Where do you find meaning in life?

for years now, ive searched and searched, for something in life that feels real. ive looked everywhere to find meaning in life, and i always end up disappointed. i see value and goodness in simple things, yet it never seems enough. im constantly wondering, what is this? why do i exist? well, more and more, im finding the answers to that question, and i end up finding myself more confused than i was before. i just cant find meaning in life. im not happy. i used to be happy, i used to live like i enjoyed my life, yet thats now somehow escaped me. i spend the majority of my time trying to "figure it all out", but the more i figure, the more confused i am...there is no end

this isnt even about god or atheism. i just find myself constantly unhappy, and i think its because i have no meaning in my life. i love my music more than you could possibly imagine. i love life, and all the wonderful gifts it provides. for some reason though, im always finding myself wanting more, on a deep level. some kind of realness, where life doesnt feel like a movie. ill be in my mid twenties in not so long, and in some ways, i feel like i had things figured about better when i was sixteen. at least then, things were real. things mattered. now, its not like i dont care now, but things just dont seem real

do you understand?

maybe stop trying to figure it all out, stop trying to aspire to some elusive perfection and try to enjoy the ride? you won't make it out alive anyway.

There is no grand "meaning" in life. Anyone who tells you that there is, is either deluded, or else lying in order to try to control you or sell you something.

You exist because of some chemical accident whereby strings of molecules that have evolved into DNA produce actions based on replicating themselves into the next generation.

Try to find people to love, and people that love you (this does not necessarily have to be romantic love.) Find activities which immerse you in "flow" type experiences in which you can lose yourself. Try to find some modicum of control over the basic aspects of your experience.

Beyond this, there is no meaning. Sorry.

cue troon

make a flag about it

I think the meaning in life is to do what you enjoy and makes you happy. People often go their whole life fighting the very thing that makes them happy and thats a sad reality I don't want to be a part of.

Music, Family, Friends, good Food, Nature...

When you can see the beauty in the "little" things in life, that makes me happy.

my meaning of life is to make love to many beautiful women

and also to make some excellent music that people will enjoy, one day, when they realise that i'm THE FUCKING MAN.

  On 1/22/2010 at 1:11 PM, ET said:

for years now, ive searched and searched, for something in life that feels real. ive looked everywhere to find meaning in life, and i always end up disappointed. i see value and goodness in simple things, yet it never seems enough. im constantly wondering, what is this? why do i exist? well, more and more, im finding the answers to that question, and i end up finding myself more confused than i was before. i just cant find meaning in life. im not happy. i used to be happy, i used to live like i enjoyed my life, yet thats now somehow escaped me. i spend the majority of my time trying to "figure it all out", but the more i figure, the more confused i am...there is no end

 

this isnt even about god or atheism. i just find myself constantly unhappy, and i think its because i have no meaning in my life. i love my music more than you could possibly imagine. i love life, and all the wonderful gifts it provides. for some reason though, im always finding myself wanting more, on a deep level. some kind of realness, where life doesnt feel like a movie. ill be in my mid twenties in not so long, and in some ways, i feel like i had things figured about better when i was sixteen. at least then, things were real. things mattered. now, its not like i dont care now, but things just dont seem real

 

do you understand?

I too have been feeling this way for the past year. I manage to suppress those feelings but they reemerge from time to time. All I can say is wait this whole life thing out and see where it brings you.

yes its totally meaningless, i wouldn't worry about it.

  On 1/22/2010 at 2:59 PM, Rambo said:

yes its totally meaningless, i wouldn't worry about it.

YOU MUST GO TO THE WOODS

AND BUILD A CHAPEL OF DISCORDIA

LIKE EVERYONE ELSE MUST DO

I sort of sympathise with you on this one ET, even if you might be insane. I have the feeling that of all the things I enjoy I should be able to formulate them in to some sort of lifestyle that works. The grass is always greener on the other side somehow and it's starting to piss me off.

edit: speeling is viry huard

or get a job

It's not clear that your claim that there must be 'something more to life' makes any sense at all.

Edit: It would be like saying 'I love playing chess, and I have won lots of games and enjoy learning new moves and strategies -- but there must be something 'more' to this game than just capturing the opponent's king, and I won't be happy until I find out what that is ... ' -- the statement doesn't make any sense!

maybe his game is unfulfilling (sp?).

i think et should see a shrink.

I think he is aware that it doesn't make sense but that whole 'I'm wasting my life' feeling can kick in pretty hard even if you know it's impossible to really 'waste' it

Watch Altered States - it has the answers.

The ancients have wrestled with this question for milennia...

Is that all there is?

Is that all there is?

If that's all there is, my friend

Then let's keep dancing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VscVP_Gt_s

instead of dwelling on your questions, be active. do things and talk to people. get exercise. learn more useful skills. form good habits. the better you make yourself the better you make your life. you'll see the meaning sooner or later.

we are all being subconsciously conditioned to prepare ourselves for the end of the world. by movies, music, all sorts of media. that feeling your getting is your subconsciousness starting to wake up and come to the realization that there is no hope. less than 3 years left!

  Quote

Where do you find meaning in life?

http://forum.watmm.com

  On 1/22/2010 at 1:43 PM, modey said:

my meaning of life is to make love to many beautiful women

 

and also to make some excellent music that people will enjoy, one day, when they realise that i'm THE FUCKING MAN.

you are the fucking man!

  On 1/22/2010 at 1:11 PM, ET said:

for years now, ive searched and searched, for something in life that feels real.

so what do you mean when you say real?

There is no meaning. Meaning is something we need in our concious life to make it through, to give ourselves goals and to achieve them and stuff. But life in itself is just a complex anomaly to me. It keeps manipulating outside matter and making it part of itself. All parts of our body tell us to live on, to find and achieve greater things, so that the Body of life will grow more, live on through children and casual life things like that. But all in all, we are just chemically connected thingies, that work as the evolution meant us to work.

Knowing all that, however you can enjoy things that "seem" real based on the deepest of your beliefs. Like I believe that if I'm good to people, they will in most cases be good bad. And if I get a body massage it'll feel great as fuck. And if I eat good food, it makes my body thingie feel good, and then it feels great to poo it out in the other end.

It's all serious and silly at the same time. If there is any meaning to anything I bet its all about feeling yourself a part of all this existance of everything. Including life.