Throughout my life I’ve struggled to find meaning. I’ve wondered, am I alone in this? I’d like to hear what others have to say. Particularly others that are more knowledgeable in philosophy.
I know nothing, but to me, there is “why,” and there is “how.” The why can never be proven and the how is fact. Religious institutions try to tell you “why” you are here, but they can not. They can only tell you why they think you are here.
In 1 billion years, there is a very good chance that we will not exist, so what’s the point to any of this? Literally that. YOU are why any of this has a point. If you want to sit and stare at the stars, then that is why you are here. But then that is me telling you why you are here.
Why will always lead to how, which will lead to why, which will lead to how, that leads to why, then to how…ad infinitum.
From the movie “City slickers”. The meaning of life is one thing. And that is whatever you are doing.
Just the thoughts you were wondering about, from a stranger in the wires.
What is it you seek? What is it you lack? It can be helpful to look into these questions carefully. It can also be helpful to take time to look at the exact moment-by-moment experience of this life that appears lacking. After years of philosophical study and years of trying to convince myself I wasn’t dissatisfied, I stumbled upon Zen and found these kinds of investigations helpful.
“What is it you seek?”
I suppose this may be the problem because to be honest, I’m not sure.
It’s not really Zen to advertise Zen at people, and it can take a while to find your way into it, but I have found it helpful for showing me how life can be at once confusing and challenging and also deeply unproblematic. It doesn’t hand you any doctrine or answers, so it can be very baffling at first, but if you stick with it, your world can start to open up. For me it brought back some of that simple immediacy I remembered from childhood and assumed was lost for good. Not some cheesy born-again religious thing but still, an end to the subtle but painful sense of alienation that had only worsened through years of chasing philosophy, relationships, jobs, a sense of security, etc. Be warned that there’s a lot of sitting silently involved. If you’re interested I’d recommend looking for a local center where you can meditate and talk to a teacher. It’s not something you can do from books or practice alone, at least until you’re somewhat secure in the practice.
After thinking about it, a life with comforts is all I need. Ac, heat when it’s cold, some fresh veggies and that’s pretty much it
“I’ve struggled to find meaning” could mean quite a few things. You’re not giving people much to work with.
But here’s something with respect to one interpretation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marx’s_theory_of_alienation
I suppose Marx’s discussion on alienation is less about some ultimate meaning of life (which many people have already talked about here) and more about how people find meaning in their work, their humanity and the wider world, and how the way our society currently works alienates us from those things and from finding our own meaning, instead pushing us to act like cogs in a pointless machine. For example, if someone’s waking hours are mostly spent making useless things for people they’ll never meet, or denying people medical coverage, they’re going to develop a very different sense of their meaningfulness than someone who builds houses in their neighbourhood, or who grows or prepares food for their family and friends. Both are labouring in order to survive, but the latter can see much clearer how their actions matter.
(I’m probably butchering it, this isn’t a theory I know much about, so check to see if someone else has corrected me)
Makes a lot of sense. I can’t help but feel like a lot of the work people do is completely detached from their own community. Which inevitably begs the question, if it’s so detached is it even worth it?
Given that religion exists I’d say you’re not alone in seeking meaning.
There are parts of your brain that exist for the sole purpose of identifying why things happen, imagine the advantage an organism has that can spot patterns in their environment and make predictions based off of what they’ve seen.
Unfortunately sometimes that hard wired part of the brain seeks to find deeper meaning in places that provide no meaning.
Shadows don’t exist, but we see them, they have no purpose because they are nothing but an emergent phenomenon.
An asteroid travels through space for millions and millions of miles in the depths of nothingness between galaxies. It is never seen by a sentient being and is far enough beyond the range of gravitational affect of everything that it’s influence is less than a single decaying atom. Why is that asteroid there, what is its purpose? It exists to exist.
You are a bundle of atoms destined to lose cohesion, revel in the beauty of it.
“You are a bundle of atoms destined to lose cohesion, revel in the beauty of it.”
Yes, maybe this is all that there is…and it’s not so bad?
On the one hand, we have an omnipotent god that made everything. Is responsible for everything. All that.
On the other we have a bunch of atoms that randomly mashed together over billions and billions of years and eventually did things like paint the Mona Lisa and landed people on the moon
I, personally, find myself far more awestruck by the second scenario. And, yes, see the beauty in it. Truly.
Good luck in your search
You are a bundle of atoms destined to lose cohesion, revel in the beauty of it.
I don’t see beauty in any of it though. It’s mostly ugly, and gross.
Might I interest you in absurdism?
