When did your life start to have meaning?

[notoriousQQ]

I'm 27 and am not even close to having this life thing figured out. A very wise owl recently told me, because they are aware of some of my own personal struggles and issues and pursuit of happiness, that I would be a lot happier if I did not focus on me, being self centered and trying to make me happy. By focusing my energy and efforts on others and giving something back and making things a little bit better than whenever I found them, they said that was one of the keys to happiness.

 

[PolishHammer1977]

Life had meaning to me when;

I realized I wasn't the only one in it.
I realized the decisions I make affect everyone around me.

Tha's when I knew. I am on my way.

 

[Citruscide]

Bobber--

I'm 28 and am just as lost. I have an idea of what I want to do, even a gameplan... but feel like I'm constantly getting a door slammed in my face... which, makes me unsure.

Life having meaning? No, but I can tell you the moment when life stopped having meaning to me.

C-ditty

 

[Lumberg]

I'm 27 and am not even close to having this life thing figured out. A very wise owl recently told me, because they are aware of some of my own personal struggles and issues and pursuit of happiness, that I would be a lot happier if I did not focus on me, being self centered and trying to make me happy. By focusing my energy and efforts on others and giving something back and making things a little bit better than whenever I found them, they said that was one of the keys to happiness.

Whatever works. I grew up trying to please everybody but myself, expecting the same in return. Obviously I never got it. So now I take a more realistic attitude.

If you grew up being selfish and aren't happy, increasing your generosity may be the way to go.

I just reread what I wrote and it kind of doesn't tell the whole story. While I say I tried to please others I am also very selfish and self-centered at the same time. I guess what I am trying to say is that you have to be happy yourself to make other people happy. And that is what I am working on.

JC

 

[Nathan]

Well, I am 22 as well, and in the last little while I have been realizing that it doesn't matter whether or not you leave your mark on the world. It will be erased along with everything else over time. It is inevitable. I am working on the meaning of life but all I can come up with is that there is no meaning to life. So much for being a theoretical physicist - the whole point was to make my mark by solving the great riddles of the universe but I'm seriously starting to think that is the big joke: you are forgotten one day along with everytihng else and there is no real answer to the origins of everything we know, and if there is, it is trivial and makes no difference. That sucks and I don't frankly get it but I really want to. So, if you fogure shit out please let me know. This does not really answer your questions per se, I guess what I am trying to say is don't worry about it. Do whatever is making you happy at the moment I suppose since one can never predict what will be. Fuck that was the worst post I have ever written. Excuse me.

 

[PolishHammer1977]

JC,

Nice post my friend.

 

[Bobber]

I never said I wasn't happy. Sure a few things could be different that could make me a lot happier but I am fairly content with what is going on in my life. What I meant is that I have no clue as to what I am going to be, not just as a job but me. I look at my dad see everything he has done and hear all the things he had accomplished by the time he was my age and I feel like a mooching scumbag compared to him. I was just wondering if there was a defining moment in anyones life that heavily skewed your perception of life causing you to accomplish more than average. What happened to the old people on here, I am waiting for your replies.

 

[Lumberg]

Well, I am 22 as well, and in the last little while I have been realizing that it doesn't matter whether or not you leave your mark on the world. It will be erased along with everything else over time. It is inevitable. I am working on the meaning of life but all I can come up with is that there is no meaning to life. So much for being a theoretical physicist - the whole point was to make my mark by solving the great riddles of the universe but I'm seriously starting to think that is the big joke: you are forgotten one day along with everytihng else and there is no real answer to the origins of everything we know, and if there is, it is trivial and makes no difference. That sucks and I don't frankly get it but I really want to. So, if you fogure shit out please let me know. This does not really answer your questions per se, I guess what I am trying to say is don't worry about it. Do whatever is making you happy at the moment I suppose since one can never predict what will be. Fuck that was the worst post I have ever written. Excuse me.

That's funny because that was the crux of my speech as salutatorian of my H.S. class. After that my friend's dad (who was probably the only one who "got" the speech) called me a nihilist.

Ever read any Camus or Sartre?

It's true to a certain extent that our lives and the decisions we make are meaningless. But this gives us a lot of freedom to act--when you know that you are not important you are freed from many self-imposed constraints on your behavior. I am in the process of exploring this freedom and teaching myself to think "outside the box" of my own self-imposed limitations. This doesn't mean I'm going to go shoot an Arab on a beach somewhere but I will certainly try to lead a life of fewer limitations.

JC

 

[prophet]

rape your pets...you'll start to understand life

 

[Silent Method]

When did your life start to have meaning?

It was either when I started searching for that meaning, or when I forgot about finding the meaning and just started living. I forget which.

Seriously, the aspect of my life which gives the greater sense of worht that I can imagine is knowing that I will be a father one day. I can not comprehend any greater way of "leaving my mark" in this world.