Full Careers

is life essentially meaningless?

Not planning on having children, don't believe in God, am not hankering for financial gain, no desire for power. Get no satisfaction from a career, relationships come and go. Friends can seem fake and self centered. As can I at times. There seems to be no justice. All this suffering in the world... for what? It seems to me that all we have is time, when you stirp away everything that people put meaning into - even their emotional state is just a drug induced 'high' / entertainment. All that's left is time... and it's how you fill that time that is significant... though, utterly meaningless... We need to keep our brains 'occupied' with something - be it art, reading, watching tv, playing xboxes, emotions, eating, relationship dramas... take it all away... all stimulus... stipped away liek the layers of an onion and what are we left with? Nothing? Is life essentially meaningless?

Public Comments

1. No, life is definantly not meaningless. You just have to open your heart and your eyes to the things that are beautiful in the world rather then all the negative. Find a purpose and you'll find a meaning.
2. You need to stop with the externals and take a trip 'within'. There is mystery and beauty to life. Oh yes, but we, the disillusioned, have a job to do here, we have a reason to be here. It's up to you wether you waste your 'time' or not. Stop looking for the answers around you, nothing and nobody has an answer that will make sense for you, that can remind you of your purpose in coming here. There are guiding posts, you'll know them when you see/hear/feel/sense them.
3. get over it
4. Maybe in the end it is but right now it isn't. Why should I eat today when tomorrow I will be hungry again? You eat now, because you are hungry now. In the end life may prove meaningless, but for right now, the only time you live in, the present, the meaning is undeniable, and the hunger is real.
5. Perhaps life is meaningless only for those who cannot create meaning in their lives either because of some mental disorder such as depression or because of some special circumstance that prevents them from leading normal lives. People usually create meaning through relationships with other people and with the external world. Everyone who can have relationships can create meaning in his or her life. But creating life's meaning takes effort and work. And no meaning is going to come on its own to someone who makes no effort to make it happen.
6. It's not meaningless at all. It's up to us to give it meaning and not to rely on our empty social culture to fill us up. Life is not about instant gratification, achieving some kind of technical pinnacle or avoiding boredom. We make our life. We decide what is important. We build our friendships and family relationships. We grow from that, from art, music and inspiration. All the rest is white noise - background radiation. If you are confused about this, then you are listening to the "chatter" and you need to find a little time to get clear and be by yourself. Perhaps a week-long retreat in a really nice but quiet place would do it for you.
7. It can be meaningless, if you choose it to view that way. Life has that advantage/disadvantage. It's such a flexible material. Don't give up hope though, it may seem like a dark, cold world out there but there are lots of things to look forward to. If I were you, I'd plan a nice vacation. You know, just get away from it all for awhile. Go tour into a rainforest! or the Great Wall of China! You know the Peace Corps isn't bad either if you're wondering what you could do with your life. It's meaningless, but only if you want it to be. I would highly recommend that you do something about it though. I would really try out the peace corps.
8. Life is never meaningless. Get a dog, walk with the dog, look at all the beautiful things around you. See how joyous your dog is, just to go somewhere with you. Life is what you make of it.
9. No, not meaning less. We have"time" as you say but even that is limited. I hope you are not looking too deep and micromanaging things. If you think you just need to find the meaning and then it will all fall into place you are wrong. I ask you, modern life aside, please look at people who accomplished soemthing either personally meaningful to themselves or changed the world forever more and how can life be meaningless. The value of actual existance as far as being a warm body is pretty debateable in an over populated place, but the truth is deeper..we are all a spark off the Devine. This life is to prepare for the next. Make the choices here that will carry us into the next. It is admitedly small things that start here, but when you are dealing with eternity than everything that follows has literally forever to evolve or unroll. Something inconsequencial seeming now,eventually could mark a radical turning point..look how slow evolution of species occurs!
10. no, just beleive in God...then you will find the answer. and thanks for making me see the truth..im depressed now. nah im kidding, im a christian thats why life isnt meaningless to me...not most of the time. i know i seem to be annoying you with my religeon but just try it. youll like it. and even though all the things you said about crappy friends, no children, etc. i try to think positive.. life is once... you only have one life to live on earth.. why be soo depressing? enjoy you wont do it again.... i hope u take my advice. good luck:)
11. Yes, life is meaningless. But that doesn't make it worthless. Many things are valuable, that have no otherwise symbolic significance.
12. killing boredom on Yahoo! Answers. If there is a meaning to life, it is finding enjoyment or finding God (and the first is essentially meaningless but it gives some purpose to continue living) I think that unless there is a God, life as a whole (from microbes to human beings) is essentially meaningless as it would be nothing more than a series of chemical reactions somehow set up to propagate themselves indefinitely. Relationships only exist so that you can modify the way other chemical reactions take place to make them more like your own... either by modifying the thinking of two parties to create a more similar form of thinking between them or to pass on genes creating another life to continue these chemical reactions... no more meaning than a rock sitting without reacting... If there is no God, I agree that the way that time is filled is significant though meaningless and that people should do what they enjoy most (and that that should be some form of art.... )
13. It also depends at which part of our lives you happen to look; some parts of our lives appear more meaningful at the time, other times less. We receive back what we give to it. Eventually, even if we can't perceive it! .
14. Story of my life! Yes its all meaningless. No one can prove its worth more than nothing. But I suppose things could be worse.