Meaning of life

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The considerations given to this question seem to apply only to human life. Human life is, after all, even with the huge number of people living today, only a very small portion of life itself. Should one consider the meaning of life of a butterfly or a lobster or a chimpanzee? How would the meaning of the life of a human be much different. Cockroaches have existed for a far longer time than humans on Earth (and considering world conditions will probably exist long after human civilization has crumbled to dust). Should one ponder the meaning of the life of a cockroach?

Not unless you're an entomologist

The meaning of life is plastic - George Carlin

Plastic === fake?

Plastic === flexible?

Plastic === credit cards === money === consumerism?

Man's first Mistake :

On the first day, God created the dog and said:

'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'

The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said:

'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.'

The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said:

'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'

The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'

And God agreed again

On the fourth day, God created man and said:

'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.'

But man said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'

'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service.

And if you can just live a reasonable life and appreciate what you have experienced and perhaps delight in an ice cream koan on occasion what more could anyone ask?

But if I have no mouth, how can I eat an ice cream koan?

I've seen them both many years ago.

I think this life is a bit like an ink-blot-test. There is no meaning in the test its self, its the person taking the test that gives meaning. And that meaning is in relation to all that the test taker experiences. In a larger way our lives have meaning in the greater context and that context is the higher perspective. You may say the meaning is only visible when your point of view becomes progressively closer to the mind of God.

There is probably no difference in this context between the words "meaning" and "function". Biologically we are merely carriers of DNA and our function is to see to it that our particular variation of DNA reproduces. This can be extended to Dawkins' theory of memes but beyond that the religious aspects are mere speculative fantasy with no verifiable basis.

you can accept the hand you've been dealt and make the best of it. or you can essentially change the game so that it doesn't matter what you've been dealt.