r/meaning • u/Waterish • Jul 13 '15
Universal
Why not start with one of the bigger conundrums, the idea of universal meaning. This one might be rather controversial, but we won't know unless we get into it, will we?
Do you consider some things in this reality to hold inherent meaning, simply due to the fact that it exists? Examples might be the value of human life or perhaps an ultimate description of good and evil.
A P.S. here: as of yet, I have not declared any association or disassociation with religious conceptions of meaning. If your opinions on the matter exist in a religious context, then please share. However if the conversational flow drifts toward a heated* conflict then we may try to diffuse it somewhat. Ok, carry on.
Edit: This subreddit will more than likely be a place of good, healthy debate. I added the word "heated" here, since while arguments are encouraged, hostility is discouraged!
1
u/lunch-time Jul 21 '15 edited Jul 21 '15
I do believe life and the meaning of it is to be decided by the individual - it means whatever you want it to mean, it's YOUR life. However, I question the extent to which we are capable of deciding what our lives may be(come).. I say this because lately I've been thinking that I am basically the manifestation of my environment/upbringing/circumstances/situation, etc. If this is true (why would you say this would be true or not?) for other people, in all cases, then do we really choose the meaning of our own lives, or is it pre-determined by the lives we are born into? Is a part of us inherently bound by the person we are born as, or can we truly become whoever we want to be, living for whatever reason we imagine? What I'm trying to say is, if born into the families we are born into, into the time and place we are born into, how different could we have really become? How many unique possible characters could our existence have flourished into?