Is Happiness The Meaning Of Life?

[Kvath]

Heya people,

Yeah well, the question is pretty straightforward. I also think that meaning in life is not fixed as is an individual expression and everyone finds meaning on different things, not just happiness.

I've been quite meditative the last days thinking about this issue because i don't really think that happiness is the meaning of life, not for me though; still, i wouldn't know what would that be (if there could be like a standard question for that which i don't think so either).

I'd like to know what the community thinks about that here on Actualized I'm curious about it and actually i haven't found good material about it (maybe leo's videos but i haven't seen them yet and i'd like other points of view too)

Is happiness the meaning of life?

Is it something else?

Pancakes?

I'll be awaiting your responses cya

[Frogfucius]

Great question! One I mull over quite a bit.

The truthful answer is that there is no meaning to life. Meaning is an idea, a construct of the mind. The mind can not comprehend true meaning: the mind is a tool to help us function in the world, and nothing more.

Life just is. You can live life being a miserable, unhappy person, or you can live life being free from your egoic self, and perfectly happy. Both are equally valid ways to experience this miracle we call existence.

[Prabhaker]

28 minutes ago, Kvath said:

i don't really think that happiness is the meaning of life, not for me though / Is happiness the meaning of life?

It is very difficult, particularly for the Western mind, to understand that life is meaningless. And it is beautiful that it is meaningless. If it is meaningful then the whole thing becomes absurd — then who will decide the meaning?

The West has been thinking in terms of meaning, but the East has been thinking in terms of meaninglessness. The East says life is not a business, it is a play. And a play has no meaning really, it is nonpurposeful. Or you can say play is its own meaning, to play is enough.

You love someone. Have you asked the question, “For what purpose does love exist?” The mind, a calculating mind, is bound to ask, “Why love? What is the meaning?” If you can answer then one thing is certain — that you are not in love. If you can show the meaning then love is not there, it is a business, it is a bargain. But lovers will always say there is no purpose to it. To be in love is the goal. The goal is not somewhere else; it is intrinsic, it is in the very phenomenon of love. The goal is already achieved. When you are happy have you asked, “What is the meaning of being happy?” Can there be any meaning to being happy? When you are happy you never ask because the question is absurd. Happiness is itself the goal, there is no meaning to it.

[Extreme Z7]

@Kvath It's pancakes, definitely pancakes.

[Schulzy]

I think you will experience happiness by having a meaning in life. So it  comes together with having a purpose in life.

[Markus]

Life basically describes the existence of a biological organism, from its subjective perspective. So, by definition, every organism has their own life. Meaning is a creation of mind - it doesn't exist outside of it. Life has no meaning because it'd have to be objective, yet any meaning is created by the mind, which only exists in the subjective dimension.

[Extreme Z7]

21 hours ago, Kvath said:

Heya people,

Yeah well, the question is pretty straightforward. I also think that meaning in life is not fixed as is an individual expression and everyone finds meaning on different things, not just happiness.

I've been quite meditative the last days thinking about this issue because i don't really think that happiness is the meaning of life, not for me though; still, i wouldn't know what would that be (if there could be like a standard question for that which i don't think so either).

I'd like to know what the community thinks about that here on Actualized I'm curious about it and actually i haven't found good material about it (maybe leo's videos but i haven't seen them yet and i'd like other points of view too)

Is happiness the meaning of life?

Is it something else?

Pancakes?

I'll be awaiting your responses cya

I made a comic inspired by this thread.

[Kvath]

Woah great responses from everyone thanks a lot

On 17/11/2016 at 8:19 AM, Schulzy said:

I think you will experience happiness by having a meaning in life. So it  comes together with having a purpose in life.

@Schulzy i think this is right purpose gives us direction which i think gives us a sense of advancement and growth (towards a specific goal) and that definitely gives anyone happiness, even if it's directed towards something harmful cause, heck! at least you're doing what you decided to do, you got control over your actions and your life. Without purpose we're just lost, like i read somewhere (not exact quote): "A ship needs a dock to get to"

On 17/11/2016 at 10:53 PM, Frogfucius said:

The truthful answer is that there is no meaning to life. Meaning is an idea, a construct of the mind. The mind can not comprehend true meaning: the mind is a tool to help us function in the world, and nothing more.

@Frogfucius That's fun to think of, i think i can take the grasp of it because all the personal development work i had on myself and my advances on different fields of philosophy in the last years but i have to confess that something's still making short circuit on my brain and i actually think it's from most teachings that i received from my family, church and school on my childhood as @Prabhaker said, we westerners have this bad habit of judging and trying to make universal laws for life while life is filled with chaos and uncertainty (although is fun and useful to know how things work but we can't expect to comprehend everything! E.g: Sagan's Tesseract).

Actually i just saw leo's video on the purpose of life and it gave me a lot of insights about this topic (and a good book to read "Carlos Castañeda: The wheel of time"). Leo said something there that i think gave me a good point of view and it's just that meaning is something we give to life, it's not written on some ancient stones or given to some kind of superior being, its for us humans to live and create : ) (actually everyone in here made a contribution to that point of view so thanks again to all : D )

On 17/11/2016 at 11:27 PM, Extreme Z7 said:

@Kvath It's pancakes, definitely pancakes.

@Extreme Z7 i'll eat some of that meaning now : p i'm glad i could share you a bit of inspiration : )

I don't know if i could say that this is a closed thread now but i could finish this post saying that i learned that meaning is given everyday, every minute with every action, thought and hope : )

[Frayman]

There are some interesting responses here and i agree that doing what you enjoy in life will bring you happiness = purpose of life.

[Bob84]

Whats the meaning of pancakes? That questions seems to sound equally complicated to answer.

[Zane]

The meaning of life can be anything you make it to be! You're free to create any purpose of your choice and you're free to have your own vision of life! I focus discovering happiness by enjoying the moment, and realizing what I'm grateful for so I can truly savor life in all it's richness before i die. 

[Pramit]

Asking for the meaning of life comes from a perspective in which you are simply unable to see yourself in the grand scheme of things. You are one with the universe. You are origin for existence itself! Mere words that human minds makeup to justify this cannot do it justice. It is a clumsy attempt to hide our feet. Do you ask yourself what is the meaning of the life of an ant? What is the meaning of these rocks? What is the meaning of your neighbor's life? No, the question is always related to YOUR life. Because you experience it that way. And that is the great illusion. Self awareness is our gift, and our curse. 

Edited November 21, 2016 by Pramit

[electroBeam]

as Richard Dawkins said, I think the meaning of life is a stupid question. Why does there have to be a meaning? Imagine your shock if you realized that life was just experiencing itself for no reason, and by no meaning.

[MIARIVEL]

@Kvath The meaning of life is however you interpret it. Everyone has different interpretations and who it to say who is right or wrong?

The definition of happiness varies between people as well. For one person alcohol is their happiness and because they love it so much, to them it is the meaning of why life is so great. For me, happiness is important and what brings meaning to my life; and my happiness is the people in my life who make all the difference in the world and that make life worth living and loving. 

[Christian]

Meaning only exists as an artificial construction created by the mind. It is an illusion. If you ever look at reality objectively, with no beliefs, you will discover that there is no definitive meaning and that is the reason why meaning is created in the first place. It is a coming mechanism to deal with the absolute mystery of existsance.

It is more emotionally comfortable to hold ideas and beliefs than to gaze upon reality objectively which is why almost nobody does it. It keeps the ego - the seperate identity - alive and that is basically all  man cares about honestly.

 

[Canadian]

Life has no meaning, we give meaning to our lives... So yeah, whatever you think is a meaning of your life, it really is...

[Infinitesimal]

I would say happiness is the carrot on the end of the stick that pulls us through the meanings we create. If we can change ourselves, we can change what makes us happy, and therefore we can obtain happiness doing whatever we want to do. 

[Boss]

Happiness is feeling or showing pleasure or contentment

It is not the meaning of life which means the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.

[Wendelin]

Hi,

Life is not meaningless. It is beyond any meaning. That is a huge difference. Would this question of meanings or goals would come if you were blissful and happy all the time? Certainly not. You would do many Things.

Life is a tremendous possibility to evolve your own being and to become conscious of what we truely are. So literally we as humans are able take our evolution in our own hands. We won`t grow horns or tails but we will evolve in consciousness. There is no goal or purpose in the sense of some kind of "mission" that was planted in ourselves. We can engage and involve in life, throw us fully into it just as we like. In this process the more "Life sensible" we become and the less "ego sensitive" the more we will act synchron with life and not against it. and that moves us closer in the direction of what we really are. Instead of living on the Surface, we explore the deepness of life. Ist like looking on a jelly fish from above and seeing it as some kind of disc. But when you go deeper you can explore every single tentacle.

Peace, happiness, love or joy are not goals of life. They are the very fundamental basis to explore life and your own beingness.

for example if you just want to enjoy anything in life like watching a movie, having a conversation or hiking in nature. Without being peaceful happy etc. you cannot experience it to its full extent. You can do something, but you can sink into it more deeply the more exuberant your are.

 

by the way, I am a stock market trader, and there these insights help me a lot :-)

 

[MasterJames]

I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to "the purpose of life" i mean we just eat digest poop and then we die , perhaps that is the purpose?, just saw a video on this topic called "Science finds god" , and they apparently have it all figured out , i think its all bs to be honest, its all too fake imo