Meaning of life Options

[*mipadi*]

Lately I've felt myself in a nihilistic quandary, a Nietzchean void of chaos and uncertainty, if you will. I feel like this insecurity is due to the fact that my life seems almost complete devoid of meaning. I wake up most mornings around 7 AM. I take a shower. I have a cup of yogurt or a bow of Cracklin' Oat Bran for breakfast. I go to class at 8 AM. I have calculus most mornings, except Thursday, which is a comp sci lab. I diligently take notes in calculus. I come back to my room by 9 AM. I dally around on the computer for a while. Then I go to more class. Then I come back and waste more time on the computer, or napping. I go to my final class. Then I go to work, where I hammer out a few dozen lines of code, fix some bugs, whatever. Go back to my room, mess around on the computer, not really producing anything worthwhile. Maybe I play a video game. Maybe I nap. Probably I nap. Maybe I study later in the evening. I might even eat somewhere in there. Then I scramble to finish up some homework, and head to bed for another day of the same.

And little of what I do during the day seems to have any meaning whatsoever. Everything I do seems to be an attempt to expend the least amount of effort possible, as though I am so completely sapped of energy that the slightest effort is impossible.

I feel like I used to spend much more time giving my life meaning. I used to write extensively, which forced me to really think about the world around me, and my experiences. I used to interact with people more regularly. I used to at least read and synthesize information.

This is disappointing, because I strongly feel in making each day worthwhile. I am a strong atheist. My atheism has led me to realize that it is important to make everyday count, because we only get one shot at life. Yet, I feel that I rarely make everyday count. I make very few days count, in fact.

But this post is not about me. The above anecdote was just a lead-in to the real question: Do you make each day count? Do you live so as to give your life meaning? If so, how? How do you feel that your life, or any person's life, can be given meaning? In short, what do you do to make living worthwhile, to use your mental and physical faculties in the most productive way? I'm not asking what the general meaning of life is; I don't intend for the usual answers. I'm interesting in seeing what you as an individual does to give your life meaning each day.

[illumineering]

I was busting my ass to get into a PhD program at Pepperdine when I was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly, I realized how much I loathed the life I was living and began dusting off many unrealized dreams. I literally gave away everything I owned that would not fit in my car and moved from LA to Arizona and spent the next three years living with the Havasupai and traveling throughout the southwest and Mexico checking off the "to do" list I made as a child.

Today, I present my journey of discovery to teachers through photography and lessons that stimulate creative thought and writing. As each day presents itself, I remember the second chance I've been given to live my life through the creation and realization of my dreams.

[Mr. Slowjamz]

Today, I present my journey of discovery to teachers through photography and lessons that stimulate creative thought and writing.  As each day presents itself, I remember the second chance I've been given to live my life through the creation and realization of my dreams.

this is a GREAT meaning to view to look at life each day . you made me happy . flowrs to you

well as for me ....i`ve been having enough trouble as well .

as of right now , im looking at my life as a complete in mess in most things to be juggled in different directions to be exact .... ( btw im not trying to connect your life with mine im just trying to explain to you how to stimulate it while trying to get these words off my chest ).

i`ve always looked at life in an out aspect in an outer in context ...looking at peoples lives and cherishing there moments through me so that i can feel well . i`ve always thought of life as of complete optismism . considering that i am naturally talented and was born to sing really well . having to be little and having to have many older people say many positive comments about my voice .... i cherished it ... and i dreamed about being one that some day i will be a star .

now as years passed , life started to look a little more stressful and harmful each year ....and having to dwell on these cases because of my sensitivity life has been more hurtful and senseless through my teens . i`ve started to question on how do these guys get girls or how do these people do well and learn things . i guess i assumed they were lucky they had good lives and they had a loving and enriching family .As for me, having to have a family that lives in realism , i havent really reealized what they were trying to tell me , during my younger years which fueled with GREAT optimism too much optimism to be exact ..and blamed my closest to have a cynical and pessimisting approach on me and of well hurting me and not enriching my life as a full potential so i can be a great singer .

life started be a downfall . i was depressed . by my self-consciousness and optimism which in hand was selfishness .

maybe after an odd 1 1/2 years life started to turn a lot differently and more normal because of opening up of my true feelings and meeting alot of real friends . i`ve started to understand bit by bit what my parents and my closest have been trying to explain to me each of those days . these were just basic meanings that i shoudlve learned during my younger years . and not being to sensitive and too affective about there harsh rude ...not so anymore comments =) . my life was pretty dramatic


by looking at life much more dramatically i feel as though i consumed at looking at life too pessimistically and too realistically it too much and dwelled at it and kinda got depressed as well.

since last summer through last dec . life starts to even get more realistic through my ears and eyes . and in ways pessimism starts to come in play . how would i know my career pick would be good for me? how would i know that i would be able to cope up with my career living a life in music ? and being so, and having alot of people have continuous doubts and pessmistic life about my career and my major in music i took things negatively and i didnt do well taking enough info during my first sem .

as you can tell, im a perfectionist by heart and i take everything into consideration yet procrastination about learning things about looking in things and truly understanding a specific note key structure or chord makes me ponder , am i thinking correctly is this the way i look at things at well . do i need a drive to be successful ? how do all these sly young singers musicians turn to be succesful ? how do you live a postitive life ? how do you live in the right atitude ? . how can you act how can you act and how can you learn to be really good in singing musically as well ? damn alicia keys ....damn jammie foxx ....damn barry manilow , damn barbra streisand .


as of now i took my 2nd sem off . being so stressed about things and having to not cope up with specific situations and not understanding it in a clear view , i have time to relax and think . "take it slow. " i got too caught up in my questioning about living life . and life itself .

i try to live life now without fear , anxiety , despair and procrastination . im thinking that you gain information by living it . and in realistically you understand it . you truly live your life living your creed your parents taught you yet you live life postively by looking at those realistic facts postively for the better . by looking at life so clear and precise . you would have a better advantage at looking at life soo willingly and postively and anticipating on what the treasures come because you are sure about it . you gain your Lifes DRIVE .

to answer your question

life is the meaning . you make it meaningful and treasureable so that when you look back you have no regrets . "Hakuna Matata" have no worries . if at times you felt like you missed somethings and you wanted to understand something more and be more productive about it . then do it . just know and take your time and be yourself . i guess if you really want to have productiveness in life it helps being organized . so that your more focused during different set periods you dont have to dwell on the next thing over and over and over . if something happens something happens . and enjoy those mistakes and harsh moments .

honestly also helps alot too ....try to be totally honest that way you would have no doubts of wether your application went through well for a job or what someone might think of you . that way you know you feel good . be honest in life and to everyone . don`t be too honest now you could cheat a little .

i know that wasnt your answer either lol .

i also guess people believe they have a purpose in life depending on there faith and beliefs how to live it. starts to understand there drive in life . As for me God granted me the power to have a voice and to use it at full advantage .

i guess trying to answer your question

yes you do the everyday thing . i guess try to stimulate the things you wanted to do and try to connect your daily objectives to the things you`ve been wanting to do . i guess thats how you enrich your love of it . and your passion . and why you love it . set it in a different time then your daily routine . i guess thats how some successful people out there are multi talented . they dont learn everything at once . by consuming everything within a day they intensely focus on it in a specific period of the day and then swtich back to what you`ve always done . and hopefully if you want everything clearly and meaningfull. then try as much as possible to understand everything clear and possible .

it should seem as though you feel like a kid again when you played in those monkey bars swings and slides and made blocks to make a block building .yet with an adult like outlook . "hmm what happens if i swing on those bars upside down will i hit my head ? " hmm what happens if i took those wodden blocks and stack and KNOCK THEM WITH MY HANDS ? "

your life is the meaning.

try to be more creative on your extras ....try to go out of bounds if you like during that set periods . there you would be questioning yourself if you wanted to do more .

mipadi and yes i guess it was a good thing to read this thread because it truly shows how people live there lives and why it turns up so meaningful for them . it also kinda helped me alittle too . ooo WOW .......such a long reply wow .. this could be part of one of my philosophy essays .....sigh ..... i don`t regret it . sigh ... i hope this helped other people too ..

[illumineering]

this is a GREAT meaning to view to look at life each day . you made me happy . flowrs to you

Thanks for the kind words!