The meaning of life

[Eise]

2 hours ago, Sensei said:

Seeking of immortality..

To prolong a meaningless life?

[Evgenia]

Martin Schkreli, the CEO of several pharmaceuticals companies in USA, speculated the prices of essential treatments as Daraprim by around 5000%increase. He has so much haters in the world and none of scientifical education. Am sure he has his concept of meaning of life as i see the way he smiled in the court. And it is not an improvement of human life, for sure. How come such a person still has all the advantages to support his ideas but what can we do is just watching the news about him with the very widen eyes?

[Tub]

I'm just an average guy, nothing special about me. Never done anything exceptional or earth-shattering and probably won't be remembered for much when i'm gone, but, if i hadn't been born, the whole of Life would have been different, would it not? Even in the tiniest way, Life would not have been the same - either for better or for worse.That goes for all of us, too: without any one of us, Life would be different. The Whole of Life, near or far, is in each moment and everyone one of us is part of that moment, either living or dead.

In our little, individual life, we are like a separate page in one great " Book of Life ". What's on the page may be  exhilarating or really dull and boring, but each page is unique. Even if that page may never know the beginning of the story, or the ending, or even be aware of the other pages, that single page gives meaning to the whole book and the book gives meaning to the page. The page without the book is meaningless, the book without that page is incomplete. The purpose of the page is to complete the book, even if that page can never know the whole story.

Apologies for the tortured metaphor. Shakespeare put it a bit better:  " The summer's flower is to the summer sweet, though to itself it only lives and dies. "

 

[dimreepr]

22 minutes ago, Tub said:

I'm just an average guy, nothing special about me. Never done anything exceptional or earth-shattering and probably won't be remembered for much when i'm gone, but, if i hadn't been born, the whole of Life would have been different, would it not? Even in the tiniest way, Life would not have been the same - either for better or for worse.That goes for all of us, too: without any one of us, Life would be different. The Whole of Life, near or far, is in each moment and everyone one of us is part of that moment, either living or dead.

In our little, individual life, we are like a separate page in one great " Book of Life ". What's on the page may be  exhilarating or really dull and boring, but each page is unique. Even if that page may never know the beginning of the story, or the ending, or even be aware of the other pages, that single page gives meaning to the whole book and the book gives meaning to the page. The page without the book is meaningless, the book without that page is incomplete. The purpose of the page is to complete the book, even if that page can never know the whole story.

Apologies for the tortured metaphor. Shakespeare put it a bit better:  " The summer's flower is to the summer sweet, though to itself it only lives and dies. "

 

4

Only one thing to change "The purpose of the page is to complete add to the book, even if that page can never know the whole story."

[Tub]

6 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

Only one thing to change "The purpose of the page is to complete add to the book, even if that page can never know the whole story."

Yes, that's probably more correct. Thanks.

[dimreepr]

A swallow doesn't consider its existence, it flies and eats them, breeds and dies; how would a swallow benefit if it did consider such things? 

[bimbo36]

The whole universe , its particle and gravity is an experiment of god i think , at least that's what i read in certain books .

 

[Manticore]

13 hours ago, bimbo36 said:

The whole universe , its particle and gravity is an experiment of god i think , at least that's what i read in certain books .

 

Which god?

[Area54]

17 hours ago, dimreepr said:

A swallow doesn't consider its existence, it flies and eats them, breeds and dies; how would a swallow benefit if it did consider such things? 

In the same way that we benefit, if benefit we do.

[bimbo36]

3 hours ago, Manticore said:

Which god?

The Muslim God , Allah

[Area54]

10 minutes ago, bimbo36 said:

The Muslim God , Allah

So which certain books suggest this? I don't recall seeing that in the Qoran, but I am not well read in that regard.

[dimreepr]

4 hours ago, Area54 said:

In the same way that we benefit, if benefit we do.

My point is, in questioning "the meaning of life" suggests one's life is missing a purpose to live; so the real question is, how does one find a purpose/reason to live?

[Area54]

31 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

 so the real question is, how does one find a purpose/reason to live?

By selecting one, from a very large range of options, that appeals to you.

[dimreepr]

7 minutes ago, Area54 said:

By selecting one, from a very large range of options, that appeals to you.

Do you really think it's that easy?

 

[Area54]

Just now, dimreepr said:

Do you really think it's that easy?

Yes. And you didn't specify anything about degree of difficulty in your question. What is it you consider to be difficult about the approach?

[dimreepr]

8 minutes ago, Area54 said:

Yes. And you didn't specify anything about degree of difficulty in your question. What is it you consider to be difficult about the approach?

Well then you've just solved depression, obviously, you've never suffered its debilitating effects (lucky you ).

[Strange]

17 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

Well then you've just solved depression, obviously, you've never suffered its debilitating effects (lucky you ).

I can't see the relevance of this comment. 

[Area54]

4 minutes ago, Strange said:

I can't see the relevance of this comment. 

That is comforting. I thought it might just have been me who was being dense.

Dimreepr, I would appreciate it if you not make calls on my state of mind, past or present. You imly you have suffered the effects of depressionso you will be aware that such comments are not helpful.

Depression arises, in my experience, not from a failure to find a purpose in life, but in failing to realise that purpose.

[dimreepr]

59 minutes ago, Strange said:

I can't see the relevance of this comment. 

Depression can be a result of a lack of a purpose/meaning to life, it certainly was in my case and many others I've spoken to (anecdotal yes). But even if it wasn't the initial reason for the depression it certainly isn't easy to just pick a purpose to live for from a list, as a motive to exit its grip.

Edited July 29, 2017 by dimreepr

[dimreepr]

49 minutes ago, Area54 said:

Dimreepr, I would appreciate it if you not make calls on my state of mind, past or present. You imly you have suffered the effects of depressionso you will be aware that such comments are not helpful.

3

The reason I think it's obvious you've not suffered depression is that you think it so easy to escape via a list.

"Depression arises, in my experience, not from a failure to find a purpose in life, but in failing to realise that purpose"

How can one realise a purpose one doesn't have?

Edited July 29, 2017 by dimreepr

[Strange]

Did anyone say that choosing (or being given) the meaning of life would help exit from depression? There must be many people who suffer from depression who have a very clear idea of the meaning of their life (religion, family, art, whatever) when not in the grip of depression. The two things seem largely unrelated, to me.

[Area54]

Just now, dimreepr said:

The reason I think it's obvious you've not suffered depression is that you think it so easy to escape via a list.

"Depression arises, in my experience, not from a failure to find a purpose in life, but in failing to realise that purpose"

How can you realise a purpose one doesn't have?

Strnage has made my point for me. I shall be withdrawing from further discussion with you since you seem to believe you can diagnose my mental state, past and present, from a few posts on an internet forum. That would be a great skill if you were actually capable of it.

[dimreepr]

4 minutes ago, Strange said:

Did anyone say that choosing (or being given) the meaning of life would help exit from depression? There must be many people who suffer from depression who have a very clear idea of the meaning of their life (religion, family, art, whatever) when not in the grip of depression. The two things seem largely unrelated, to me.

What can I say? It worked for me. 

[dimreepr]

3 minutes ago, Area54 said:

Strnage has made my point for me. I shall be withdrawing from further discussion with you since you seem to believe you can diagnose my mental state, past and present, from a few posts on an internet forum. That would be a great skill if you were actually capable of it.

I think you should re-read my posts, when did I attempt to diagnose your mental state?

[Strange]

3 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

I think you should re-read my posts, when did I attempt to diagnose your mental state?

Erm...

1 hour ago, dimreepr said:

obviously, you've never suffered its debilitating effects

 

6 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

What can I say? It worked for me. 

I thought you were criticising Area54 for suggesting it could (not that he said that, anyway). But now you are saying it can.