The meaning of life, the nature of love

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The meaning of life, the nature of love 02.12.04 (11:20 pm)   [edit] From the beginning of conscious time, there has been a prevailing question begging to be answered, yet ever evasive to all who have attempted to do such. This question is, of course, what is the meaning of life? Examining this question, it becomes apparent that there is no way of answering such a question. Assumedly, we are seeking the meaning, the essence, the value in existence itself. All humanity, perhaps all living creatures, having one distinct purpose in existing is the prime desire of most. To serve some purpose higher than the individual is a way of coping with the ever-pressing issue of death. It is generally considered that if we all hold a common purpose, there is a way of transcending death, a way of "living on" even after our bodies physically die, and this serves some sort of purpose to our lives. It seems odd to me, however, that the primary motivation in life is to avoid a sort of spiritual death. We all must die at some point, but if there is a higher purpose to our existence, we will not die in spirit, or we will at least have had some meaning to our lives. Well, I think the meaning of life has little to do with death. That only makes sense, doesn't it? Death is a necessary finality of life, but we shouldn't allow death to rule our lives or determine our worth. Our lives should be lived not in a way to invalidate death, but to ensure the worth of life itself. In this vein, I don't think there is a collective meaning of life. We each hold individual purposes in our lives. So, what gives the individual's life meaning, given that there is no higher purpose to be served by the simple fate of being a human? The common bond in all of humanity, the one essential necessity for living a contented life, is love. Love gives one's life meaning. Similarly, giving love makes the life of another meaningful. As Tom Robbins writes in [i]Jitterbug Perfume[/i], "The highest function of love is that it makes the loved one a unique and irreplacable being." Ultimately, love creates a meaning, a purpose for the existence of a person. To those who love you, you are a unique and irreplacable being. In the grand scheme of things, there is little more we can hope to achieve in life. Love defines our relations with others, and gives meaning to the nature of existence, in some small way. Without love, without compassion, without lust, sex, romance, and passion, there would be no importance in the life of another. We are all important because we all are loved. Romantic love is a tricky thing. It is fickle, it is untrustworthy, and most importantly, it consumes the highest emotional resources of any endeavor. There is no feeling that comes closer to happiness than a pure romantic love. There is no act that comes closer to transcending the inhibitions of time than sex between romantic lovers. But the intensity and passion that fuel romance are not unfettered by time. They are, perhaps, the greatest victims of time's cruel power. Passion, arguably the most important element in a romantic relationship, is the first thing to go in a long-term relationship. The meaning of life lies in the nature of love. Love gives our lives meaning. We waste time searching for some elusive means of justifying our existence, rather than focusing on living. And as far as love goes, "The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the mediocre and vile can be transformed, and (c) doing that makes it that. We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love."   posted by: Nivek (reply) post date: 02.12.04 (10:01 pm) What could be that higher purpose? What is the meaning of life? Why are we here? These questions are irrelevant if we have no answers. We can expand our minds with the thought of such answers to these, and even base our principles and morality on gods, collective minds and spirits, and other celestial nonsense, but the truth can only be in what we know to be certain. We are here by chance; each individual in individual mind. By chance similar to animals, except for one determining factor that only humans possess: the ability to conceptualize reality. Animals have only the ability of perception. They act instinctively towards any chance percept that may be before them. Every animal has the instinct to stay alive for its own sake; they live each moment by that premise. Man, on the other hand, has the grand faculty of reason. With this, he can choose to keep himself alive, or become his own destroyer. The purpose and the meaning of life can be none other than our own happiness. Why would anyone live for anything less than that? We’re not omniscient. We make mistakes and errors in judgment. But, with reason, rational self-interest, and objectivity towards all things, the ultimate goal of happiness is not so elusive. We live for our own purpose, and for the right to our lives for our own sake. Happiness is an end, and the means to that end is reason. Aren’t we perfect in and of ourselves? If not, than what standard do we go by? Love. How many times do you hear it? How many times has someone said it to you, and how many times was it only parroted? The best of times are spent in love with another. The splendid memories, even the suffering of love stays with you, and what you learn will never leave you. The ultimate form of love, romantic love, has no comparison. Romance eludes many, but without it, a romantic relationship based on that ethic is doomed from the start. There must be intensity, passion, lust, and sex being the definitive glory within both—a sharing of your values with that of another, and as fulfillment and the selfishness between both. There is no other rational joy that transcends that bonding of love and values. posted by: Nivek (reply) post date: 02.12.04 (10:21 pm) ...and, honesty is paramount, and the breach of that trust is the quickest and most permanent of all destroyers of love. And yes. The search for the perfect lover is futile. The perfect lovers are formed from the values, respect, and love of both within the relationship, not the other way around. posted by: Gonzosc1 (reply) post date: 02.14.04 (7:26 am) Life according to gonzosc1; I like to use the k.i.s.s. factor when reasoning(keep it simple stupid). so I'll go out on a limb. I think this falls in line with dragons relativity of morality. In that there still is no one code for the meaning of life. (Relativity of life) In short,, I see the meaning of life as; what you do with it each day when you wake up. now my life will not be the same today as anyone else's. Being "who" I am my daily mood is mostly set by the weather,,LOL when I get up and see clouds and rain I'm pretty depressed for that day. the life meaning for the day is bad. That's just me. others might get there life meaning from the work that they do, the news that surrounds them and so on, but as things change around us so does our perceptions. if nothing ever changed life would be easy, boring I would agree but easy. How did you see life today when you got the day started? was it the same as when you went to bed the night before? is it the same as it was 5 years ago? will it be the same 5 years from now? Your Name: Your Comment:

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