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The meaning of lifeSince the dawn of time, the ultimate question has been asked in a number of ways. Why do we exist? What is the meaning of life? Does God exist? What is the origin of the universe? How does the world exist, and what is its origin or source of creation? Why is there something rather than nothing?This site offers you the possibility to discuss this fundamental metaphysical question with others. It also allows you to share your opinion and react to other people's points of view. What do you believe in? What do you think is the meaning of life?
Whether you are a believer, an atheist, an agnostic, or a clever mix of all three, you are welcome! Your point of view can be serious, absurd, even bordering on completely nuts. However, the following two things are essential to this dialogue: respect and an open mind.
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Instead of "What is the meaning of life?", try this question instead: "Why is there something rather than nothing?" or "How does from nothingness, something appeared?".
Or, if you think that eveything is eternal, then try to explain how it's possible.
I'm a Christian, and I think it's important to share my faith without being aggressive about it. I just want to present you with Pascal's wager: If you are right and there is no God, when you and I die that'll be the end of it. However, if I am right and there is a God, you have everything to lose. Why take that chance?
Following this way of thinking, you should believe in Allah too.
Maybe only direct experience may touch Truth. I think this is what zen is all about. No religion, no belief. Only direct experience through meditation.
But it's not like I'm a zen master myself! ;-) It's just a point of view I find interesting.
This part made me laugh!
It can give ideas to people stucked with only one belief/religion.
It helps keeping an open mind to be aware of alternatives!
Thanks.
What can be the meaning of his "life"?
... and be open to the fact that they may teach you he doesn't exist.
We're currently living on a planet with wars, with poverty, and I do not think this world could be seen as a gift for a new born child. I think most of the people want to have children for them, for egoist reasons, not for the happiness of the children.
I couldn't understand this sentance fully and don't think i ever will.
Can you tell us what you do understand from this sentence?
I disagree that you can have nothingness and something else that would be external to it. Nothingness is nothing, you can't have something external to it. If there is something (let's call that "god" or "the Power" as you said) then there is only that, not that and nothingness! Do you get it?
As I said in the other thread, "nothing" is only a word to say "the absence of anything", it's not "something" in itself. It doesn't exist. Therefore you can't have something and nothing.
To resume, creating something from pure nothingness is impossible because:
1) There is nothing in nothingness. In fact nothingness doesn't even exist. So "something" can't emerge from nothingness itself. Nothing can happen in nothingness.
2) If there is a force, or anything else, external to this nothingness, then it was not pure nothingness you wer...
I'll comment your answer later tonight!
I think, it is a question of people who do not have the truth, and they cannot understand that there are people who do have it.
I understand what you say. But are you aware that a lot of people from other religions are also perfecty convinced that they also know the truth?
Are you saying god can make mistkes? That he's not able to create something perfect from the start?
You believe the bible is true because the bible tells it so... Humm, ok.
Yes. And I feel very sad for the humanity that lots of people think like you.
Thinking you have the Truth and not even being interested in what others considere to be the Truth is what leads to wars.
In my opinion, it's very clear that nothing can happen in "nothing", no movement, no time, no transformation. There is nothing, how could anything happen?
This is why I do believe in an eternal "something". A "something" that is beyond anything we can explain logically/scientifically: it's his own source of existence. I call this "god". Maybe I shouldn't, but it's the only word I know that is strong enough. It must be something way beyond anything I can even start to imagine. And of course we're all part of it, everything is.
Sorry, you're right, my bad.
The fact that "nothing" cannot exist doesn't explain how it's possible that something exist.
The ultimate question is not "Instead of an existing nothing, there is something: how is it possible?"
But: "Instead of the absence of anything, there is something: how is it possible?"
If there was nothing, that "nothing" wouldn't exist. "nothing" is only a word describing the "state" where there would be nothing at all. Of course it wouldn't even be a "state".
...
Indeed.
Of course "nothing" cannot exist!! I've never said "nothing" could exist!
The matter at 0°K is not "nothing! How can you say that? It may not be moving anymore but I don't see how we could call it "nothing".
Again, I think we are not talking about the same "nothing". You think that if you take a volume in which there are some molecules but not moving, then it's nothing. I say that even if there was no molecule at all in your volume (an empty space), no energy, it would still not be "nothing"!! If there is time-space, it's not nothing!
Again, we are just debating about words. You just have to use another word than "nothing" and I'll understand what you mean....
You can't invert "something" that doesn't exist.
Yes.
If it has any kind of property then it's something. If it can expand, then it's definitively something!
No, no. It is true that some cows are black in a story written by Pathfinder on Internet!
What are your thoughs about sacred books from other religions, that talk about another god than the one in the bible?
No one knows the answer. I don't even really have my own serious answer.
What makes you so special that you know no one knows the answer?
Is there any kind of knowledge in your mind now, any kind, which you did not read in books or documents written by someone else, heard from someone, or which is your own thought, but yet, still it is based on knowledge what you read or heard somewhere? Is there any kind of knowledge in you of which you can say that it's absolutely your own?
There is none.
I think there are two different levels of knowledge here. One on which I think you have to accept some things you can't necessarily verify by yourself, and the second on which it can be dangerous to accept anything.
The first is the scientific level, which contains everything related to the physical world. For example, I do accept that man walked on the moon, even if I wasn't there to verify. I also accept that some drugs can cure some diseases, even if I don't understand exactly how.
The second level is t...
Please note I'm not saying you're not spiritual, I don't know you! I'm just saying that, speaking for myself, the only thing I can say is: I don't know a lot of things for sure in life!
That said, I could well believe that someone with no "spiritual" knowledge at all, someone who have never meditated, did yoga or prayed, may become enlightened. I could well believe that enlightenment may occure to someone who didn't seek it at all or didn't even know that term. Why not?
In fact, reading and "learning" about spirituality may well be the biggest pitfall on the spiritual path! What do I know! As you said, I probably can't even know what enlightenment really is or if it really exists.
...
I tend to look at from the position of a participant.
What does the game offer - what opportunities does it create for me.
Acquiring lots and lots of money or achieving a superiority over others doesn't do it for me I'm afraid.
Especially when you end up dying.
When I found out that this life offers the answer to the meaning of life for me, which is to to discover a way to eternal life, that's when I got interested in the game.
It's pretty damn fascinating.
We are not talking about the same "game".
In the game I'm talking about, "you" don't really exist. You are just god hiding himself from himself to play, to have fun. The game is to forget he is god, so he can live a lot of fun adventures!
When "you" will discover that in fact you are just god playing hide and seek with himself, you will evaporate since you are not real. You'll just become part of the self-aware god again. There is no eter...
Do you resent the possibility that you might be a nothing more than a lab mouse that's been placed in a maze by some galactic scientist called God?
Come down off your pedestal Smallbang - you know how big this universe is both in time and distance, not to mention possibilities.
You and I both are far far less than a couple of grains of sand amongst all the grains of sand on the planet by comparison - and you have a problem that we might be in some kind of celestial game?
Wake up and smell the coffee - it's a game ok, so what - enjoy it!
Why do you say I would have a problem with this game? In fact, I think it's rather funny if this is indeed the meaning of life!
My take on it is we're actually more in control of our lives than we think.
What if we actually chose to be here?
Think about it, did we only begin to exist when we were born or did we exist before this?
We all assume that this is our first existence because we have no recollection of anything before, but that doesn't necessarily make it so.
Many of us believe in the concept of life after death but we don't much consider the possibility of life before birth.
I believe we have all chosen to be who we are and where we are from before we were born.
We knew what we were getting into and probably made the decision for the purpose of further developing our existentialism.
John 1:1-5 refers to pre-existence with regard to Jesus and there are other references in the bible that suggest similar.
In this case we're all going to look a bit silly when we come to the end of our days ...