Era Might Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) maybe you need more sacrifice in your life. Undoubtedly, that is the Christian answer, to find sacrificial meaning in anything. That doesn't do much for a better society, but definitely for a better person. Edited June 11, 2013 by Era Might Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apotheoun Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) I'm happy you have found meaning. I don't deny it exists, simply that it does not exist for me in my work. You're just looking in the wrong place for meaning. Gold has no meaning. Honestly, rather than look for meaning (especially in the wrong place) just live your life. My dad only realized that his life had meaning on his death bed, and it wasn't in gold or in his work. He found it in his family and friends, and of course in God. Edited June 11, 2013 by Apotheoun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 You're just looking in the wrong place for meaning. Gold has no meaning. Honestly, rather than look for meaning (especially in the wrong place) just live your life. My dad only realized that his life had meaning on his death bed, and it wasn't in gold or in his work. He found it in his family and friends, and of course in God. That's great, but it doesn't change the problem of a meaningless life. Some people are capable of bearing the burden of slavery, it's just not in my character. Maybe that's a character flaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apotheoun Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 That's great, but it doesn't change the problem of a meaningless life. Some people are capable of bearing the burden of slavery, it's just not in my character. Maybe that's a character flaw. Maybe you won't know the meaning till you die. So live and stop worrying about something that is not in your power to control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 What lenses should I view things through? Catholic ones ideally. But anyway, is jokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 What lenses should I view things through? Catholic ones ideally. But anyway, is jokes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 Maybe you won't know the meaning till you die. So live and stop worrying about something that is not in your power to control. I guess the problem I have with that perspective is where, then, does motivation come from? If there is no practical meaning until we die, what is the motivation to get up every day and do all the things that are necessary to survive? Is survival without meaning worth it? Victor Frankl's book "Man's Search for Meaning" about surviving in the Holocaust talks about present meaning as really the only thing there is, the only reason for surviving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 Catholic ones ideally. But anyway, is jokes. I'd say I do look at things at roughly a Catholic viewpoint, though more of the Dorothy Day sort than the Acton Institute sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apotheoun Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I guess the problem I have with that perspective is where, then, does motivation come from? If there is no practical meaning until we die, what is the motivation to get up every day and do all the things that are necessary to survive? Is survival without meaning worth it? Victor Frankl's book "Man's Search for Meaning" about surviving in the Holocaust talks about present meaning as really the only thing there is, the only reason for surviving. You are way too self-referential. Your life is not a tv show, so live and stop worrying about something you clearly cannot find an answer to at the moment. I hope to simply be able to say what my dad said just before he died, i.e., "I have done what God wanted me to do," after which he mentioned his marriage to my mother, the births of his children and grandchildren and his life with them. Then he closed his eyes and died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel's angel Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) Era, I don't have any answers, but I have felt exactly the way you do (and I'm sure I will again), and tbh any time I asked other people for answers I found a reason why the answers given were rubbish. There seems to be a real despair going on for you, and I'm not sure how/when/if it will pass. For me, I found that realising that I'm stuck here whether I like it or not helped me to just try to enjoy small things to do something to offset the big woes. I know that doesn't help, and it doesn't help to say that I'm thinking of you and I hope it gets better soon. But it's all I have. Edited June 11, 2013 by Noel's angel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie12 Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 you can look at the glass half full, half empty or you could just drink whats inside and be a problem solver. The choice is yours. If your say your life is meaningless, go out there and find it's meaning. God didn't put you on this planet for nothing. Have faith. Despair never solved anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anastasia13 Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 (edited) You can spend your whole life waiting for someone to tell you something has meaning, or you can find what matters to you and do it. You go to work to pay bills but also to feed mouths (and I bet it means a lot to them). People matter. Your job is bad? Passion may not pay the bills, but if your job is so bad, find something you like and find a way to pay bills with it. Even if it mattered to no one, it would matter to God-we work for His glory and live for His good pleasure. If you always stay in an existentialist or nihilist, woe-is-me mentality, you will not get far. Find something you like and do it. Ask yourself what matters and live like it does. As long as you are honest about the situation you are in, you can do something to change it. Edited June 11, 2013 by Light and Truth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted June 11, 2013 Author Share Posted June 11, 2013 You are way too self-referential. Your life is not a tv show, so live and stop worrying about something you clearly cannot find an answer to at the moment. I hope to simply be able to say what my dad said just before he died, i.e., "I have done what God wanted me to do," after which he mentioned his marriage to my mother, the births of his children and grandchildren and his life with them. Then he closed his eyes and died. I guess we just see things differently. If there is no present meaning, then it doesn't matter what I do, since both may find meaning in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apotheoun Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I guess we just see things differently. If there is no present meaning, then it doesn't matter what I do, since both may find meaning in the end. Maybe there is present meaning, but you simply do not see it. The best advice is still to simply live your life and do what you know to be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anastasia13 Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 I guess we just see things differently. If there is no present meaning, then it doesn't matter what I do, since both may find meaning in the end. Sometimes it helps to stop looking in our minds for meaning and start looking around with our eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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