What the hell does this mean?

[GuiltyCowboy]

This is actually a vaguely serious and - you'll just have to believe me - non-political question.

I'm interested to know what gives you the most meaning in your life. But also whether you think (or just wish) that there could be more meaning - and what that would look like in practical terms?

I was recently reading an essay about the strikes and demonstrations in France in May 1968. It was written at the time, in September of that year, and it was amazing to read that the main impetus behind the unrest was that people felt capitalism and consumerism were robbing their lives of meaning. Their unions and their bosses kept offering them wage increases and they kept saying "no! you don't get it - this isn't about money - this is about meaning."

Now, I'm not in the least interested in your thoughts about capitalism - whatever you think of it, I'm sure we can all admit that it has been an unstoppable force - but, given that the world they were protesting has advanced nearly 60 years, I'd be curious to know where and how people find meaning in their lives today.

 

[BrightShinyGirl]

This is actually a vaguely serious and - you'll just have to believe me - non-political question.

I'm interested to know what gives you the most meaning in your life. But also whether you think (or just wish) that there could be more meaning - and what that would look like in practical terms?

I was recently reading an essay about the strikes and demonstrations in France in May 1968. It was written at the time, in September of that year, and it was amazing to read that the main impetus behind the unrest was that people felt capitalism and consumerism were robbing their lives of meaning. Their unions and their bosses kept offering them wage increases and they kept saying "no! you don't get it - this isn't about money - this is about meaning."

Now, I'm not in the least interested in your thoughts about capitalism - whatever you think of it, I'm sure we can all admit that it has been an unstoppable force - but, given that the world they were protesting has advanced nearly 60 years, I'd be curious to know where and how people find meaning in their lives today.

My family including my dog. Also my community. I like meeting friends at the park or walking around my neighborhood and chatting with people.

 

[sister_jenny]

My daughter and my husband.
In that order.

 

[rgraham666]

Me?

Still being on the wrong side of the grave. Everything after that is gravy.

 

[Rightguide]

This is actually a vaguely serious and - you'll just have to believe me - non-political question.

I'm interested to know what gives you the most meaning in your life. But also whether you think (or just wish) that there could be more meaning - and what that would look like in practical terms?

I was recently reading an essay about the strikes and demonstrations in France in May 1968. It was written at the time, in September of that year, and it was amazing to read that the main impetus behind the unrest was that people felt capitalism and consumerism were robbing their lives of meaning. Their unions and their bosses kept offering them wage increases and they kept saying "no! you don't get it - this isn't about money - this is about meaning."

Now, I'm not in the least interested in your thoughts about capitalism - whatever you think of it, I'm sure we can all admit that it has been an unstoppable force - but, given that the world they were protesting has advanced nearly 60 years, I'd be curious to know where and how people find meaning in their lives today.

What the 1968 protesters realized, and what remains entirely true today, is that a human being cannot live on bread and a steady paycheck alone. The tragedy of modern advancement is not that meaning has disappeared, but that the burden of inventing it has been placed entirely on the shoulders of the individual. Our technology evolves, and there is little doubt that technology has fundamentally re-engineered the human hierarchy of needs, shifting our perspective on what gives life value. By transforming how we use our time, connect with others, and view ourselves, modern tools have fundamentally altered the pursuit of meaning.

 

[Russian_Beauty]

I don't always know whether I do have any meaning.

I guess the easiest way of getting it is making other people happier.

You know the earliest answer given to this question? It was by Siduri the gods' barmaid, a character in the Epic of Gilgamesh:

As for you, Gilgamesh,
fill your belly with good things;
day and night, night and day, dance and be merry,
feast and rejoice.
Let your clothes be fresh,
bathe yourself in water,
cherish the little child that holds your hand,
and make your wife happy in your embrace;
for this too is the lot of man.'

 

[Lazaran]

Beyond the basics (family, friends, being creative & productive, etc)???



I would say:

1) Separating the wheat from the chaff.

2) Sharing with family, friends, and others the wheat I have separated from the chaff (which they can choose to accept or reject after inspection) and accepting the wheat they separated from the chaff when it passes my inspection.

3) Looking forward to the next delivery of wheat & chaff, and repeating 1) & 2).

 

[eric_erosfan]

This is actually a vaguely serious and - you'll just have to believe me - non-political question.

I'm interested to know what gives you the most meaning in your life. But also whether you think (or just wish) that there could be more meaning - and what that would look like in practical terms?

I was recently reading an essay about the strikes and demonstrations in France in May 1968. It was written at the time, in September of that year, and it was amazing to read that the main impetus behind the unrest was that people felt capitalism and consumerism were robbing their lives of meaning. Their unions and their bosses kept offering them wage increases and they kept saying "no! you don't get it - this isn't about money - this is about meaning."

Now, I'm not in the least interested in your thoughts about capitalism - whatever you think of it, I'm sure we can all admit that it has been an unstoppable force - but, given that the world they were protesting has advanced nearly 60 years, I'd be curious to know where and how people find meaning in their lives today.

For 10,000 years of human history farming was nearly everyone's occupation. Those who weren't farmers became specialized in trades that provided goods and services to help farmers. Cities were a gathering spot to trade goods and services. Really if you go back to your ancestors in the late 1800s, more than likely they were still farmers. The turn of the 20th century saw the biggest movement to industrialization. More wealth. Not having to work all spring, summer, and fall producing food for your family to survive winter.

I would gladly go back to farming if one bad season did not risk your whole family with starvation.

 

[icanhelp1]

This is actually a vaguely serious and - you'll just have to believe me - non-political question.

I'm interested to know what gives you the most meaning in your life. But also whether you think (or just wish) that there could be more meaning - and what that would look like in practical terms?

I was recently reading an essay about the strikes and demonstrations in France in May 1968. It was written at the time, in September of that year, and it was amazing to read that the main impetus behind the unrest was that people felt capitalism and consumerism were robbing their lives of meaning. Their unions and their bosses kept offering them wage increases and they kept saying "no! you don't get it - this isn't about money - this is about meaning."

Now, I'm not in the least interested in your thoughts about capitalism - whatever you think of it, I'm sure we can all admit that it has been an unstoppable force - but, given that the world they were protesting has advanced nearly 60 years, I'd be curious to know where and how people find meaning in their lives today.

If you're a libtard that's easy!!! The meaning of life is ORANGE MAN BAD! That's it!!!

 

[glamorilla]

Art.

 

[rgraham666]

If you're a libtard that's easy!!! The meaning of life is ORANGE MAN BAD! That's it!!!

Addiction is not the same as meaning.