[Rant] A meaningful life?!

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Me (In a sarcastic tone): Who invented the idea that a meaningful life=Having a job+Having a spouse+Having kids+Having friends? I have none of these, so does that mean that I'm a failure who ought to donate my life to somebody else if only lives could be donated?

there is no one meaningful life.

Most would indeed consider a life a wasted one without the presence of the first and the last of these at least. You don't have to agree; you shouldn't in fact.

Having a meaningful life isn't really about a checklist. But in my opinion, it is about commitments. To me, "commitments" are when you place yourself into the context of something bigger, and take on responsibilities as a result. All four of the things you said are good examples of commitments. But there are lots of others.

many of us here are not equipped cognitively to enter into such "commitments."

Yeah, we are bad at them, especially the big important ones. But I think that even for us, commitments are what make life meaningful. Even little commitments, like having a routine or owning a pet.

my ittybitty commitment [a routine] is to the good people here on WP which gives my life real meaning
i can't handle pets due to their dander.

I think life has whatever meaning you choose to give it, and you can't apply your meaning to anyone else's life anymore than they can apply theirs to your life.

Overrated

Archaic

Completely unnecessary, undesirable and possibly harmful

I think this one actually matters

I'm a loner myself, but I force myself to socialize because loneliness is awful.

"A meaningful life" - I think what makes it meaningful is how much you enjoy it. If you aren't, force yourself to do things that might bring you happiness (clubs, on-line interaction.) Sometimes making the effort is reward in itself.

I agree. Everyone wants something different in life. Also I dislike how people rate their own and others success after how "perfect" their lives are. Usually after irrelevant factors as money, power and looks.

I don't see any of those things as being inseparable from a meaningful life, and simply because it's the norm doesn't make it right for everyone. Live life and let it's meaning come from you, not some preconceived list of things that should be done.

If you could jump ahead to the end of your life, and think about what was trully meaningful. either in what you did or wished you had done, it might give some insight into the relative importance of things now.

Whatever is meaningful or satisfying to you is a meaningful life. There are no rules regarding it except those you impose on yourself as an individual. Those things you mention are meaningful to a lot of people, not to a lot of others. Find what you love and do, be or make it.

As Joseph Campbell said, "Follow your bliss."

<--- Sigh. Missed the "normal" boat as it sailed through.

Probably someone who had found no meaning in being unemployed, unloved, and friendless.

Life is what you make it. For some people (including myself), those things are what we strive for in life and want to accomplish. But my goals and desires in life have nothing to do with your own. In my opinion success in life is the ability to live your life in the way that you want to, and to achieve true happiness in doing so. For example, take the monk...they typically have no spouse, no kids, and live largely in isolation. That doesn't mean they are any less successful or happy in life, just that they chose a different path.