Absurdism

[Raz]

Disprove it for me.

Why?

To be absolutely honest, I feel my life is truly meaningless. No, I don't feel as if I should end it, not by any means. After all: There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. But, in short, my aspirations have all shriveled and died. And it feels as if I'm simply crawling through a seemingly unjustified and meaningless existence.

Anyone...? I thank you for any time and cognitive expenses you may experience putting together a response.

ps. did i use the word "cognitive" there in the right context, I can't tell. :D

[Skullheadhq]

What 'meaning' should life have then? There is no universal 'meaning' of life, just set goals and try to get there, make your own meaning.

[Banquo's Ghost]

After all: There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. But, in short, my aspirations have all shriveled and died. And it feels as if I'm simply crawling through a seemingly unjustified and meaningless existence.

If you're going to quote Camus, I have to hope that you have been diligent and read "The Myth of Sisyphus" right through. If not, make sure you do.

You cannot hope for an external validation of your existence unless you appeal to a god. Absent the necessary revelation that underpins faith, you have to rely on your own "meaning". That's an act of creation.

In other words, life only has the meaning you give it. Despair robs you of the energy for action, and the act of creation requires energy. The energy you need comes from a recognition that the world wherein we live is genuinely absurd, and an acceptance that all experience is valid as it spurs us on to new experiences.

There is so much grandeur in this world, it should be impossible to go through life without one's jaw hanging open in wonder. The really bad stuff, just as much as the joyfully good stuff.

Find life and laugh. That's as much as any man gets.

[Andres]

It all depends on the framework you're looking at.

When you look at the infinity of time and space, yeah sure, whatever you do, think or however you feel, doesn't really matter. If we look at ourselves in the context of that framework, then we're all as relevant and important as the ant you crushed beneath your foot or the late Mister Annoying Fly you just reduced to a little pile of pulp. In that context, yes, it all seems so absurd. Even if we look at ourselves in the context of humanity and our life here on Earth, surely, within nothing more but a couple of thousands of years (probably even less, most of us won't be remembered 100 years after our deaths), nobody will talk about you or what you did during your life.

But, if you're modest and limit yourself at that tiny unimportant you with his short life, you'll find that there are plenty of things you find important or worth striving for; many things you find beautiful; many things you enjoy; many things that make you happy or unhappy; a whole mix of emotions and feelings and thoughts that all together make you who you are.

Life is only meaningless if you want it to be meaningless.

[rory_20_uk]

As others have said - as soon as you take away religion which conveniently provides an external measure of meaning you've really got to determine your own.

I write this stuck in an office with a deadline on Thursday for work that I can't yet do because my boss is in a meeting at the moment and hasn't clarified what I'm supposed to do and I've never done this sort of work before so I'm not able to act autonomously...

But I'm here as my wife and son depend on me and that is all the meaning I need to keep at it. I'm not making a massive difference to the universe but I'm making a massive difference to my nuclear family.

[Vladimir]

What 'meaning' should life have then? There is no universal 'meaning' of life, just set goals and try to get there, make your own meaning.

This.

One imposes his or her own meaning in life. Decide yours and go for it! You're also free to change or modify it when you will.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

You eat food because you're hungry and it tastes good. If it doesn't you try and make it taste good. Same with life. Would you ask "what is the meaning of food"? Or say "there is but one serious culinary problem, and that is whether to eat"? Of course not.

You don't really have to determine your own either. That makes it sound like a huge task but you aren't working from scratch. Plenty of people have had plenty of ideas on that front, go and read them (or watch them).

[Hax]

There exists only one suitable reply to this thread:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Fish

[Seamus Fermanagh]

There exists only one suitable reply to this thread:

Fish

"Fishy, fishy, fishy, Fish....and it went wherever I did go."

-- Champman, Cleese, Gilliam, Idle, Jones, & Palin.

[Louis VI the Fat]

If you're going to quote Camus, I have to hope that you have been diligent and read "The Myth of Sisyphus" right through. If not, make sure you do.

You cannot hope for an external validation of your existence unless you appeal to a god. Absent the necessary revelation that underpins faith, you have to rely on your own "meaning". That's an act of creation.

In other words, life only has the meaning you give it. Despair robs you of the energy for action, and the act of creation requires energy. The energy you need comes from a recognition that the world wherein we live is genuinely absurd, and an acceptance that all experience is valid as it spurs us on to new experiences.

There is so much grandeur in this world, it should be impossible to go through life without one's jaw hanging open in wonder. The really bad stuff, just as much as the joyfully good stuff.

Find life and laugh. That's as much as any man gets.