Meaningless? Don’t talk to me about meaningless!
Allow me to refer you to my most recent post, which I coincidentally published a couple of weeks ago. It really does say it all and I’m not up to saying the whole thing again. I have included the lively center of the post for your perusal.
We spend too much time trying to figure out what life means and too little time doing the stuff we enjoy. I suppose it’s normal to wonder if the reason you are sick, broke, or miserable is the result of something you did or failed to do. Normal, but a waste of time and energy because I’m going to explain everything and you’ll never have to wonder again.
Learning to accept the randomness of stuff that happens is tough. We want life to make sense. We want order. We want our messes and disasters to be important, meaningful. I’m pretty sure that some god has a message about this.
I’ve put a good bit of thought into why my life has regularly fallen apart. I know I’m imperfect, but whatever I’ve done wrong, it’s small potatoes in the scheme of things. Even in my darkest moments I doubt I’m so wicked that The Big Guy has in for me. Then I had an epiphany.
You can believe what you want, but you can’t know any more than I do. Believe as hard as you want. Believing isn’t knowing.
I KNOW NOTHING. NEITHER DO YOU.
Accepting you know nothing is a big step, so take a deep breath. Your next challenge will be how you can cash in on this new knowledge. What’s the point unless you can awe people with your brilliance — and make a few bucks?
WORDS
You need the right vocabulary to dazzle your audience. Impressively large words (4 or more syllables) in the right context can showcase your education and intelligence. People will make little cooing sounds to show their admiration.
Big words enhance your likelihood of getting a management position. You can write important books. Have a blog like me and I know you want to be just like me. Big words can take you a long way, if you are skilled at deploying them.
I will not repeat the entire post, but if by any chance you missed it — unlikely because I run with this one at least twice a year … it sums up my relationship with philosophy. Who knew it would take an entire lifetime to discover I don’t know anything and neither do you? But you can take a look at it the whole thing: WHEN NOTHING MEANS ANYTHING.
For some obscure reason, knowing nothing really empowers me. Go figure, right?
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Categories: Ethics and Philosophy, Humor, Words
Wise men are wise because they have a firm grasp on just how much they don’t know. Sadly it seems to take a lifetime of learning things to learn this. The universe has a strange sense of humor.
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True Tom. Do you know the difference between a wise man and an intelligent one?
An intelligent man seeks to learn about the Universe (or the planet for now) so that he can better understand how everything works and what his place is in it. A wise man seeks to learn about himself and how he works so that he can better understand everything and his place in it.
I’m quite sure the Universe takes a look at us humans whenever it feels the need for a laugh! 🙂
love.
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Yeah, we’re the plucky side kick the universe created for comic relief. Explains lot.
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I have never procreated with anyone (but had a lot of fun trying!) so does that then mean my life is meaningless? I think not. There is nothing wrong with choosing to believe that your life’s sole major meaning is to procreate, but it clearly is not so for all of us and it would be wrong to project it as such.
It is my personal belief – one i am prepared to argue with anyone, and one that is gaining ground amongst the hard core physicists who are looking into the origins and existence of this and possibly other universes – that no-one actually KNOWS anything – we only believe we do. No-one can prove their existence is what they believe it is other than within a framed reference system that relies upon questionably accurate underlying axioms that define what ‘reality’ is.
As for facts, once upon a time it was a fact known by all those who studied such things that there was nothing smaller than an atom which could never be split into smaller components (Atom is Latin for indivisible). It was thought that nothing could travel faster than the speed of light, now it is thought even that can be possible. Until we know everything there is to possibly know then we can only believe we know things. Knowing something does not mean the same thing as being right,. The best you can hope is that you are right for the moment.
Too metaphysical? I never metaphysical i didn’t like 🙂
love.
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Not to get too complicated here, but men and women — in this particular area? — think a bit differently. Plumbing.
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There are definitely a few differences… but there is a lot of ways we are alike. I have a post coming up on that subject 😉
love.
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Metaphysical, I like it. I’m stealing that one. My other favorite. You can lead a horticulture, but you can’t make her think.
Dorathy Parker.
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Oooh that’s GOOOOD! – took me about five minutes to get it – but it’s good. 😉
love
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belief is opinion. That I believe it will rain, is my opinion, as is yours that it might snow instead.
I believe in the great kahuna and you believe I’m doomed. Opinion, opinion.
What I know is that at this moment and apparently for all the previous moments I am/was alive.
Belief is that I’ll survive longer than it takes to write this. It’s belief with bells on, but it’s still opinion.
If you believe differently, I would like to see your reasoning.
Never did get into the hand to forehead ‘what is life’ thing, it always made me a bit dizzy.
And you know what I think the real ‘meaning’ of life is? it’s to do what the rest of the living world does, and that’s procreate. Our whole purpose and intent is to keep the species going, one baby at a time. All the rest is windowdressing to keep us interested.
Once i realized that, the rest began to seem pretty silly. Oh, I like to play, I like to have fun, and write, and all that cool stuff. But once I’m gone, duty fulfilled or not, that’s it. Curtain down.
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Funny you should say that. I almost died when i was 19 and had my spine redefined. As soon as I was physically ABLE. I got pregnant. Because pregnant was the absolutely ONLY meaningful thing I could think of. And I was right.
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Enjoying what we have is the ultimate in reality. Thinking about the rest makes sense only when your actually living your life, Reflection is important and gives us peace on several levels but I think truly living, enjoying what you have who your with and the experiences that open and taking advantage of the possibilities is the reality. Enjoyed your perspective. It’s probably one that comes later in life, since most people are involved until at least 40 trying to figure it all out. hehe
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For me, it made sense when I was … 17? That’s when The Meaning of Life was a big deal. The more I got INTO life, the less I cared about what someone said about its meaning.
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I know, meaning is perspective, Your perspective related to Yours personal experiences. No one else can tell you what it is cause it’s different for everyone. I too was young when I learned that truth.
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This is why I feel everyone is welcome to believe whatever they feel is “it” for them. As long as they don’t think I have to believe the same thing. It is there where my line is drawn.
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Truly.
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Amen to that!
Leslie
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The wider the perspective the greater the level of truth (see more of the Big Picture how it all ‘relates’)
love.
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Meaningless is a 45 promise….
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Or, perhaps, his entire administration. Can you actually CALL it an administration?
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Nice one. It’s true, eventually, nothing means anything, if God is not in it!
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Reblogged this on Jerri Perri.
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