm we better get started flipping a coin than. If you use a two headed coin that should improve our odds.

[Stu from NYC]

It is impossible to prove a negative, so I can't answer your question

As I recall from mathematics years ago when you add a negative number to another negative number you get a positive number.

Since it was so long ago not positive this is correct.

[Happydaz]

Victor Frankl wrote a book called “Man’s Search for Meaning.” He was a Holocaust survivor. He found those people who survived the camps were not always the strongest but more often those prisoners who had found meaning in their lives. Maybe the hope to meet a loved one again or to write a book when they were released. Often, he said, alcoholics and drug addicts have a sense of no meaning to their lives, that nothing matters. Any grandparent can tell you the power of love and how that gives meaning to their lives. Just looking around at all the happy grandchildren at a family gathering can give one a beautiful feeling of meaning to your life. Others may find meaning in their work helping people. I don’t think I would be very content or happy if I believed there was no meaning to life. Just my thoughts.

[Sandy and Ed]

based on this statement:

Forty-two is the ASCII code for the symbol * also known as the asterisk. This symbol is often thought to translate to anything or everything. In this instance, 42 = everything, the meaning of life.
Now THAT is deep…!!

[NoMo50]

With all of these existential ponderings, I am left with one simple question:

What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?

[jonathanb]

The meaning of life is to glorify God and serve Him. Repent and Believee in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. That’s the meaning because without Him there is nothing.

[Worldseries27]

as i recall from mathematics years ago when you add a negative number to another negative number you get a positive number.

Since it was so long ago not positive this is correct.
class, class, classssss

[Worldseries27]

the smartest people in the world tell us life has no meaning; it's just the end result of an absurdly huge number of absurdly fortunate coincidences.

The smartest people in the world also tell us that every particle in the universe is merely a "wave" of possible mathematical solutions to its location in the universe, until it is observed. In other words, the universe cannot exist without an observer.

The smartest people in the world claim that this somehow proves that god does not exist. I wish i could explain that part, but i am not that smart.

I just find it odd that it apparently never occurs to the smartest people in the world that a solution to the observer problem could be that god is, in fact, the only reality; and the universe is nothing more than god's thoughts -- which would also explain the absurd chain of coincidences necessary for our universe to exist.

If god exists, and we are nothing more than god's thoughts, then the meaning of life must be entertainment -- god's.
presuming you created children, did you do it to entertain yourself, or was it done out of love for one another?

[WiscoGirl]

Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.

For every action there's an equal and opposite, and sometimes greater reaction. As Sir Isaac Newton observed water in a bathtub he realized the water heighth changed as he entered the tub.

So as it goes in life if you make a big splash you will get wet. If you push, you will get pushed back. The harder you exert your force upon this world the harder it will push you back.

So be a good force in this world. Push just enough to force yourself along but don't push so hard that you'll push others away in the process.

Engineering is hard but life doesn't have to be.

[Worldseries27]

my bad. Actually, the odds of flipping 100 heads in a row is 1 in 1,300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

I am an engineer, not a mathematician.
on a planet of 8 billion people what are the odds of any 2 meeting and procreating and also creating any one individual facing all the factors involved?

[Ptmckiou]

Meaning of life? Easy. To “experience” that, which you already “know”.

As an example…let’s say prior to incarnating into this body (soul being energy and the laws of physics says energy can’t be created or destroyed, but only change molecules structure….means your soul has always been, and will always be…so yes you (soul) existed prior to coming into 3D…but I digress) you have all the book knowledge of being an astronaut. You know everything about an astronaut. Having your soul incarnate into 3D is to “experience” that which you already “know”. To experience being an astronaut is to experience all the infinite variables that can happen in 3D being an astronaut. That is far more knowledge because of encountering unknown variables here, than just “book” knowledge of it. Duality (good and bad) is here to add to those variables. The most valuable training a soul can get is to incarnate into 3D form. It’s more or less, getting your PhD in added knowledge.

[Ptmckiou]

Meaning of life? Easy. To “experience” that, which you already “know”.

As an example…let’s say prior to incarnating into this body (soul being energy and the laws of physics says energy can’t be created or destroyed, but only change molecules structure….means your soul has always been, and will always be…so yes you (soul) existed prior to coming into 3D…but I digress) you have all the book knowledge of being an astronaut. You know everything about an astronaut. Having your soul incarnate into 3D is to “experience” that which you already “know”. To experience being an astronaut is to experience all the infinite variables that can happen in 3D being an astronaut. That is far more knowledge because of encountering unknown variables here, than just “book” knowledge of it. Duality (good and bad) is here to add to those variables. The most valuable training a soul can get is to incarnate into 3D form. It’s more or less, getting your PhD in added knowledge.

[Retwarrior]

LOVE, we are here to Love

[ThirdOfFive]

I don't view it as coincidences, but as probability. If you flip a coin 100 times, there is a very low probability that you will get 100 heads. But, if you flip the coin a trillion times, you are virtually guaranteed to get 100 heads in a row at least once.

The earth is 5 billion years old, but intelligent life has only existed for about 150,000 years. One reason that intelligent life is unlikely on another planet within our galaxy is that many of the planets in the galaxy cannot exist long enough for intelligent life to evolve. They are located in a congested area where they are destroyed by being bombarded by other larger objects. It takes millions of years with stable environmental conditions for life to evolve into an intelligent life form.
Interesting point. But what guarantee is there that we'd even recognize other intelligent life if we saw it? In my opinion it is only Mankind's arrogance that allows him to believe we're so special as to be the ONLY intelligence in a universe so vast we've scarcely even begun to realize its size, if indeed we ever will. Heck. We don't even really know for sure that we're the only intelligent species on our own rock--or if other intelligent species existed in the billions of years before we came on the scene 200,000 years ago.

Think of it this way. We inhabit a nondescript rock rotating around a rather average star tucked away in a corner of a pretty average galaxy in...well, you get the picture. We're microscopic if even that. AND we exist in a rather narrow band called the "goldilocks zone" that maintains a temperature of only 450 degrees or so above absolute zero. Just about all of the other real estate in the universe is a lot hotter, or colder, or gassier than our little speck. There could be life far more intelligent than us even in our own solar system, but our extremely limited means of perception, at this time, is a guarantee we'll never become aware of it, or if we do it will be only after we do a whole not more growing and maturing as a species.

It is a fact that just about every tribe discovered in the Amazon, or Papua New Guinea, or Africa, or wherever that has not had contact with the outside world, views itself as the epitome of creation, with all other creatures (including other humans) as less than they are. What makes us, today, any different?

[DAVES]

Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.

Old minor in psychology. Normal life stages. Different levels of difficulty for all.
As an adolescent you wonder what will I do with myself. As a senior you wonder what have I done with myself. What is the meaning of life? Like most things you need to find your own answers. Others can only post their answers and in most cases their answers. are not yours and they often are, usually are SPUN.

[pv-mike]

“The Meaning of Life” was covered in a 1983 film with the same name. Available on Amazon Prime Video.
Also in books by Douglas Adams reference to “42”

The answer is 42 the question is "what is 6 times 9", Hitchhikers Guide, Slartibartfast, Margathea

apparently the meaning is "the universe is organized on base 13"

[Stu from NYC]

class, class, classssss

Lets keep this a secret. My wife calls me Mr Perfect and after all these years do not want her to think she was wrong.

[DAVES]

The one with the most toys at the end, Wins!

An old statement. We just redid our will. Was on my to do list. Creeped onto my shoulda done list-slow progression took close to ten years. You can't take your toys with you. Who gets your stuff. Will they want it? Will it be a pain in the neck to sell it, dump it and turn it into CASH?

[DAVES]

Victor Frankl wrote a book called “Man’s Search for Meaning.” He was a Holocaust survivor. He found those people who survived the camps were not always the strongest but more often those prisoners who had found meaning in their lives. Maybe the hope to meet a loved one again or to write a book when they were released. Often, he said, alcoholics and drug addicts have a sense of no meaning to their lives, that nothing matters. Any grandparent can tell you the power of love and how that gives meaning to their lives. Just looking around at all the happy grandchildren at a family gathering can give one a beautiful feeling of meaning to your life. Others may find meaning in their work helping people. I don’t think I would be very content or happy if I believed there was no meaning to life. Just my thoughts.

In terms of the Holocaust, I regularly wonder about stuff people find to complain about and how evil mindless HATE is and can be. Imagine what happened. A society motivated by HATE. By we are good they are evil and if you don't think so we will kill you. Oh, our first amendment freedom of speech. Does not say only if you agree with us.

In High School by best friend's parents were Holocaust survivors. His dad only spoke about it once. As young kid he went to a Hitler speech he too was drawn into the MOB hate. It wasn't till the trip home, freed from the mass hypnosis that he realized it is ME they HATE.

Villagers are as a group better educated than most, more prosperous then most sadly too often we hear we are good they are evil.

[Whitley]

The answer is 42:a20:

Yes, the answer is 42. Doug told me.

[jmaccallum]

I don't view it as coincidences, but as probability. If you flip a coin 100 times, there is a very low probability that you will get 100 heads. But, if you flip the coin a trillion times, you are virtually guaranteed to get 100 heads in a row at least once.

The earth is 5 billion years old, but intelligent life has only existed for about 150,000 years. One reason that intelligent life is unlikely on another planet within our galaxy is that many of the planets in the galaxy cannot exist long enough for intelligent life to evolve. They are located in a congested area where they are destroyed by being bombarded by other larger objects. It takes millions of years with stable environmental conditions for life to evolve into an intelligent life form.

Just sitting in the bleachers watching the world circus…. So this is what you call intelligence? :1rotfl:

[jmaccallum]

The toilet paper should always come out over the top, not from the back. One practical reason for this is that the dog cannot grab the end and run around the house. Another reason is that it is the correct way to do it.

In the northern hemisphere, the toilet paper should always come out down the back. It creates a clockwise spin on the roll which aligns it with the spin of the flush of water in the bowl. Creates good karma. Seriously, the entire Universe know this. Sheesh.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

The answer is 42:a20:

Don't forget to bring your towel.

[Jerry101]

The meaning of life …from human lips … or from the author of life … and words from His Son, our Lord … ???

16 For God so loved(A) the world that he gave(B) his one and only Son,(C) that whoever believes(D) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

6 Jesus said to him, “I am (A)the way, (B)the truth, and (C)the life. (D)No one comes to the Father (E)except through Me.

[Hank’s mom]

And that’s why I’m lonely and depressed!

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I take the question more literally. What is the meaning of "meaning?" "The meaning of life" isn't "the requirement of living." It isn't "the goal of life."

What does it mean, to live? The meaning of - is a question of defnition, not a what or how. Not "what tasks are we here to perform." Because maybe - we're not here to perform any tasks at all. Maybe that is just a natural result of our being here, but not the meaning of our being here. What is the significance of the human species in the scheme of the universe? What is the reason this planet has humans occupying it? What is the reason this solar system has a planet occupied by humans? What is the reason the galaxy has a solar system with a planet occupied by humans? IS there even a reason? Maybe there is no reason. Maybe we aren't significant at all. Or maybe we are profoundly significant, but we just haven't evolved enough to comprehend our own significance - so we make up fairy tales and pretend to know, based on those myths.

The only way to answer this is to read two authors, and understand them both: Douglas Adams, and Stephen Hawking. Do this, and you will understand the meaning of life.

[richdell]

Some people make things happen;
some people watch what happens;
and some people wonder what just happened.

:icon_wink:

[Worldseries27]

i take the question more literally. What is the meaning of "meaning?" "the meaning of life" isn't "the requirement of living." it isn't "the goal of life."

what does it mean, to live? The meaning of - is a question of defnition, not a what or how. Not "what tasks are we here to perform." because maybe - we're not here to perform any tasks at all. Maybe that is just a natural result of our being here, but not the meaning of our being here. What is the significance of the human species in the scheme of the universe? What is the reason this planet has humans occupying it? What is the reason this solar system has a planet occupied by humans? What is the reason the galaxy has a solar system with a planet occupied by humans? Is there even a reason? Maybe there is no reason. Maybe we aren't significant at all. Or maybe we are profoundly significant, but we just haven't evolved enough to comprehend our own significance - so we make up fairy tales and pretend to know, based on those myths.

The only way to answer this is to read two authors, and understand them both: Douglas adams, and stephen hawking. Do this, and you will understand the meaning of life.
screen actors guild manual
chapter 1
page 1
action, lights, camera roll!

[Worldseries27]

the meaning of life …from human lips … or from the author of life … and words from his son, our lord … ???

16 for god so loved(a) the world that he gave(b) his one and only son,(c) that whoever believes(d) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

6 jesus said to him, “i am (a)the way, (b)the truth, and (c)the life. (d)no one comes to the father (e)except through me.
amen, brother

[Blueblaze]

presuming you created children, did you do it to entertain yourself, or was it done out of love for one another?

Both are examples of entertainment, in the broad sense of doing something that interests you.

Imagine being a disembodied intelligence with a billion years of nothing to do, and an infinity of more of the same. A being who entertains himself by engineering a universe as a thought experiment is so far beyond your imagination that you are about as interesting to him as an amoeba is to you. If God created you because he needed someone to love, it would be like you creating a brain cell in order to have a brain cell to love.

Which is not to say that God, at our level of experience, doesn't care about and love us. We ARE God, or at least an infinitesimal spec of God's imagination, like a neuron in God's mind. WE care about us. I think this even explains how prayer works. Our beliefs are part of God's dream. We can bend the dream, within our infinitesimally small limits.

[threeonemiles@outlook.com]

The meaning of life is living it in peace and tranquility.

[fdpaq0580]

The meaning (or purpose) of "life" is unknowable. The universe exists. Life exists. WHY? The physical or factual reason (s) may be able to be answered by science. But whether or not there is a "purpose" or not can only be guessed at by philosophers. Humans are insecure and want/need reassurance and answers. Prophets and priests, witch doctors and shamans, all have answers for those who want/need to believe in something. Are any of them telling the actual truth? With our world so small in a universe so inconceivably large, it is highly unlikely anyone really has the correct answer, if there is one.

[Worldseries27]

we are here to evolve our soul to be a better person - doesn't seem that way looking at the world. But you will have to answer to it in your life review so don't screw it up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nam_0lztecq&ab_channel=markgober
movie :. Defending your life

[Worldseries27]

meaning of life? Easy. To “experience” that, which you already “know”.

As an example…let’s say prior to incarnating into this body (soul being energy and the laws of physics says energy can’t be created or destroyed, but only change molecules structure….means your soul has always been, and will always be…so yes you (soul) existed prior to coming into 3d…but i digress) you have all the book knowledge of being an astronaut. You know everything about an astronaut. Having your soul incarnate into 3d is to “experience” that which you already “know”. To experience being an astronaut is to experience all the infinite variables that can happen in 3d being an astronaut. That is far more knowledge because of encountering unknown variables here, than just “book” knowledge of it. Duality (good and bad) is here to add to those variables. The most valuable training a soul can get is to incarnate into 3d form. It’s more or less, getting your phd in added knowledge.
agreeing with you that the soul is energy. The brain ( cpu) is the cradle for the electrical energy that flows throughout it on synapses. The ee is the real you, irreplaceable unlike arms, legs, hearts, kidneys etc. The body is the avatar for the ee

[PugMom]

The one with the most toys at the end, Wins!

:a20:

[Happydaz]

What I have observed is that people who believe there is no meaning to life are often cynical and not very happy. They may be rich, powerful, and have a lot of toys, but they tend to live on the surface of life. In my opinion, people who find a meaning to their own lives are often peaceful, contented and often other centered. They tend to help other people and don’t always put themselves first. Some of the opinions on this topic surprised me. I didn’t expect all the “Hunter Thompson’” type of comments from the senior residents who live here. Hunter Thompson wanted to be all used up and go out of life skidding sidewise with a cigaret in one hand and a drink in the other. (He committed suicide with his wife on the phone.) I thought many people wandered around in their late teens and twenties trying everything out. Drinking, drugging, partying, etc., and then maybe as they got older they found the answers they were seeking and found a meaning to their lives. I guess not everyone asked those questions or found an answer that could offer them a more contented and serene life. As we age one hopes to become more spiritual and be comfortable in what you found. Then, maybe, we can offer some wisdom and experience to the younger people. They need us older people to show them that their work, ideas, fun, and purpose in life are not a waste of time, that they are more than some speck of nothingness in the universe, that their lives do have meaning.

[PugMom]

In the northern hemisphere, the toilet paper should always come out down the back. It creates a clockwise spin on the roll which aligns it with the spin of the flush of water in the bowl. Creates good karma. Seriously, the entire Universe know this. Sheesh.

trying to find that end in the dark is tougher than you think

[PugMom]

all we can do is be the best @ what we do. watching out for & protecting the weak, -may it be human or animal. it's the gift we can best give ourselves-so fulfilling of the soul it brings a peaceful joy

[jojo]

We liked Tom T. Hall. Great writer and singer. His brother worked for my husband.

[Whitley]

[QUO

I can not say . When I was younger I thought I knew. Even through grad school I felt I had the answer. Growing older, dealing with St3 cancer as a young man, seeing friends pass, I am not so sure I can say anymore. I do know that life can be very hard, causing a great deal of emotional and physical pain. Knowing this I try and help who I can. I get as much, or more out of helping than the one I help. It gives me a sense that we are not alone. Together we can help each other through the difficult times, and celebrate the good times. Perhaps helping each other provides the key to where we go next. I have read many books on the subject, having started my search for the answer back when I was a Junior in college. Studied cultures as varied as the Yaqui Indians and Tibetan beliefs.I hope to regain my confidence and firm belief before too much time passes.

[Whitley]

As I recall from mathematics years ago when you add a negative number to another negative number you get a positive number.

Since it was so long ago not positive this is correct.

(-) x (-) = +

That looks suspect. What I am saying is a negative multiplied by a negative equals a positive.

[Whitley]

Don't forget to bring your towel.

Always bring your towel. Wanna get,,,,nevermind.

[YeOldeCurmudgeon]

Always bring your towel. Wanna get,,,,nevermind.


There is no meaning; we create our own, whatever it might. The universe is amoral and arbitrary. The Golden Rule is a good one to follow; if everyone followed it, the world would be a better place.

[tophcfa]

The one with the most toys at the end, Wins!

Better stop with the downsizing?

[MrChipster]

Are we an intelligent life form? Sometimes I wonder.
/

We are only intelligent life forms when we compare ourselves to the limits of our own world.

We may be considered primitive life forms by other beings in the cosmos.

[ThirdOfFive]

We are only intelligent life forms when we compare ourselves to the limits of our own world.

We may be considered primitive life forms by other beings in the cosmos.
The universe is a test tube.

And we are the sludge at the bottom of that test tube.

[jimjamuser]

Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.
The meaning of life is that TIME always rolls forward, never stops, never goes backwards It can occasionally slow down under the influence of massive adrenaline pumping. People grow bigger, taller, faster and smarter with each succeeding generation. Human scientific knowledge and technology increases with time passage at a rate greater than straight line. Everybody's NOT beautiful - there are many dark souls. Hopefully, the light outnumbers the dark.

[MartinSE]

The meaning of life is that TIME always rolls forward, never stops, never goes backwards

Maybe. Now is a figment of our imagination. We sense time as we move through it. Mathematically, there is a possibility that we could turn around and move in a different direction.

[DaleDivine]

:loco::22yikes::loco::censored:

[jebartle]

Hi,
you have made it this far in life and are getting closer to total consciousness. It is time to ask the million dollar question....what is the meaning of life? Not your life as YOU have given it its meaning.

My favorite quote:

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart....Helen Keller

[Happydaz]

My favorite quote:

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart....Helen Keller

Which might mean that our emotions are more powerful and maybe more insightful than our intellects. Nothing has more hubris than the intellect and yet on a universal scale our intellects may be very small. Some of our emotions, such as love and awe, may be of a higher order.

[dougawhite]

The earth is 5 billion years old, but intelligent life has only existed for about 150,000 years.

I'm still waiting...

[Chloe Girl]

The meaning of life is to glorify God and serve Him. Repent and Believee in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. That’s the meaning because without Him there is nothing.
I whole heartedly agree!

[rogerrice60]

The meaning of life is to glorify God and serve Him. Repent and Believee in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. That’s the meaning because without Him there is nothing.
FINALLY!!
Someone with the REAL answer!

Strange how all these "INTELLECTUALS " have never came to the knowledge of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ

[Teed_Off]

Life is a series of disappointments interrupted by sleep

[ThirdOfFive]

"Life is just one damned thing after another". (Lilian Bell)

[Stu from NYC]

"Life is just one damned thing after another". (Lilian Bell)

So true

[rogerrice60]

The meaning of life is to glorify God and serve Him. Repent and Believee in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. That’s the meaning because without Him there is nothing.

To Glorify God! Win lost souls.

[SHIBUMI]

When it comes to questions like this, why is it so hard for us to say,
We just don't know!

[Stu from NYC]

When it comes to questions like this, why is it so hard for us to say,
We just don't know!

Good point

[fcgiii]

The answer is 42:a20:
only for hitchhikers

[fcgiii]

I don't view it as coincidences, but as probability. If you flip a coin 100 times, there is a very low probability that you will get 100 heads. But, if you flip the coin a trillion times, you are virtually guaranteed to get 100 heads in a row at least once.

The earth is 5 billion years old, but intelligent life has only existed for about 150,000 years. One reason that intelligent life is unlikely on another planet within our galaxy is that many of the planets in the galaxy cannot exist long enough for intelligent life to evolve. They are located in a congested area where they are destroyed by being bombarded by other larger objects. It takes millions of years with stable environmental conditions for life to evolve into an intelligent life form.
Intelligent life, aka self awareness, has been around for 150,000 years on a planet 5 billion years old. Within a hundred years more we will have to avoid killing this planet off. I suspect there have been millions of planets that have intelligent life get to this stage only to erase themselves. The few that do reach this stage and get through it are either too far away for us to know, or lived millions of years ago and either evolved to some unbelievable state or died out. Or perhaps they are close enough to observe us but take care not to let such undisciplined idiots know about them.

[Happydaz]

When it comes to questions like this, why is it so hard for us to say,
We just don't know!

You may not know the meaning to your life, but my wife and I certainly do. Many people do have a good idea about the meaning of their lives. At the same time, others go through life with no answer to that question. Neither is right or wrong.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

I thought many people wandered around in their late teens and twenties trying everything out. Drinking, drugging, partying, etc., and then maybe as they got older they found the answers they were seeking and found a meaning to their lives. I guess not everyone asked those questions or found an answer that could offer them a more contented and serene life.

Yes I "sowed my oats" when I was a teenager and into college. I don't recall seeking meaning to my life, I was just enjoying it, because I could.

Eventually I got to the point where I said "okay that was fun, what's next?" and continued on to the next phase in my life. I was still not seeking meaning to my life. I don't think I've ever looked for meaning in my life. Knowing what it means, won't change anything anyway. I'm alive, I'm here, I am who I am and what I am. I try to be the best "me" I can be. Not because it "means" anything, but because that's how I was raised, and how I've chosen to be.

Being able to help others, being glad to have family and friends who will help me when I need it, none of this has anything to do with "meaning." If it meant I was going to heaven, I wouldn't work any harder than I'm already working to be the best "me" I can be. If it meant I was going to hell, I wouldn't stop doing it.
"Meaning" has little value to me, in terms of my humanity. I'm human, whether it means something or not.

[Happydaz]

Existential nihilism is an example of no meaning to life.”The sludge at the bottom of a test tube.”

[fdpaq0580]

Existential nihilism is an example of no meaning to life.”The sludge at the bottom of a test tube.”

Life doesn't need to have meaning. It just exists. Humans need/want answers to all manner of questions. Our self awareness makes us ponder questions like; who am I, where am I going. Our fear makes us need reassurance that everything will be alright and we will be safe and protected. Faith/belief in an afterlife satisfies that need to quell our fear.

[jimjamuser]

Life doesn't need to have meaning. It just exists. Humans need/want answers to all manner of questions. Our self awareness makes us ponder questions like; who am I, where am I going. Our fear makes us need reassurance that everything will be alright and we will be safe and protected. Faith/belief in an afterlife satisfies that need to quell our fear.
"Faith/belief in an afterlife" has produced a lot of SIDE EFFECTS. Take for instance the infamous PTL club with James Bakker and Tammy Faye. There are many other infamous MODERN examples of people using religion for a corrupt intent. All throughout ancient and modern history people (usually men) have put on robes or other distinguishing clothing to identify themselves as SPECIAL and get SPECIAL FAVORS and POWER from a tribe, or community or a government. It's like an ultimate CON GAME......I tell you that you will do VERY well in the afterlife (be important and SPECIAL) and in EXCHANGE for that and maybe some special holy water spashed on you - you give me a nice house to live in and MONEY.

Then, ultimately, these faith/belief ideas infiltrate the government and OFTEN lead to WARS against some offending OTHERS or OTHER religion. This has been proven time and time again throughout History. Today in the US, it is still the same/same thing. Look around you ......there are fancy houses and gathering places called "churches" where the cash registers are RINGING and the "faithful" feel VERY confident that they are better than "OTHERS" and will get the best seats at the table called the "AFTERLIFE".

[ThirdOfFive]

"Faith/belief in an afterlife" has produced a lot of SIDE EFFECTS. Take for instance the infamous PTL club with James Bakker and Tammy Faye. There are many other infamous MODERN examples of people using religion for a corrupt intent. All throughout ancient and modern history people (usually men) have put on robes or other distinguishing clothing to identify themselves as SPECIAL and get SPECIAL FAVORS and POWER from a tribe, or community or a government. It's like an ultimate CON GAME......I tell you that you will do VERY well in the afterlife (be important and SPECIAL) and in EXCHANGE for that and maybe some special holy water spashed on you - you give me a nice house to live in and MONEY.

Then, ultimately, these faith/belief ideas infiltrate the government and OFTEN lead to WARS against some offending OTHERS or OTHER religion. This has been proven time and time again throughout History. Today in the US, it is still the same/same thing. Look around you ......there are fancy houses and gathering places called "churches" where the cash registers are RINGING and the "faithful" feel VERY confident that they are better than "OTHERS" and will get the best seats at the table called the "AFTERLIFE".
There is a huge difference between faith and religion. In my opinion "faith" is a personal relationship, one on one, with God. Religion, on the other hand, is a construct of man. No matter how nobly a religion starts out, it inevitably becomes corrupted. Human nature is what it is.

Interesting that the Bakkers were mentioned. Quite some time back I had a woman employee, early 30s, with four children. Her husband was killed in a logging accident. I did what I could, giving her extra hours when available, but her job didn't pay much. Certainly not enough to maintain her and her kids. Not long after her husband's death she started watching "The PTL club", Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's TV program, the basis of their "message" being that God will bless someone twentyfold if they contribute to someone doing the Lord's work (of course, the PTL club). She was desperate and contributed. No twentyfold return. I guess the expectation was that she needed to show her dedication by giving even MORE money. Still, no return. She left her job after a few weeks and we lost contact. Some time down the road I heard there had been a suicide attempt, thankfully unsuccessful. I also heard that her kids were taken from her.

Such is the power of "religion".

[Stu from NYC]

This thread is getting way to deep for me.

[ThirdOfFive]

This thread is getting way to deep for me.
No. 2 shovel and hip boots.

Definitely.

Definitely hip boots.

[fdpaq0580]

There is no meaning; we create our own, whatever it might. The universe is amoral and arbitrary. The Golden Rule is a good one to follow; if everyone followed it, the world would be a better place.

Very good! When God supposedly gave Moses the ten commandments, he could have just given him a post it note with the golden rule, or as I like to think of it, The Only Commandment.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

We should have had wheels because ice cream has no bones.

[fdpaq0580]

We should have had wheels because ice cream has no bones.

HAHAHA! Sounds like a great line for song. 😂

[jimjamuser]

There is a huge difference between faith and religion. In my opinion "faith" is a personal relationship, one on one, with God. Religion, on the other hand, is a construct of man. No matter how nobly a religion starts out, it inevitably becomes corrupted. Human nature is what it is.

Interesting that the Bakkers were mentioned. Quite some time back I had a woman employee, early 30s, with four children. Her husband was killed in a logging accident. I did what I could, giving her extra hours when available, but her job didn't pay much. Certainly not enough to maintain her and her kids. Not long after her husband's death she started watching "The PTL club", Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker's TV program, the basis of their "message" being that God will bless someone twentyfold if they contribute to someone doing the Lord's work (of course, the PTL club). She was desperate and contributed. No twentyfold return. I guess the expectation was that she needed to show her dedication by giving even MORE money. Still, no return. She left her job after a few weeks and we lost contact. Some time down the road I heard there had been a suicide attempt, thankfully unsuccessful. I also heard that her kids were taken from her.

Such is the power of "religion".
I can agree with that. A good point about the difference between faith and religion. I try to avoid the whole issue of religion by not giving it MUCH thought. I believe that Lincoln had faith rather than religion. When people show me that they are "of GOOD WILL" and are generally good people, I can respect that whether they are church goers or NOT. For SOME small % of people (about 5%), i believe that church is good for them, they NEED that type of socialization. Church helps to stabilize many on the low socio-economical scale, they NEED it. There are intelligent people that express a NEED for church. They may be a farmer or business person in a RURAL area where church-going is VERY EXPECTED and they NEED to CONFORM.

Many urban intelligent people are ADVERSE to attending church. Some attend due to worry about the AFTER LIFE-thing. Agnostics are often called "chicken atheists".

[fdpaq0580]

I can agree with that. A good point about the difference between faith and religion. I try to avoid the whole issue of religion by not giving it MUCH thought. I believe that Lincoln had faith rather than religion. When people show me that they are "of GOOD WILL" and are generally good people, I can respect that whether they are church goers or NOT. For SOME small % of people (about 5%), i believe that church is good for them, they NEED that type of socialization. Church helps to stabilize many on the low socio-economical scale, they NEED it. There are intelligent people that express a NEED for church. They may be a farmer or business person in a RURAL area where church-going is VERY EXPECTED and they NEED to CONFORM.

Many urban intelligent people are ADVERSE to attending church. Some attend due to worry about the AFTER LIFE-thing. Agnostics are often called "chicken atheists".

"Chicken atheists" ? More likely an agnostic is just saying "I don't know". I guess I am a sort of "spiritual agnostic". I don't believe in any religion, but I suspect there is something more, indefinable, unimaginable and imperceptible/unknowable.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Because some/many need a reason for their existence, ego trip

How about just enjoy the ride and see what happens?

[fdpaq0580]

How about just enjoy the ride and see what happens?

Well, I mostly enjoyed the ride for a while. As to "see what happens", a lot of very unpleasant stuff began to happen. Some of it is related to ageing, some not. But the ride isn't over yet.