Meaning of life is whatever you find meaningful

What is the meaning of life? I used to think this was an important question. Heck, maybe the only question worth seriously pursuing an answer to.

Why? Because once the question was answered, I'd know what were the most important things to do in life.

(Which, though I didn't ponder this at the time, had damn well better include "search for the meaning of life," or I was seriously screwed.)

Now I'm not nearly as interested in thinking about the meaning of life. I'm actually living a meaningful life -- much preferable to wondering what one might consist of.

A few years ago I wrote a couple of blog posts about Julian Baggini's book, "What's It All About?: Philosophy and the Meaning of LIfe." In it, Baggini has short chapters on the various main ways people view the meaning of life.

One is Lose Your Self. Here, as in the rest of his book, Baggini discusses the pros and cons of this strategy. I called a blog post "Losing your self is so egotistical," quoting Baggini:

The reason I am being a little brutal here is that I think there is a terrible dishonesty among some of those who claim that what they are trying to achieve is a lessening of attachment to ego. The clear truth is that people who find this path satisfying are living contented lives.

In other words, they like their "spiritual practices" because they make them feel more content, at peace, or whatever, than alternatives they have tried. So despite all the fine words about losing their egos, they are in fact simply engaging in another form of self-gratification. This isn't materialistic or harmful to others, so we tend to look upon it quite kindly. But it is not in any sense a way of life which shows disregard for self-interest.

Early on, Baggini emphasizes a point that gets repeated in his book. It became the title of another blog post: "Meaning of life is now, or never." I still like these Baggini quotes a lot.

I have rejected the view that life's purpose can be understood by looking backwards to its origins. But that doesn't mean the only alternative is looking forward to its ultimate end. Just as the restaurant staff are fulfilling their professional purposes in the present simply by doing their job, couldn't we fulfill life's purpose in the present simply by living our lives?

...So if life is to be meaningful, the "why/because" series cannot extend indefinitely into the future. At some point we have to reach an end point where a further "why" question is unnecessary, misguided, or nonsensical. Otherwise the purpose of life is forever beyond our reach.

...As we have repeatedly seen, at some point we have to reach the stage where a "why" question can be met with an answer along the lines of "Are you nuts? Why wouldn't anyone want that?" If not, the "why/because" series just extends into the indefinite future.

...Yet so many of us do look towards some idyllic future when we have "made it" as providing purpose for what we do. This is a mistake and at its root is a failure to realize that if what is being worked towards is worthwhile in itself, then so are many other things that are within our grasp right now.

Right on, brother.

Such is one of the many delusional traps of religion -- spending one's life looking forward to salvation, enlightenment, god-realization, a second coming, ego loss, nondual consciousness, or whatever. When the meaning of life is a goal always dangled out of reach, we run the risk of ending our life feeling unfulfilled, even though nothing ever was lacking except our belief that something was lacking.

I put Baggini's book away without finishing it. Having rediscovered it recently, I've enjoyed reading the remaining chapters. This morning I read "The Threat of Meaninglessness." 

Thankfully, this isn't much of a threat, notwithstanding the frantic cries of religious fundamentalists who threaten, "Without surrendering to what God wants for us, life is empty of meaning." What a bunch of crap. 

Baggini feels the same, though he states his objections to supernatural bullshit in a more philosophical manner. He rejects the thoroughly unproven notion that some divinity holds the answer to the question, "What is the meaning of life?"

For example, some embrace Christianity and some Hinduism. Both faiths can't be true, since it is central to one that there is just one God and central to the other than there are many; and reincarnation is essential to one and inconsistent with the other. So at least one -- and probably both -- are just wrong to think that what they believe will ultimately provide meaning for life.

So what will? Whatever we find meaningful. And we don't even have to think about this very much. Living life provides the answer, not philosophical reflection.

Fortunately, there is no great mystery about how unexamined or mistaken lives can have meaning. Throughout this book we have seen many ways in which life can have meaning. The overall idea is that life is worth living just as long as it is a good thing in itself.

Such a life has meaning because it means something to us, it is valuable to those who have it. Many things can contribute to this: happiness, authenticity and self-expression, social and personal relationships, concern for the welfare of others.

...Hence it is more than possible for someone to live a full and meaningful life without ever having thought in terms of life's meaning.

Cartoonist Charles Schulz said it nicely.

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right?

Comments

[George]

Meaning is entirely dependent on context (or one's frame of reference).

The letters k, i, c, d are meaningless scribbles on their own, but are recognised as symbols by speakers of english. These letters can be arranged into a particular sequence that spells "dick".

The word 'dick' could either mean someone's pecker, someone's name or an objectionable someone.

The meaning of life to:

- to a mystic is self-realisation, to uncover one's true nature, which is supposedly the nature of everything.

- to a scientifically-minded skeptic (or atheist) there is no meaning, its completely random, and meaning is whatever one might choose it to be (victor frankl).

- to the religious, is to live according to the moral rules of their religion.

- to the hedonist, is the pursuit of pleasure

- to the sadist or masochist, is the giving or receiving of pain

- to the gene, its self-replication

- to the phenotype, its survival and reproduction.

- to the bullshitter, its too bullshit til the cows come home.

thank you kindly.

[Rain Trueax]

I feel my life has purpose and I live that purpose every day. It's to be. To experience whatever it is. I put a quote onto my own blog that kind of fits your topic. "If we can let go, relax and fall into the center of now, we can encounter directly the freedom that we have all been seeking." Adyashanti

It's on my calendar for January and suits how I think life has to be lived at all ages and in all experiences. Be there fully as it's really all we have-- the moment. It's the purpose of life to live that moment. We get too busy thinking about yesterday or tomorrow and miss what actually is.

[cc]

"If we can let go, relax and fall into the center of now, we can encounter directly the freedom that we have all been seeking."

Who can say what "we have all been seeking"? All anyone can honestly say is that they're seeking or they're not. Sometimes life seems purposeful and sometimes it seems pointless and absurd. Why be obsessed with happiness, purpose, finding, etc.? How ever you live your life, how ever life treats you or beats you up, you die, so keep in mind as you kick the can of death down the road of life that you're just blowin' smoke and whistlin' Dixie. .

[Datasmithy]

I just discovered Julian Bagini last week, and I find his thinking to be considerate and thoughtful (he is a philosopher after all :-)

Have you read his Heathen's Manifesto?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/mar/25/atheists-please-read-heathen-manifesto

I found it fascinating. I may have to pick up one of his books.

[Turan]

I enjoy Baggini's books and agree with his observations that some 'spiritual practices' are another form of self-gratification and egotistical'- perhaps many of us have been down that road. I would say though that understanding the 'self' could be a less egotistical pursuit.
Perhaps in realising what the 'self' is, how it is constructed and how it is forever using any conceptual device to maintain its 'self' is more honest?
Yes, the 'ego self' seems able to make an identity out of anything - even 'no self'.

[cc]

"the 'ego self' seems able to make an identity out of anything - even 'no self'"

Yes, no-self is the ultimate. Have you achieved it? Have you arrived? Well, I have and I can tell you it's worse than any self you can come up with. No-self is so horrible that if I'm not concocting a new self every moment, my suffering is unbearable. But don't take my word for it. Find out for yourself.

[joe]

https://youtu.be/-UgkrCIaYoU

[Lance]

Brian,
I believe that you have indeed found the meaning of life and you are living it well right now, your blog is your mission as you seek for answers to the meaning of life and you teach other seekers of truth what you have found so far,
as your life continues your views change accordingly and this too is expressed in your blog and so more of the meaning of life is revealed to you and then more to others like you,
life is different to every individual so your views will not be what others may experience or believe, but this is ok since it is supposed to be different,
the journey is the point and when it is figured out (assuming in reincarnation to life after life) then you will no longer need to return to this planet and will go on to the next adventure and continue to add to "All that Is"