Discussion Why do people care so much about the meaning of life?

[ijustwishtodie]

Philosophy has been asking the age old question of "what is the meaning of life" but I've always wondered as to why people ask this question. The question that I ask is that "is there a meaning of life out there that justifies everything that I have to do". Honestly, it feels like people want to have any meaning of life even if it isn't particularly nice. Shouldn't the meaning of life itself also matter instead of merely wanting there to be any meaning in the first place?

Lets hypothetically say that my meaning in life is to work hard until I die naturally. Why would I want to accept that meaning? Why should I accept that meaning?

 

[derpyderpins]

Lets hypothetically say that my meaning in life is to work hard until I die naturally. Why would I want to accept that meaning? Why should I accept that meaning?

I wouldn't accept that meaning. If that's the meaning it sucks imo.

You'll hear that life has the meaning you give it, or that you have to make your own meaning, and while it's often presented in an annoying way, there's truth to it.

As far as work, which you know I actively resent, there are different ways to interpret it.

Someone like my dad gets a lot of his meaning in life from his work, but that's partially because he enjoys the work he does and probably a good bit because it is satisfying to see the success he has had over time. It's hard to explain without giving the specifics of what he does, but it involves individual projects that test problem solving skills and end with a product he can lay eyes on and see the value of at the end, and it requires a high level of intellect - he's one of the only people who can do it. So, he wouldn't say "the meaning of life is to work hard until I die," his definition would be something like "developing a skill and pushing it to the limit, becoming the best at something and enjoying it along the way." He would never think philosophically like this, it's just not the kind of person he is, but that's my estimate.

Speaking of not thinking about it, a lot of people fall into the category you are probably most resentful of and directing this post towards. They accept the meaning they are told and move through an unfulfilling life trying to outbalance pain with pleasure and never tackling the deeper issues.

Some people actually do think about it and are happy to accept that the meaning of life is in working hard until they die. Again, their wording would be more favorable, something like "giving it my all" or "proving to myself that I can do it." Those are things that, like you, I cannot accept, but it does work for some people.

I've been putting a ton of thought into my own meaning. I don't have an exact answer for you, but I know some components. I want to learn, experience, satiate my curiosity, come to understand this nonsensical human experience, and enjoy as much as I can along the way. You could say that right now my meaning to life is wrestling with the question of what is the meaning of life. Additionally, when I hear my wife breathing gently at night next to me, I know it's not a bad answer to say I find meaning in making her life as good as possible.

To me, work is an obstacle in the way of my life's actual meaning. It's speed bumps on my road, or maybe dense traffic. Work is weight I need to carry on my journey. Work is gravity I need to overcome to fly.

 

[EvisceratedJester]

People like feeling like there must be a purpose to all of this. Purpose can bring some a sense of comfort and can make life easier to cope with. That's why you see religious people (at least those from Abrahamic religions) saying stuff about how God is testing them and stuff. It can also make one feel good due to it bringing a sense of fulfillment. You have to remember that most people don't want to die. Death is terrifying to many. Though life can be just as terrifying and stressful, the main difference here is that you are familiar with what it's like to be alive, but you generally aren't familiar with death. The human brain doesn't like the unknown. We generally tend to gravitate towards things that are familar to us.

Another aspect of this is the fact that life can feel very unbelievable at times. It can feel weird that life exist, let alone that we, us humans, exist. It can make it feel like there must be more to it then this all just happening by pure chance alone. As a result, some people might start to wonder if there is some sort of meaning behind all of this. Is there a purpose in my existence? There has to be because why would someone as complex and intelligent me and rest of my species exist?

Along with that, this goes into why we tend to view life through the lens of a story. Humans, on an intuitive level, believe in causation, not correlation. We have a tendency to assign meaning to things that don't have any inherent meaning to them. When we talk about the our lives, we tend to talk about them in a manner that is similar to how one narrates a story. We treat ourselves and others as characters and we break down our life in different stages. I think this video honestly does a better job at explaining where I'm trying to get at.



I personally believe that life is meaningless, so this whole "what is the purpose of life" crap isn't something I'm all that interested in.

 

[Aergia]

Because it means your suffering has purpose. It's instrumental pain. Like how people willingly subject themselves to physical discomfort at the gym because it'll make them fitter.

Some days we wake up and innocently say, "It's good to be alive." Broken down, this exclamation means that we are experiencing an acute sense of well-being. If everyone were in such elevated spirits all the time, the topic of LIFE, THE MEANING OF would never enter our minds. —Thomas Ligotti

Lets hypothetically say that my meaning in life is to work hard until I die naturally. Why would I want to accept that meaning? Why should I accept that meaning?

Well, if someone else thinks that's your meaning you don't have to accept it. And there is no objective meaning to life, so there isn't exactly a way that that could otherwise be the meaning of your life.

 

[Alexei_Kirillov]

Philosophy has been asking the age old question of "what is the meaning of life" but I've always wondered as to why people ask this question. The question that I ask is that "is there a meaning of life out there that justifies everything that I have to do". Honestly, it feels like people want to have any meaning of life even if it isn't particularly nice. Shouldn't the meaning of life itself also matter instead of merely wanting there to be any meaning in the first place?

Lets hypothetically say that my meaning in life is to work hard until I die naturally. Why would I want to accept that meaning? Why should I accept that meaning?

Let's say one day you woke up and suddenly found yourself running a marathon. You don't remember ever signing up for it, and you're not much of a runner, but it's still pretty easygoing right now, here at the start, so whatever. For the next few kilometres, you're so occupied with the running itself that you don't really think much about how weird this all is.

Eventually, though, you start to feel your energy waning. Or maybe you hit an obstacle. Or maybe someone else comes along and ties a bag of bricks to your ankles, limiting your ability to keep up with everyone else, slowing you down and hobbling your progress to the finish line. Or maybe you just have bad luck and get caught in inclement weather.

As you take in your current predicament, the confusion rises to a crescendo, and then the question finally hits you: what the hell is the meaning of all this?! Why are you running in the first place? Why do you seem incapable of stopping, no matter how exhausted you are? Why were you signed up for the marathon by two other runners? etc. etc.

In such a context, don't you think it would be rational to ask these questions, to find out why you--and all these other people--are running a marathon you never signed up for? Might it also be rational to pick an answer, any old answer, that alleviates some of the exhaustion, some of the burden, and allows you to run faster, stronger, further? Quitting the race altogether, you might say, would be preferable, but there seem to be barriers all along the track that can only be overcome with enormous difficulty, and no one knows what's beyond them anyway.

So most people would prefer lightening their burden any way they can and continuing to run the race. Might as well make it to the finish line, seeing as how they're already signed up.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I know what you mean. I wonder if people would be all that much happier if we absolutely knew the answers to the big questions. What is the meaning of life? Is there a God? What do they expect from us? Like you say though- What if people don't like the answers they get back? Surely- that would take away more of our freedom. Why would people actually want more rules to follow?

I think it's more though that we have the capacity to reason. We are naturally inquisitive and we like to solve problems.

Plus, in a way, I think you answered your own question. Life is hard work. People want to know what all this hard work is for. I suppose their hope is that they'll get some reward somewhere along the line. The meaning of life quite often seems to get tangled up with religion. Religions tend to try and assure us that we'll be rewarded if we follow the rules and accept the suffering we receive as part of the course. That it is in fact teaching us some valuable lesson or, there is some greater good at the end.

I think the meaning of life may be simply to try and make it through as best we can. That tends to encompass the popular: 'finding happiness' or, 'finding our own purpose'.