Meaning of life

[coachpipe]

Recently I just havent been able to have a good attitude towards anything. I guess I just dont understand the meaning of life in the aspect we are to work our whole lives for what? Some of us work 80 hours a week just to put food on a table and to pay off debt with very little spending money. Is this all it is? I find it hard to believe We are here just to work. Go to work to buy a house that you are never in because you are at work. To pay for things you dont need, so you can bring them to your house that youre not at because of said job. The world has way to many beautiful aspects(im talking about the earth itself not the cancerous people on it) for people not to be able to see it all. Oh but if you work blah blah blah you can do nice things blah.

[Dom Heffner]

I honestly don't see how more people don't get like this.

It's tough.

[camisadelgolf]

I can definitely relate to that feeling you're having. That's where my life was just a few years ago. I'm only speaking from personal experience here, but for me, things are what you make of them. I was once in a place where my entire life involved going to work and then using the weekends to recover. In other words, I was living to work instead of working to live. Since then, I've completely changed everything in my life and feel significantly better for having done so.

Personally, I believe that when you die, you're dead. That's it. No afterlife. No heaven/hell. Nothing. There's no point. It's a daunting thought, but it can also be liberating. All I know is that I'm here right now, and it's up to me whether I want to make the most of it or not. I've discovered that the best feeling I can have is happiness, and therefore I'm going to do everything I can to maximize the happiness I have in my life.

I stopped paying attention to the media. I gave myself a sense of purpose. I started focusing on being the best version of myself possible. Now things are better than ever even though I may not have anything to show for it other than a smile on my face.

Also, if you suspect you're depressed, I highly recommend looking into that. If possible, reach out to friends and family for support. That's why they're there. If they're unwilling to help, you might need to analyze your life a little more deeply.

[coachpipe]

Originally Posted by camisadelgolf

I can definitely relate to that feeling you're having. That's where my life was just a few years ago. I'm only speaking from personal experience here, but for me, things are what you make of them. I was once in a place where my entire life involved going to work and then using the weekends to recover. In other words, I was living to work instead of working to live. Since then, I've completely changed everything in my life and feel significantly better for having done so.

Personally, I believe that when you die, you're dead. That's it. No afterlife. No heaven/hell. Nothing. There's no point. It's a daunting thought, but it can also be liberating. All I know is that I'm here right now, and it's up to me whether I want to make the most of it or not. I've discovered that the best feeling I can have is happiness, and therefore I'm going to do everything I can to maximize the happiness I have in my life.

I stopped paying attention to the media. I gave myself a sense of purpose. I started focusing on being the best version of myself possible. Now things are better than ever even though I may not have anything to show for it other than a smile on my face.

Also, if you suspect you're depressed, I highly recommend looking into that. If possible, reach out to friends and family for support. That's why they're there. If they're unwilling to help, you might need to analyze your life a little more deeply.

Yea I know what youre saying as I am living to work instead of working to live which is tough. And Im with you on the whole religion thing. I just find it rather silly and contradicts itself way too often and if you have common sense its easy turn away from it. I feel thats my problem mostly. I guess I just dont understand people mostly. With the honey boo boo and jersey shore and lil wayne supporters. It just seems to me the ignorantly stupid people are the loudest and I just hate sitting back and listening to their non stop b.s. And after listening for far too long these people continue to talk and I just cant hold it in anymore and then its like arguing with a cat. I need to separate myself from media aswell because living like this is far too much

[klw]

Originally Posted by coachpipe

Recently I just havent been able to have a good attitude towards anything. I guess I just dont understand the meaning of life in the aspect we are to work our whole lives for what? Some of us work 80 hours a week just to put food on a table and to pay off debt with very little spending money. Is this all it is? I find it hard to believe We are here just to work. Go to work to buy a house that you are never in because you are at work. To pay for things you dont need, so you can bring them to your house that youre not at because of said job. The world has way to many beautiful aspects(im talking about the earth itself not the cancerous people on it) for people not to be able to see it all. Oh but if you work blah blah blah you can do nice things blah.

Not to sound trite but it sounds like you need to go watch Fight Club.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUXWAEX2jlg

[Superdude]

Originally Posted by klw

Not to sound trite but it sounds like you need to go watch Fight Club.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUXWAEX2jlg

We said we weren't gonna talk about this!

[Larry Schuler]

Originally Posted by coachpipe

Yea I know what youre saying as I am living to work instead of working to live which is tough. And Im with you on the whole religion thing. I just find it rather silly and contradicts itself way too often and if you have common sense its easy turn away from it. I feel thats my problem mostly. I guess I just dont understand people mostly. With the honey boo boo and jersey shore and lil wayne supporters. It just seems to me the ignorantly stupid people are the loudest and I just hate sitting back and listening to their non stop b.s. And after listening for far too long these people continue to talk and I just cant hold it in anymore and then its like arguing with a cat. I need to separate myself from media aswell because living like this is far too much

There are a billion different things in this universe that can occupy our mind. You need to ask yourself why, out of the billions of things in this universe, you are being exposed to & obsessing on the handful of things you are.

Maybe it is your environment. Maybe it is your perspective or thinking. Most likely it's both. The brain is incredibly complex & at a certain point in all our lives, it can experience periods of "sickness" or anxiety or unhealthy perspective when things seem bleak or "without purpose".

In my own experience, my "darkest" days were also my most idealistic days where I was hyper-obsessed with "people" and how they're "awful" and "ignorant" etc etc. This time was also a time in my life when I was very solitary and alone & I spent all my days thinking and dwelling and theorizing. The common thread was that this was all happening in my brain & thoughts & idealistic beliefs.

In hindsight, all my obsession on other people's actions & morality & ignorance stemmed from my own insecurities and unhappiness in my own life. All my unhappiness was being born & bred & fed & raised inside my brain. It wasn't until I met my now wife a year later & I started seeing a therapist (and subsequently began to interact with other real life humans more) that I realized almost all my idealistic frustrations were naive, false ideas I invented. Essentially, I created my own unhappiness and sickness and I believed it was everyone else in the world's fault.

I share this story from my life because I can relate to the instinct to "distance" myself or "detach" or retreat further into solitary & my own head, and I know that if I had, I could have found myself in a very hopeless, dark place. Even if your strongest instincts are to vilify other people & detach from others, you NEED to do the exact opposite. You may not be ready to run out & be social and enjoy the company of others but you can look into seeing a therapist (just tell your general doctor your feelings and thoughts & they'll help refer you) and you can begin slowly building your relationships as you slowly get a better handle on what mental, spiritual, chemical, historical or genetic factors may be influencing your blue period. Remember that you are fully entitled to peace & happiness and it is possible in a very satisfying, simple way. The complexity and chaos of the world doesn't disprove your possibility for personal peace.

You can always come here and vent or share if you need to!!!!

[GotHeeeeem]

Having a job, at least being able to put food on the table, having access to the internet, and living in a country where you think that life is bad............... you have it 10x better than most on Earth.

[Yachtzee]

"Well, it's nothing very special. Uh, try to be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try to live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations."

[klw]

http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/hokeypokey.html

You put your right hand in,
You put your right hand out,
You put your right hand in,
And you shake it all about,

You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That what it's all about.

That being said I think that many people feel like the first post from time to time. I know that I have at many periods. I guess I have been able to identify the things and places I enjoy and the people I care about and that can help give meaning in time where you just feel like Sisyphus.

[Joseph]

Every rose has it's thorn
just like every night has it dawn, yeah
just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song
every rose has it's thorn

Seriously, its all about happiness, giving as much as you can, while getting as much as you can in return.

[919191]

I accept that almost all of the time my life is consumed by maintenance of my life and family, which is OK. Working, raising kids, dealing with what happens and all. Every once in a while a moment happens that is worthy of being a memory. I've learned to "slow" things down and live in that moment and realize what it is. That's what it is all about.

[TSJ55]

I've been through this kind of funk before and I'm sure it will happen again from time to time. Try not to sweat it too much.

Whenever I need to check in, I'll read some Eckert Tolle or Maria Nemeth. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is also a very short and profound read that will put things in perspective.

[RedsManRick]

Originally Posted by coachpipe

Recently I just havent been able to have a good attitude towards anything. I guess I just dont understand the meaning of life in the aspect we are to work our whole lives for what? Some of us work 80 hours a week just to put food on a table and to pay off debt with very little spending money. Is this all it is? I find it hard to believe We are here just to work. Go to work to buy a house that you are never in because you are at work. To pay for things you dont need, so you can bring them to your house that youre not at because of said job. The world has way to many beautiful aspects(im talking about the earth itself not the cancerous people on it) for people not to be able to see it all. Oh but if you work blah blah blah you can do nice things blah.

As a non-religious person, it comes down to this for me: Find what makes you happy; do as much of it as you can. And I mean that in the richest sense of the word.

I do think that many people simply buy in to some version of the "American Dream" which is simplified to "make as much money as you can so you can buy the nicest stuff."

I realized early on that one of my most valued things is free time. While I enjoy my work, it doesn't provide me my greatest satisfaction. However, I have reached a point where I make enough money to provide a comfortable living for myself and my wife, where we can enjoy some creature comforts and where we have a fair amount of time to do other things we enjoy. I don't need a bigger house, a bigger TV or a nicer car (I don't own a car). Those things won't really make my life better -- at least not in the way having more time will.

My purpose in life is essentially maintaining this balance while enjoying the experiences it affords me. I think it's absolutely critical to realize that while you may need tangible goals in your life to keep you motivated, those goals are not the purpose of your life. They are the means, not the ends. Particularly when it comes to a career, that next promotion is only important in so far as it affords you more of what value most.

[marcshoe]

Not sure what's so hard about this.

life [lahyf] noun, plural lives [lahyvz] , adjective
noun
1.
the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.
2.
the sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, especially metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment.
3.
the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual: to risk one's life; a short life and a merry one.
4.
a corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul: eternal life.
5.
the general or universal condition of human existence: Too bad, but life is like that.

You're welcome.
Now you guys can do something useful, like help Ravenlord put clothes on rabbits.