Things that give meaning to your life

[BitBuster]

1. Driving around on a warm day with the windows down and Bananarama blasting on the stereo



Actually, I think that about sums it up for me.

[geodave]

Replace Banarama with Boom Crash Opera or The Hooters and I'm there!

There's something to be said for puppies that make cute noises when they yawn, as well.

[BitBuster]

Pfft. David Bryne was wrong: heaven is a place where they play "Love In The First Degree" on repeat for all eternity.



Oh, you do not want to get me started on pets. You do not want to go there.

[ManipulatorGeneral]

I should reply to this and weigh in, though more seriously. Anybody familiar with me nowadays knows that God is number one on my list, and since my belief is a defining characteristic of myself now, it permeates my perception of the world and is thus an open subject in discussions with me; the remainder of the list is fairly specific, if not extremely lengthy. Music ranks extremely high, as a second topic I seem to talk too much about; the effect that understanding music to this deep degree has had on my general outlook, personality, worldview and attitude towards life can barely be measured. Oftentimes, I've wondered exactly how significant I really am in this vast world, at my age and with my own faults and deficiencies, and this struggle has, at times, swung in both directions within a single day; the best assurance against this feeling has been the knowledge that I'm understood perfectly, watched out for and loved unconditionally beyond my comprehension, and to a more limited degree, by groups of people on this planet. It's at times difficult to accept that I mean the world to other people, and when I can accept it, I find immense meaning in knowing how much of a positive difference I really make. I've always been someone who finds the deepest meaning in the midst of struggles and suffering and the process of overcoming, simply because I've seen and experienced much more than I should. In the contrast between light and dark, a speck of light in a vast darkness speaks to me the most, personally and philosophically.

Hopefully this wasn't too serious, but this thread's title was more geared towards that mood anyway. Some of you don't know how I think and/or what's been happening to me lately, and I needed to explain briefly in a hospitable environment; you're always free to talk to me more.

[BitBuster]

[Note: this is a serious response, even though my OP was pretty lighthearted]

When I question my worth, I think of "It's A Wonderful Life" and then I realize this: if I had never been born, the world would not be worse off. I've never pulled a kid out from a frozen pond, never saved a village from economic ruin, etc. All I've done is go to school, sit in my room and write and listen to music, and leech off of my mom's generosity. I can't even say that I've held down a decent job (right now I'm living off of debt and the meager savings from previous work). I have to assume that a number of other people are in the same boat.

I was raised Catholic, and as much as I want to believe in God (and as much as I'm convinced, in my heart, that there is a God), I can't shake the feeling that it's simply the result of indoctrination: i.e., I was raised to believe in God, and so at this point in my life, I believe in God. I've never seen anything that would prove or disprove the existence of God, and I don't think I ever will. And I have to say, that scares me. It absolutely terrifies me. I'd like to know (more or less) for sure either way...but I can't. Unless Jesus returned to Earth and I saw him turn water into wine and bring someone back from the dead, I'd have trouble believing in him.

(Of course, this is just Christianity...there are plenty of other "God"'s out there)



The only thing that I really can rely on is music; that alone doesn't make me happy or contented, and I've never expected it to. But nothing else: sex, religion, games, novels, film...nothing else touches me as consistently and reliably as music. And I can appreciate "serious" music (Beethoven, Bob Dylan) as much as I can "stupid" music (Kylie Minogue, Bananarama). Actually, I think it's more of an accomplishment to make a genuinely joyous record than it is to make an intellectual, soul-searching one. The best pop records can bring you out of any doldrums, make you want to sing along and make an ass out of yourself and just be glad that you're alive, however temporarily. What more can you ask out of a three-minute song?

[BigOto2]

I'll do a fun one, I don't like being serious unless I were writing a 10-page paper about it (not gonna happen any time soon, at least I hope).

- That already-somewhat-nostalgic afternoon when I was playing through the last 3 somewhat easy levels of CCLP3, and how the sun came out from behind the clouds just as I finished 149 and brightened up the whole room.

- Beating Portal 2 and experiencing the ending

- Watching the new trailer for Mario Kart 7 for the first time on a really sunny day in June.

[ManipulatorGeneral]

- That already-somewhat-nostalgic afternoon when I was playing through the last 3 somewhat easy levels of CCLP3, and how the sun came out from behind the clouds just as I finished 149 and brightened up the whole room.

That's the sort of thing that makes me smile and silently say "Thank you..." Love it when this happens. Wish I could have been there to see it, Trevor.

[geodave]

The question of the existence of God is a whole other topic....and you're welcome to start one!

But, since it was brought up -- you cannot "prove" any religious or philosophical truth, because everything has a basis in something else. Decartes thought that the fact that he thought (or, more accurately, that he could doubt) was sufficient evidence for his existence. Not sure I agree with him there.

I would say that the wisest man in history said, basically, that things can't make you happy. Maybe not, but I could certainly use better money management skillz -- that might make me happier.

[ManipulatorGeneral]

The question of the existence of God is a whole other topic....and you're welcome to start one!

I remember that you jumped right into a provocative question on Chip's Portal and that we had a poll about some of our respective beliefs on the old CCZone, but that's about the extent of religious discussion on CC forums so far. It is exceedingly important to mention that God belongs in this thread for those who believe in one or another, even encouraged as a component of discussion about "meaning", and our most prominent atheist members still agree on this. This community has been extremely respectful and tolerant, well above the norm (I know, personal experience with some of you), and though civilized, productive discussion would be easy, it's a topic that is understandably difficult to begin from the perfect angle. Perhaps just a poll and a brief abstract, no more than a certain word limit, would suffice. Anyways, we're digressing; my argument was simply that there's a place for the subject in this thread.

[BitBuster]

- you cannot "prove" any religious or philosophical truth, because everything has a basis in something else.

...I tend to agree, but if I saw Jesus die on a cross and then I saw him walking around a few days later, I'd be sufficiently convinced that he was the Messiah. Given that I didn't see that, however...

Decartes thought that the fact that he thought (or, more accurately, that he could doubt) was sufficient evidence for his existence. Not sure I agree with him there.

Finally, someone else who agrees with me on this!

I would say that the wisest man in history said, basically, that things can't make you happy.

...no, but in some cases, you can settle for them.