An apparently eccentric 15 year old would like to discuss the meaning of life...?

T

Tealeaf

New member
Hi, I'm Ben, and I would like to discuss the meaning of life.

I've always thought that there is no actual meaning or purpose to life, that it is just a random occurrence that sentient beings experience whether they want to or not. For me, the literal dictionary definition of life seems like the closest meaning of this sometimes strange thing we experience.
This may seem like a bleak, existentialist or absurdist perspective (don't ever think me nihilist, haha) but really my view is quite positive and optimistic though it may be hard to believe me at this point.
My opinion is in no way negative, in fact it is probably more positive than I even know...
Because of my opinion that life has no apparent or solid meaning, it would also make sense that all humans are able to do whatever they want, as long as it is physically possible (or has the potential to become physically possible). Because of this seemingly meaningless existence, we humans have to learn and decide for ourselves the most "comfortable" way for us to view life and the most "comfortable" way to live.
Please don't be offended by my point of view, I probably don't have nearly as much life experience as any of the people that will leave a comment on this page... (I'm only 15, after all!)

Another interesting point is that even though all sentient beings know that they exist, (or so I have read) the actual concept of life, and living, was created and is cultivated entirely by humans.

So are the concepts of good and bad, and what is right and wrong...

So is reality.

Everything is in the eye of the beholder.




Everything stated above is simply an opinion so don't bother arguing with me over whether I am right or wrong, because if you think about it, you can never really know what is right or wrong, so arguing would be meaningless.
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I have shared a few of my views on life, so how about you guys share some of yours... I would really appreciate it.




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P.S. I would appreciate it if you don't comment too harshly on this page (as I know some people would probably love to do) Try and make your comments as peaceful and as non-confrontational as possible so that no other people who stumble onto this page get offended.

There is no need to criticise other people's beliefs, opinions, or perspectives.

Thankyou very much, I look forward to reading your views on life.

Yours sincerely,
Ben
All great opinions!!!

I found it suprising (but at the same time really not surprising) how many of you shared some of my views on life.

And "Einstein", you do not have to apologise, you were agreeing with me....

Though the first comment seemed a bit mocking because of the excessive language, I still enjoyed reading it nevertheless. It was very entertaining :)

I'm thinking maybe I should post more of my ideas, opinions and perspectives (well they're not really mine of course) and start up more discussions...

I'd like to thank you all for sharing your own views on life, I really appreciate your generosity.
 
I dare say that a meaningless existence - as you define existance anyway - is all we can hope for.

If you believe in eternity then imagine an empty room. Now fill it with a river that flows around the walls, ceiling and floor. The liquid is silver and bright. In the middle of the room the fluid passes through a massive hour glass. As the flow falls into the bottom hemisphere it lingers inches from the pool at the base. Hovering in the air the entire universe as we know it can be seen. A few drops of seconds in a river of millennia. There are no doors or windows and the room is free from the bounds of time itself. A moment later the drops collide with the bottom - and the world and universe as we know it ceases to exist. New drops decline and the perpetual river emanates into eternity.

There is very little a person can do that will affect anything outside 10 years of their lifetime. Let alone the collapse of the universe. So if you think on those MASSIVE terms then yes - "life" is meaningless. However, take it in the other direction and you'll find the world of humanist psychology.
 
hey! im an apparently eccentric 15 year old who would like to discuss the meaning of life!

you actually have an amazingly similar theory as my last theory. (now, the only thing i truly believe is that i exist)
"i think, therefore, i am"

-i believed that the only purpose of life was to be happy. even though i now dont believe this, i still live by it.
-i also believe that good and bad is a creation of conscious beings.
-i also believe that we can never understand if anything is real, a figment of our minds, or absolutely nothing.
-however, your theory that we invent "life" as to explain ourselves sparked some interesting questions to me.

-we define "life" as the ability to reproduce, take energy, leave waste... but, how can we be sure that this is life?
how can we be sure that somewhere, homogeneous matter isnt alive?
why do we try to explain something so vast by something as specific as the species on earth?
and furthermore, why do we need to explain ourselves?

now i am thinking, that maybe, our bodies our just here to hold a consciousness, and that maybe, the purpose of life is to think
in fact, maybe that is the reason that we are compelled to create the easiest lifestyle for ourselves. so that we may spend less time surviving, and more time thinking. maybe, we think forever, but our bodies only live for a finite time.

huh, well i dont know, but all i believe is that you can only be sure that you exist.

"Try and make your comments as peaceful and as non-confrontational as possible..." ok... listen to me, one thing that i cant stand is when someone doesnt want to have an opposition. in science, math, and philosophy, you need an opposition, it is what you strive towards. without one, you are right, even if you are wrong, you are right.

"i would much rather be wrong than be right"

after typing this, i believe that all conscious beings are destined to think forever


thanks for this question, i havent thought like this for a long time
 
Meaning of life is the pursuit of happiness, the avoidance of unhappiness.
Now ... the question of why some things make some people happy or unhappy is another discussion.
 
At some point in the next ten years or so you will meet the one perfect girl (or boy if that is your preference) and you will be head over heals in love.Then you will have a purpose in life.If she or he dies before you do then and only then will you be able to say life has no meaning.
 
you know, i have been thinking about some of these things a lot lately too. im 14, and ive been thinking about all these perspectives different people have on life. my friend is very religious and i love debating about the different opinons we have on stuff. and through our friendship ive realized that there is no "right" way to do things, and there is no such thing as a "bad" person because right, wrong, bad, and good are all things we made up. its like time, its an idea that we plan our days and thoughts around but really its just an idea. what ive had trouble with is what path is right for me but i guess whatever happens happens and theres not much i can do but my best. an example of all these different perspectives is, is it better to just live life without analyzing it, or is it better to analyze it and take the risk of not understanding? right now im choosing the second one but if it just gets too difficult ill try out the first one and thats the beauty of life is that you can try different things and find what works. those have been my thoughts lately and its nice to write them out. thanks for you ideas, there very intersting.
 
Have you read the analogy of the cave? It can be found in Plato's Republic, an interesting jaunt in the philosophy of his perfect world but certainly not mine. I like rhetoric as much as the next fellow but I can't handle the idea of a philosopher king. Anyway, When I was reading about the Buddhist Saints of India and Tibet from 3000 years ago, I chose to pick up the Republic for a little light reading. Low, I discovered that the stream of thought, the most base of life questions was being answered in a similar manner though the rhetoric was certainly different and the languages vastly apart. Sanskrit and Greek are nothing alike in my personal opinion.
Regardless, I went on to examine several other religious texts and philosophical treatise to come to my own conclusion.

For me (and that is to say that it is only for me, in order to come to this same conclusion you would need to find your own path to that end) but for me,
The meaning of life

is to turn away from the dancing shadows on the cave wall and find a way into the sun.

Regardless of what others tell you, regardless of the messages that they carry, knowing that every viewpoint is always going to be different, I choose to find my own way to the sun.

This week I drew a new parallel between the shadows on the cave wall and today's technological advances. Fun for neo philosophers. Draw your own conclusions and have a great life. :)
 
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