Meaning of life

Use this forum to discuss the April 2021 Book of the month, "There's a Rooster in My Bathroom: A Quest for Meaning in the Bathroom, the Boardroom and Beyond" by Trish Ostroski.
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cd20
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Re: Meaning of life

Post by cd20 »

Jessica Harrison 1 wrote: 03 Apr 2021, 11:46
cd20 wrote: 03 Apr 2021, 08:46
Michaeljerry309 wrote: 03 Apr 2021, 02:11 To be very honest, iv always believed that the purpose of life is simply to live and what you choose to do while living is up to you and not up to any external forces. So I don’t agree with Trish Ostroski but I do see her point and I understand it but it wasn’t convincing enough to win me over. I enjoyed There’s a Rooster in My Bathroom nontheless.
That's an interesting perspective, obviously, we are to live our lives, but isn't there, or shouldn't there be more than that? What is the point of living our lives? To live it well? Or make an impact? Or just to live it?
I don't think there necessarily is a big giant meaning to everything in life, or life itself. But I think that kind of makes it fun? We have free agency to choose what we want to do with our lives! That's what makes it exciting- the endless opportunities.
I do agree that we have endless opportunities and that we get to choose what we do with our lives. I just don't believe that our lives should be about ourselves, I think we should be trying to make a positive impact on the world and those around us.
Real life is dreadfully tedious, the way it interrupts reading. -Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green
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Eutoc wrote: 05 Apr 2021, 00:27 I'd go with the author here. After the six days of creation, the remainder of earthly creation was left to man. The meaning of life is to create isn't limited to tangible things though. It could go with emotions, material things, order, societal norms, etc
I had never really thought about life as "creating," but I see the author's point and I see yours as well, I just hadn't thought of it like that. I agree though, that it is not limited to tangible things, that it could go with emotions etc. I also think we are here to try and make a positive impact, if I live and die and I have done nothing that has helped anyone else, but only lived my life for myself, have I really made a difference? And if not, did my life truly matter?
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Yvonne Monique wrote: 05 Apr 2021, 12:29 I never really thought about the purpose of life this way. One can create in many different ways, and nobody leaves this earth without having created something. However, I doubt whether that's the sole purpose of life.
I had never really thought of it that way either, but the more I think about it the more I see her point. But, I agree with you, I do not think that is the sole purpose of life.
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kridz21 wrote: 05 Apr 2021, 15:23 This is a very easy answer to the question many have been searching for, and I agree with it. When you leave this Earth, what you leave behind to future generations depends on what you do in your life. Therefore, your purpose in this world is to make a change, leave something behind, and create.
I had not thought about life in terms of creating, but it is an interesting perspective. I agree with you that "what you leave behind to future generations depends on what you do in your life." I think we are here to make a positive impact on the world and those behind us. I do not believe that our sole purpose is to create, but I do see how it is part of our purpose.
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Tangerinehippie1 wrote: 05 Apr 2021, 18:50 Yes in the Bible God says to be fruitful and multiply. However, we don’t just create other people. We create art for people to see and books for people to read.
So, obviously, we are to create, just not in the literal sense of creating life. We are to create other things as well. I see the point, but I do not believe that is our sole purpose for being here, do you?
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Suzer6440 xyz wrote: 05 Apr 2021, 19:52 The meaning of life is exactly what you choose it to be. It is what we create that creates meaning for our own selves. Everyone has a different meaning to life . There is no definition to it. It’s all what we want our own meaning to be
I do agree that different people have different definitions of the meaning of life and that not everyone agrees there is a meaning of life. I do see the author's point that we are to create (life, art, kindness, etc.), but I do not believe that is the only reason we are here. I do not necessarily agree that the meaning of life is "all what we want our own meaning to be" but I do appreciate you sharing your perspective. You also made your point that everyone has a different meaning to life, by mine not agreeing with yours. :wink:
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Jachike Samuelson wrote: 06 Apr 2021, 02:47
cd20 wrote: 02 Apr 2021, 14:33 The author states that the meaning of life is to create. Do you agree with this, why or why not? As an interesting aside she also uses the six days of creation (discussed in last month's book forum) as an example of how God created in six days.
I'm Christian so I believe we do have the power of secondary creation. I also believe it's part of the mandate we were given by God to "subdue and have dominion" over all he has created. The larger picture is that this dominion is part of our live's purpose to serve God and live for Him (individually and collectively) whether it be in our homes, Churches, through our careers, etc. Again, I don't believe in the literal "six days" interpretation of the creation accounts. The six days are not literal human days; I think common sense, intentional study of scripture, and a slew of scientific data are enough to soundly refute that idea.
I am a Christian as well, and I do believe that we are to create, but not just in the literal sense of life. I agree with you that our purpose is to live for God and serve Him in all that we do and say. I believe we are to make a positive impact on the world and those around us, not just living our lives for ourselves.
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justhereader wrote: 06 Apr 2021, 06:05 I think creating is not limited to something tangible or concrete. I think we can create in many ways. We can create meaningful relationships with other people through making friends, family, or romantic relationships. We can create a meaningful life out of our existence by being kind, patriotic, just, selfless, and so on.
I had not thought about creating in this way and I agree with you, that it is not just tangible or concrete ways. I also think that while creating is part of our purpose it is not our sole purpose, nor is it the meaning of life.
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kalgaonkarsnehal wrote: 06 Apr 2021, 06:05 I agree with the author up to a certain level. I think the meaning of life is to make a difference ( hopefully for the better). That difference can be to create something or even to destroy something. Everyone cannot simply keep creating something to have a meaningful life. I think creation is a part of it, but not the only aspect that provides meaning.
Yes, absolutely! I agree that creating can be part of our purpose and even part of the meaning of life, but it is not the sole meaning of life. I believe we have a purpose and like you said, "Everyone cannot simply keep creating something to have a meaningful life." There has to be (and I believe there is) something more. Thank you for sharing your perspective.
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Laila_Hashem wrote: 06 Apr 2021, 07:46 I don't agree at all. I believe live should be deticated to oneself, and one's happiness and development, whatever that means to each individual. Maybe it means creation and maybe not. The latter should be taken into account.
If we are only living for ourselves, our happiness, and development, what is the point or meaning of our life? To be happy? Happiness is fleeting and if that is our goal we will constantly be disappointed. I do agree with the author that part of our life's meaning could be to create, but I do not believe that is the meaning of life. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.
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I agree with the author that the meaning of life is to create since critical thinking is what drives innovation. In the real world, we get compensated according to the complexity of the problems that we solve.
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Fireside119 wrote: 06 Apr 2021, 14:33 I agree with the author that the meaning of life is to create since critical thinking is what drives innovation. In the real world, we get compensated according to the complexity of the problems that we solve.
So, obviously not just creating life, but creating things in general. What do you mean, "in the real world we get compensated according to the complexity of the problems that we solve?" I am not sure that I completely agree with that statement. I really do not get compensated for anything that I do.
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Post by Ojil Elton »

There is more to life other than creating as suggested by the author. According to my perspective the meaning of life is to create, procreate, serve God, spread joy and be empathetic to others.
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Ojil Elton wrote: 08 Apr 2021, 05:10 There is more to life other than creating as suggested by the author. According to my perspective the meaning of life is to create, procreate, serve God, spread joy and be empathetic to others.
I agree with you. The meaning of life is so much more than just creating, although that is a good thing to do! I agree we are to serve God, spread joy, be empathetic to others, and tell others about God and what He is doing in our lives. We are not to just live our lives for ourselves, being self-seeking and self-serving. Thank you for sharing your perspective.
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Post by Nikhila Kulkarni »

kridz21 wrote: 05 Apr 2021, 15:23 This is a very easy answer to the question many have been searching for, and I agree with it. When you leave this Earth, what you leave behind to future generations depends on what you do in your life. Therefore, your purpose in this world is to make a change, leave something behind, and create.
I could not agree more! I think meaning of life to different people is different. According to me, our life has meaning from what our goals are, the people we meet and through our deeds. Create and change is very appealing, to me.
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