What does it mean for something to be meaningful?

[ZenAlex]

When I hear nihilists and others argue about this subject, I personally find myself a tad uncertain...

My question is - What would actually make something meaningful?

Is it just something that has significance to you? 

For it to be objectively meaningful would it have to have some significance to everything in the universe?

I believe in subjective meaning if what is meant by meaningful is that it experienced as important/emotionally significant to the individual. 

I don't know what the exact definition would be for something to be "meaningful". 

[creativepursuit]

@ZenAlex Any act done out of selfless love is meaningful to both the individual and the collective.

[Leo Gura]

What you're really asking is: What is meaning?

Observe it in your experience.

[Rafael Thundercat]

In my experience normaly something meaninfull is equated with something usefull for me. My belongings are meaningfull because there are stuff I can do or plan to do with them. As soon as they cant be of no use they lose their meaning, they are still existing but they stay in the side, or i give away. Of course it cant be applied to people but at sane time one must ask: Why my girlfriend is meaningfull for me? Why she in particular and not another? 

Also for topics and beliefs and principles of life we hold close to our soul. Why we take one topic as meaninfull and other topics as BS or trash. And even when you say something is ulterly BS you still are giving meaning to to or de-meaning it. 

Meaning is tags we put on things.

My mom Vagina have no particular meaning for me. Strike me why this is the case.

Also Mórmon Doctrine. In the past I use to give meaning for some shit that make no sense to me today, like God being an Exalted man living in a star named Kolob. For what use such nonsense? But in the past this ideia was meaningfull to me, I held that one day after being a good member I also would become an Exalted God, inpregnating hundreds of celestial wifes. And creating a planet for myself and my kids.  The mórmon caliphate. 

Edited June 28 by Rafael Thundercat

[ZenAlex]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

What you're really asking is: What is meaning?

Observe it in your experience.

Well, I usually think that it means something of emotional significance to the individual, but i'm  not sure if this is the truth and am looking at the wrong thing.

[Leo Gura]

43 minutes ago, ZenAlex said:

it means something

This is a circular definition.

Examine more closely what means is.

[Keryo Koffa]

52 minutes ago, ZenAlex said:

Well, I usually think that it means something of emotional significance to the individual, but i'm  not sure if this is the truth and am looking at the wrong thing.

No, it's just that people use this word in various ways, but I am very well aware what you're pointing to. The people you hold dear, the activities you enjoy, the beauty of reality expressed in a sunset, the force that shapes your life, the feeling of significance, the impact of events, the inner source of all emotions and love you feel and see expressed both internally and externally. Just like non-duality there are two polarities, of no-self and all-self, between these our individuality resides, we navigate an endless reality and many seek the freedom of detachment due to their circumstances, but this does not deny the validity of any experience. Inquire into the meaning you feel, into the sources from which you see it emerge, feel into it and you will discover its nature. Meaning is both personal and universal, you are an expression of it as it is an expression of you, it manifests itself in all forms and ways across reality. It is what drives consciousness to create and explore. Others use a different word to describe this pointed to experience, which is love, but a word is still a pointer and you will not find its significance until you explore the territory behind the map.

[ZenAlex]

2 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

This is a circular definition.

Examine more closely what means is.

@Keryo Koffa @Leo Gura

Something of great significance? 

[LastThursday]

Sometimes a good trick to understand what something is, is to understand what it isn't first. What is not meaningful? Another is to look at intensity: if something is more meaningful than something else, why is that?

[Keryo Koffa]

@ZenAlex And what makes it significant?

[UnbornTao]

You can start by looking at an object and observe what is there when you strip away any form of value, significance, and meaning it has for you.

Differentiate between thoughts and feelings about the object, and the raw perception of it. 

What does a pencil mean?

We say the object is meaningful to you. This suggests that the object relates to you. But what is it for itself? 

Some questions to ponder.

Edited June 30 by UnbornTao

[Yimpa]

20 minutes ago, UnbornTao said:

What does a pencil mean? This points out how the object relates to you.

Clever!

[ZenAlex]

1 hour ago, Keryo Koffa said:

@ZenAlex And what makes it significant?

The emotional impact it has on you. 

[Yimpa]

YOU are Infinite Meaning.

[Leo Gura]

6 hours ago, ZenAlex said:

@Keryo Koffa @Leo Gura

Something of great significance? 

I'm not asking you for a single sentence answer. Rather investigate what creates meaning in your experience. You're not looking for a verbal answer but a comprehension of a complex and nuanced mental dynamic.

[Yimpa]

😉

[Ishanga]

Leo is on to something on a Deeper level.. Meaning is way more than words can express via explanations of sorts, someone can give meaning to something You may think is a piece of shit, so its all Subjective for sure, it is just many ppl may think the same as You, so one may look at this scenerio and believe that if many ppl think this one thing/act has Meaning that it must be so, this is sheep mentality, many ppl think a certain team winning a certain game or series has Meaning when in reality it is not, they have just given it meaning because they are Lacking inside, just really look at it, ppl are so into certain sports teams and events that if their team of choice wins they absolutely freak out like they've won the 100million $$ lottery or something, I could never understand this...This is just one example, there are many like this, Sheep mentality and understanding..

Meaning in regards to something or someone just means that there is an very High Intensity Feeling towards it in your Subjective Experience, I used to have very high Intensity Feelings towards Xmas morning, I couldn't wait till Xmas morning, opening presents  (most of which I already knew I was going to get), playing with them for endless hrs right afterwards, it was rewarding as Hell, then I grew up and the focus shifted to other things I gave my Intense focus too, it should shift over the span of a lifetime, to eventually becoming Intense about Why am I here, What is this all about, What is the Purpose of it All, these sorts of Intense Questions cause one to Seek Answers, first from outside of themselves, then hopefully from Within themselves as this is the only place You will find the True Answers to these questions..

Edited June 30 by Ishanga

[Keryo Koffa]

@Ishanga Well said, any feeling is a pointer to a deeper understanding which entangles and communicates through physical forms.

[Carl-Richard]

It ignites and opens up your experience of the world. It pushes you and guides you. It emboldens you and enlightens you.

There are some theoretical definitions of meaning. Here is one with four components:

Purpose is about goal-oriented behavior; setting goals, making plans, finding a purpose to strive towards. It gives you a sense of direction, progression and growth. You can strive to become something better, something more valuable. That is why having a life purpose is a great source of meaning.

Significance is when something is intrinsically valuable. Flow states, pleasurable experiences, virtues and ideals: things that you do for their own sake, things that valuable in and of themselves; be it eating ice cream, playing football or reading fiction, be it seeking wisdom or spiritual enlightenment.

Coherence is when something makes sense; when there is an orderliness to things and things are understandable. Logic and rationality are big sources of coherence; theoretical frameworks, heuristics, maps (Spiral Dynamics is an example); stories, narratives, language itself. Coherence is a big reason why reading fiction (or reading any thing at all, even dry scientific articles) can be experienced as meaningful.

Mattering is when you do something of value to others, when it matters to something outside yourself. You want to make society a better place, you want other people to wake up, you want people to suffer less, to become more aware, less ignorant, more wise. Being a part of a community, a family or an organization is therefore a big source of meaning which is also routinely neglected in Western society.

Edited July 1 by Carl-Richard

[Human Mint]

It needs to be unique and in contrast with all other things, revealing its power. Its a change in paradigm.