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May 29, 2016 12:24 AM
#1
When I was a kid I thought that a happy life is man ultimate goal but now I'd go with a meaningful one. A happy life with no meaning to it is no longer a life; it'd just serve to pass time till you eventually die. I'd even argue that you could never feel real happiness living a life without meaning. Living a meaningful life can be hard but only then you feel alive. I tried living a happy life but eventually all the happiness from that life faded away in the absence of meaning. |
May 29, 2016 12:27 AM
#2
I just always remember the quote from the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. "I'd rather be happy than right any day." "and are you?" "what?" "happy." "Er..no. Well thats where it all falls down im afraid." Story of my life. |
May 29, 2016 12:43 AM
#3
I'd rather leave behind a legacy where I helped others, sometimes at my own expense, than die as a slob who only indulged in my own desires. |
May 29, 2016 12:48 AM
#4
It really depends on whether you're the type of person that questions the meaning of life in the first place. I do. I'm a philosophical dude and these questions always rise for me. I need a meaning in my life. I need to do something meaningful. I can't be satisfied with just getting by and small pleasures. None of it answers my questions. |
WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
May 29, 2016 12:53 AM
#5
Just living for the sake of happiness won't bring happiness. It's pointless to even chase it, que sera, sera. I'd go crazy if I gave up on looking for some kinda meaning, life's too empty and boring without that search. |
yangires > yanderes > tsunderes > other deres |
May 29, 2016 12:59 AM
#6
If I live a life that's truly meaningful then I would have every right to be happy. If my life has meaning in the same way that a tile in a house has meaning (walked over all the time, but you make people happy) then I don't think I could truly feel happy. The life of a Chinese factory worker has some meaning, but they're seen as disposable and don't require much skill. That's not the way I want to be useful. |
May 29, 2016 1:34 AM
#7
i don't think they're mutually exclusive? having meaning brings happinness to me? and pretty sure to most other people too |
deadoptimist said: Though I think shit-flinging should also have standards - no personal, no behind the scenes. |
May 29, 2016 1:39 AM
#8
kawaiiyuris said: i don't think they're mutually exclusive? having meaning brings happinness to me? and pretty sure to most other people too Yeah, many people would be unhappy with a life with no meaning, humans strive for purpose and meaning which brings happiness. |
May 29, 2016 1:46 AM
#9
May 29, 2016 1:47 AM
#10
Cocaine can probably make anyone happy, so I'd probably go for the meaningful life. |
May 29, 2016 1:50 AM
#11
May 29, 2016 1:53 AM
#12
I think it is more meaningful to be happy instead of not being happy. That's why living a happy life automatically means it is meaningful to me. Voted vor happy life. Maybe a bit more explanation/examples what you actually mean with those terms. If "meaningful" means doing something to help humanity but working 24/7 for it and looking for others (not yourself) first - then of course it is a bad thing. Just being unemployed and playing games and watching anime is better if you are happy. There is no reasons to help other people or do stuff like that. Politicians show us already how it is done. They promise stuff in order to get votes (and then getting the money they get as elected politician) and then doing just other stuff because of lobbyism (where they get even more money) instead of doing stuff that helps the people who elected them. |
May 29, 2016 1:57 AM
#13
The only happy life is a meaningful one. |
May 29, 2016 2:16 AM
#14
the thought of living life without meaning is what made me want to be a teacher so i can give something back and be remembered for helping someone ♡ |
May 29, 2016 4:49 AM
#15
Luthandorius said: I think it is more meaningful to be happy instead of not being happy. That's why living a happy life automatically means it is meaningful to me. Voted vor happy life. Maybe a bit more explanation/examples what you actually mean with those terms. If "meaningful" means doing something to help humanity but working 24/7 for it and looking for others (not yourself) first - then of course it is a bad thing. Just being unemployed and playing games and watching anime is better if you are happy. There is no reasons to help other people or do stuff like that. Politicians show us already how it is done. They promise stuff in order to get votes (and then getting the money they get as elected politician) and then doing just other stuff because of lobbyism (where they get even more money) instead of doing stuff that helps the people who elected them. Happiness is something personal. Surely it's not bad to be happy but it doesn't serve any greater meaning than satisfying yourself. Corrupted politicians as you described them are living a happy life but not a meaningful one. |
May 29, 2016 4:51 AM
#16
A meaningful happy life, You can be happy if you have meaningful life you know. |
May 29, 2016 5:25 AM
#17
I live life paying no mind to the future. The future is too complex to imagine. Just thinking about it is bound to make me stressed. I live life paying no mind to the past, either. It's meaningless, and getting caught up in my past mistakes only brings me regret. I live for the now, and I do what I want when I want. I'm happy. That's all I care about. |
A pair of eyes appear disguised, ask for discord serverI take flight and stay high in paradise, With bad luck, snake eyes, a pair of dice. I'm paralyzed, she speaks twice, a pair of lies, It's parallel, apparent hell of parasites. |
May 29, 2016 7:12 AM
#18
May 29, 2016 7:34 AM
#21
Sometimes they can be the same things. You can live a happy and meaningful life; you can have a goal and an ambition to be achieved so as to give meaning to your life, and you can still have your moments of pointless happiness because your life already holds meaning with you progressing towards your goals and whatnot. I understand your sentiment of this nihilistic happiness, just being happy but not being able to see the point of the substanceless continuation. I dealt with the same thing back then for a while, started working towards an ambition and the feeling soon left me. |
May 29, 2016 7:47 AM
#22
Yatyear said: When I was a kid I thought that a happy life is man ultimate goal but now I'd go with a meaningful one. A happy life with no meaning to it is no longer a life; it'd just serve to pass time till you eventually die. I'd even argue that you could never feel real happiness living a life without meaning. Living a meaningful life can be hard but only then you feel alive. I tried living a happy life but eventually all the happiness from that life faded away in the absence of meaning. Yatyear said: Happiness is something personal. Surely it's not bad to be happy but it doesn't serve any greater meaning than satisfying yourself. Corrupted politicians as you described them are living a happy life but not a meaningful one. First you're pretty vague on what you mean by "meaning". Does it has something to dos with changing the world ? or is it about making things better ? Change brought to the word is not always good. What Hitler did had meaning (Godwin's law is fun). It changed something in the world. But there's no hapiness in there. Be more explicit in what you mean by "meaning". It's hard to answer this question, otherwise. Someone can be happy, even if he hasn't accomplished much in his life. Passing time next to people who you hold dear, doing what you want. Having a simple life with no worries.They may not have meaning to you, but they do make certain people happy. Also, it's not just about being happy, what makes you happy is crucial. The activities you do have meaning, even the most simplest ones, albeit on a small micro-level. By what I've understood on your concept of having a meaningful life, it feels more like you'll be satisfied for a little moment when you contemplate what you've done. But that's the kind of thing a lot of people feel about their work, even the amateur craftsmen. If you're unsatisfied with trying to live a happy life, it's not meaning that you lack ,but a purpose. A sense of purpose or accomplishment brought by doing certain activities. |
I HAVE TWO RULES: RULE ONE: I'M ALWAYS RIGHT RULE TWO: IF I'M WRONG, REFER TO RULE ONE... |
May 29, 2016 10:22 AM
#23
My life can't be happy if there's no meaning to it. To me, a meaningful life is a happy one. A happy life to me is a life well-spent and one that leaves me feeling contented with what I've done and left behind. |
May 29, 2016 7:46 PM
#24
Life is neither happy nor is it meaningful, it is a curse to have lived, as to quote Arthur Schopenhauer; “If children were brought into the world by an act of pure reason alone, would the human race continue to exist? Would not a man rather have so much sympathy with the coming generation as to spare it the burden of existence, or at any rate not take it upon himself to impose that burden upon it in cold blood?” |
May 29, 2016 8:09 PM
#25
I think they both go hand in hand... At least for me, I couldn't be happy if my life isn't meaningful and my life wouldn't be meaningful if I am not happy. |
May 29, 2016 8:12 PM
#26
unmeaningful work has made me sad, so i woudl say i need a meaningful life to be happy. |
May 29, 2016 8:47 PM
#27
I feel like if I led a meaningful life I'd be happy. However, if I led a happy life that doesn't necessarily mean it was meaningful. Meaningful to me maybe but not to others and if my life didn't mean anything to others than I couldn't truly be happy. I'm going to go with meaningful life. |
May 29, 2016 8:55 PM
#28
I don't think you can have one without the other. What makes you happy are the things that mean a lot to you, so you can't really be enjoying life if you aren't doing something meaningful with your time. If it came down to it, though, I'd rather live a happy, uneventful life than live a life fraught with stress and danger that leaves a legacy. |
May 30, 2016 8:58 AM
#29
Jou-dan said: TheBrainintheJar said: well, sorry to say, you're sht outta luck. there is no meaning to lifeIt really depends on whether you're the type of person that questions the meaning of life in the first place. I do. I'm a philosophical dude and these questions always rise for me. I need a meaning in my life. I need to do something meaningful. I can't be satisfied with just getting by and small pleasures. None of it answers my questions. just pick something that interests you and focus your life on it. it beats waiting around for death looking for an answer that doesn't exist. even if it's something you'll never see the fruits of in your lifetime, as long as you enjoy working towards it, do it Didn't you just give life meaning? Isn't not looking for meaning, but enjoying your time here is a meaning for life? |
WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
May 31, 2016 12:15 AM
#30
Jou-dan said: TheBrainintheJar said: I suppose it can be thought of that way. I personally don't see it necessarily as a meaning or purpose. just doing what I likeJou-dan said: TheBrainintheJar said: well, sorry to say, you're sht outta luck. there is no meaning to lifeIt really depends on whether you're the type of person that questions the meaning of life in the first place. I do. I'm a philosophical dude and these questions always rise for me. I need a meaning in my life. I need to do something meaningful. I can't be satisfied with just getting by and small pleasures. None of it answers my questions. just pick something that interests you and focus your life on it. it beats waiting around for death looking for an answer that doesn't exist. even if it's something you'll never see the fruits of in your lifetime, as long as you enjoy working towards it, do it Didn't you just give life meaning? Isn't not looking for meaning, but enjoying your time here is a meaning for life? How would you define 'meaning' then? What's a meaning to life and what is not? |
WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
May 31, 2016 5:43 AM
#31
What's the point of mindless happiness if you don't have an objective? Living for the sake of being alive is incopatible with happiness for me, so I would choose a life where I can achieve something important before dying, even if it is a shitty life (Up to a degree of shittiness, of course). Jou-dan said: Should I remember you chaos theory?none of our lives are worth anything on a universal scale, so none of us can have meaning |
May 31, 2016 5:45 AM
#32
May 31, 2016 5:55 AM
#33
May 31, 2016 6:08 AM
#34
Jou-dan said: I mean that every act we made, with the pass of time, will increase the mathematical error of the world we live, resulting in complete diferent results after billions of years, even in a universal scale. Therefore every life is meaninful, don't matter the scale you are talking.Shinjisus said: doesn't matter in this context. meaning doesn't mean physical impact to meShould I remember you chaos theory? And what matter at the end is if you at the end of your life consider your life worthy and meaningful. |
May 31, 2016 6:23 AM
#35
For me happiness is already meaningful. So its kind of equal^^ |
May 31, 2016 9:20 AM
#36
Jou-dan said: As long as you don't consider it a problem it is not a problem. For me it would be a problem if I were you.Shinjisus said: yes, I know what chaos theory is. I said it doesn't matter in this context, because to me that isn't meaningfulJou-dan said: Shinjisus said: doesn't matter in this context. meaning doesn't mean physical impact to meShould I remember you chaos theory? And what matter at the end is if you at the end of your life consider your life worthy and meaningful. and I don't consider my life worth anything nor meaningful, so I guess I'm in trouble, eh? |
May 31, 2016 10:06 AM
#37
Jou-dan said: It is just my way of being, without a reason to be, I feel like I'm walking in circles. There are lot of people like me, in the same way there are lot of people like you.Shinjisus said: why does something need meaning or worth? even if everything is meaningless and worthless, I can still enjoy the world. in fact it's freeing, because while most people care about protecting their life, I don't give a shit and am free to risk it for irrational things that I decide I likeAs long as you don't consider it a problem it is not a problem. For me it would be a problem if I were you. > I decide I like Just.. no. |
May 31, 2016 10:08 AM
#38
meaningful what? serve these human fools and then be paid by death? fuck this shit. |
May 31, 2016 10:12 AM
#39
happy life. what's the point of a meaningful life if you can't even put a smile on your face |
May 31, 2016 10:50 AM
#40
Jou-dan said: You don't decide to like something xDwhy just no? in the end, all our beliefs are merely that: things we like. what's wrong with doing things on whims? |
May 31, 2016 11:48 AM
#41
Which one should we choice? Happy life or Meaningful life? I think the choice here is between choose to do nothing and accept what life passes you by or choose to do something and change what life passes you by, even if it's not the better path to follow, in order to stay true to who you are, to what you are. And between them i would choose a meaningful life because following that path you can achieve true happiness |
May 31, 2016 12:16 PM
#42
I have neither sadly............. |
May 31, 2016 12:21 PM
#43
Jou-dan said: why does something need meaning or worth? even if everything is meaningless and worthless, I can still enjoy the world. This is how i feel about it so i chose happy life. |
May 31, 2016 12:31 PM
#44
>First time walking in casual conversation >Philosophical conversation This place looks fun ___________________________________________ As long as happiness isn't confused with comfortness, I think a happy life is worth it. I'd go with meaningful life though, mostly because I think a meaningless life is more dangerous for the individual and is easier to confuse comfortness with happiness. |
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; What is essential is invisible to the eye. But does the heart have the right perspective? |
May 31, 2016 12:45 PM
#45
There really is no dichotomy between those two things... A happy life is a meaningful life, and a meaningful life is a happy life. |
Jun 1, 2016 12:23 AM
#46
Jou-dan said: TheBrainintheJar said: worth of life. however, none of our lives are worth anything on a universal scale, so none of us can have meaning How would you define 'meaning' then? What's a meaning to life and what is not? however we can have some lower purposes in some localized contexts, but none of us have purpose in a universal context. for example, a fireman serves the purpose of saving lives from fires, but he still has no purpose in higher universal scales the only thing that could give us meaning is if a religion is true, then we suddenly increase in importance I agree we're meaningless in the universal scale, but so what? Looking at Earth from a distance doesn't make all the pain and happiness and life in it to go away - it merely hides it. Sometimes looking from afar is just as limiting. A localized purpose is still a purpose. |
WEAPONS - My blog, for reviews of music, anime, books, and other things |
Jun 1, 2016 1:00 AM
#47
I consider a happy life a meaningful life. |
Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth. -Walt Whitman A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. -Robert A. Heinlein |
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