The Quest For Meaning

invisible said:
I have a more day-to-day lifestyle, I don't really worry about the big picture. Today my mother's anger issues are so intense that when I said good morning she warned me not to come near her although she at least had the courtesy to tell me that I haven't done anything wrong. Although as the day goes on and I am holed up in my room I am getting hungry. I might see if I can quietly slip out to the pub for something to eat. I don't really have any drama-free days in my life, so I just take each day as it comes.
Click to expand...

I understand and I'm sorry to hear that.

Do you not think your creative activity participates in giving your life meaning? It doesn't have to be big picture, but rather about whether you could do without it - whether you could just "go on" without it. I've long had the impression that creating was something quite important in your life.
 
Ren said:
I understand and I'm sorry to hear that.

Do you not think your creative activity participates in giving your life meaning? It doesn't have to be big picture, but rather about whether you could do without it - whether you could just "go on" without it. I've long had the impression that creating was something quite important in your life.
Click to expand...

Thanks for asking, I am pretty apathetic about all that now. I don't really have an aspiration or anything anymore. I do still take pleasure in my imagination though.
 
Just this weekend I was playing this game about a guy that finds himself in a new world, a new reality. At first he was so focused on finding answers as to how he got there, how all happened. Little by little he is sucked in by the world, its inhabitants, the drama etc. Eventually, he loses sight of his initial quest for those answers...to find the truth of his existence. He becomes "drowned" by the minutia of life, finds love, laughs, rejoices and suffers. As he's nearing his end, he realizes that he had spent his time distracted by his senses, and he had no idea how to cope with the idea that although he had succeeded in the game, he had failed massively in discovering the point of it all. However, it turned out that there was no point, there were only choices he had to make. These choices(although meaningless in the great scheme of things), had given him personal meaning that made the trip worth it. As he draws his last breath, he smiles because he did all he could with what he had.
 
I think if you are a person like me who struggles with "meaning" and "direction", then a discipline is the best substitute for meaning, as long as you have some sort of field of discipline or practice to work towards excellence in, that makes life a lot easier.
 
AUM said:
As he's nearing his end, he realizes that he had spent his time distracted by his senses, and he had no idea how to cope with the idea that although he had succeeded in the game, he had failed massively in discovering the point of it all. However, it turned out that there was no point, there were only choices he had to make. These choices (although meaningless in the great scheme of things), had given him personal meaning that made the trip worth it. As he draws his last breath, he smiles because he did all he could with what he had.
Click to expand...

How is it revealed to him that there was no point after all? Can he be sure of that?

invisible said:
I think if you are a person like me who struggles with "meaning" and "direction", then a discipline is the best substitute for meaning, as long as you have some sort of field of discipline or practice to work towards excellence in, that makes life a lot easier.
Click to expand...

I agree, though perhaps fulfilling one's potential/practicing excellence in a discipline isn't a substitute for meaning but genuine meaning in and of itself? Why do you think it falls short of being real meaning?

I think we're going in an interesting direction here. We're getting close to questioning what "meaning" itself means.
 
Last edited:
Ren said:
I agree, though perhaps fulfilling one's potential/practicing excellence in a discipline isn't a substitute for meaning but genuine meaning in and of itself? Why do you think it falls short of being real meaning?

I think we're going in an interesting direction here. We're getting close to questioning what "meaning" itself means.
Click to expand...


I would say that the AI is practicing a discipline. It is becoming more excellent in its practice. I would even say that it is creating knowledge. Maybe by its practice, it creates or discovers meaning in its practice, I'm not completely sure... if the AI continued learning and improving things over time it would be creating meanings. I guess when I think of meaning, I think of a "grand design", "guiding principle", "ultimate achievement", "final goal", or some sort of combination of these things. Something "essential", something "soul-like", an "eternal flame". But maybe meaning is just a quantitative thing, rather than a qualitative thing... you just build it over time by doing things.
 
Ren said:
I think we're going in an interesting direction here. We're getting close to questioning what "meaning" itself means.
Click to expand...
You are always trying to break it, aren't you? It's like you want everyone to lose the will to live.
 
Ren said:
How is it revealed to him that there was no point after all? Can he be sure of that?
Click to expand...

No, he wasn't sure of it. However, he discovers that he's in a time loop. Even if he would to discover that there's a point, he would just forget everything and his cycle would start all over. Of course, there are many endings to the story, and finishing all of them gives the player a satisfying ending/conclusion that there was a point to your particular role in this game since you were able to see how all the endings connected with each other. Perhaps, that was the message the authors were trying to get at. In order for you to understand the meaning of life you have to get outside of the system itself. You cannot understand life by trying to grasp it from within since you have incomplete information as to how it all connects, if, at all.

At this point, that's merely my interpretation and perhaps I'm trying to read too much into it :p
 
AUM said:
Then you make one up and convince other people to join in. Then we can have ourselves another religion.
Click to expand...
You mean like a sect, or like the ones that people fight wars over?

Either way, making up new religions is not the way. They are indoctrinating and manipulating, pushing people to do unspeakable things.
 
Lady Jolanda said:
There are no answers. There is no certainty. There is no truth. There is no meaning. What good is searching if nothing's there to find? Everything is just so utterly absurd.

Anyone want a drink? *shares beer with everyone*
Click to expand...
Sure, how will you get it here?
 
Ginny said:
You mean like a sect, or like the ones that people fight wars over?

Either way, making up new religions is not the way. They are indoctrinating and manipulating, pushing people to do unspeakable things.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I was just being facetious :D

But you're absolutely correct, madam. Creating sects and religions is definitely not the way.
 
AUM said:
Then you make one up and convince other people to join in. Then we can have ourselves another religion.
Click to expand...

Lol

At the risk of sounding like a nihilist (which I’m not)...if we do just blink out of existence when we die and there is no transfer of growing knowledge (save for the constant transfer going on as we “progress” here in this reality as a society and human race) then the only meaning would be propagation of ourselves (in every way conceivable) as we are still alive.
Though the continuation of “life” after death needn’t be a factor at all, but that is how my mind thinks...so... ;)
Why do we need to find a meaning though?
Is it a goal? A desire? Some deep seeded wiring in our brain? Our ego?
Maybe the reason no one can answer the question is because there is no answer - there is no meaning.
Either that or the answer is wholly subjective to each individual, and as such must also only be answered by said person.
There is no text that tells you the meaning of life, but there are endless ways people have found throughout the centuries...they still come out with new books every day I’m sure.
Or some monk/holy man reaches enlightenment (finds the meaning) through this “certain path” and so he shares it with others and it works for some but not for others - thus religion is born and so the search for meaning has also created hate and destruction - as religion has wars and creates strife among humans for a perceived separation of personage.
One would never really consider that the search for meaning could be so negative...but perhaps that is also the expression and projection of the wiring in our brains that we have no control over - though to me that seems like a bit of cop-out as we are conscious to a degree of self-reflection and even self-improvement - which one could argue is changing that wiring in the brain...so I can’t fully say we don’t have any control over our behavior, because we most certainly do.
If there were no “meaning”...if that were proven to be true...how would that make you feel?
Would you live life like there was no tomorrow and go on a rampage, or would it make you slow down and appreciate the small things and savor them for the moment that will cease to exist?
Or would you just blow your brains out?
Cry all day in bed?
Or continue on like we have always just continued, the normal day to day life we are living currently?
I tend to think it’s the later (mostly because I don’t think it can be proven definitively), but because we as humans tend to like to live in denial (myself included) though we try hard not to...at least most of us, some blatantly live there as a mental health issue our society also pretends doesn’t exist...hahaha.
My answer to the search for meaning is - it’s completely subjective from person to person...most people have enough trouble finding “purpose” much less “meaning”...but one should naturally lead to, or support the other.
I hope that there is something beyond this life we are currently living and that there are answers to such questions - I tend to lean that way based on some very strange PSI or paranormal experiences I have had as well as out of body experiences - but maybe it was all just in my head and I’m living in denial, hahaha.
 
Last edited:
Skarekrow said:
I hope that there is something beyond this life we are currently living and that there are answers to such questions.
Click to expand...

I don't know. When I get in my dark moods, sometimes I ask myself what would happen if that we're seeking actually presents itself and what we find is so horrifying that we are worse off knowing? However, I'm the kind of person that treads in very dark waters to begin with, so I'd still choose the "red pill" sort to speak. Though, I could understand why other people wouldn't. They say that it's usually the ones that are blissfully ignorant that are the happiest.

Thank you @Skarekrow for that post, gave me so much to think about.
 
Find the things and people you enjoy being around and make your own experiences. Sometimes life will be shitty and other times it will be rainbows and unicorns.

If you’re in a bad situation find a way to get out. It isn’t always easy to pull yourself out of bad times, however you have the ability to do so whether you realize it or not. I’ve got one chance and I’m not going to waste it.

@Ren great thread and it has given me a few new ideas. :yerawizardharry:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top