What makes life meaningful for you?

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What makes life meaningful for you?

On a previous thread that was locked by a moderator, I asked about appropriate limitations for my son using the computer. Fortunately, his interests seem to have changed during the past week from looking at closing logos on the Internet. I think he is now collecting and testing live Linux operating systems. By looking at the number of DVDs on the floor, I speculate that he is up to 20.

kfisherx made a compelling point about maintaining a balanced life style. Her wide interests include participating in team sports, music, computers, and mentoring young people. I certainly admire her accomplishments and intelligence.

The most meaningful experience in the world for me is to successfully teach a concept to a student. I also love being a husband and a dad. Several people on the thread implied that what is meaningful for me might not be meaningful for my autistic son.

Thus, I have the following question. What makes life meaningful for you?

I don't see any meaning in my existence, and do not feel the need to make up something to have some type of purpose. If you mean what types of things are meaningful in my life to myself, probably my interests and solitude.

Your question is confusing. You could either get tons of replies from the religious and the nihilists, or what things people value most, or someone's interests, or goals... I think interests and sometimes personal relationships are more meaningful to autistic people than any type of success one might typically think of when one says someone is "successful", if that is the aim of your question. But I always find your questions difficult to answer.

"I have heard that there are people who know [why we are here], but they are not as great as those that live it." ~Kwan Shan-Yuet, Master of Tai Chi

My life is meaningful because I live it. I live my life.

I don't find any meaning in life. I know that tomorrow will come but I can't imagine it, so in my head it dooesn't really exist. I have the past and history, but no future is no meaning.

If you mean what matters to me, need books and calorie-restrictions to survive.

(I have Aspergers)

The possibility of what tomorrow may bring, whether that's thinking up a new story, listening to new music, reading a new book, or whatever. I like the idea that tomorrow is another chance to experience something cool, even if most of the time nothing cool actually happens.

Constantly trying to figure people out.

To learn as much as I can and to share that knowledge. Every day it could be a new interest or an old one but I learn new things. To reach my goals too. I keep getting new ones and working towards those. They will keep me busy.

I just want to enjoy life with my few friends and drink and go see bands with them. I live for my interests in physics and my writing and my art.
I guess I try to get the most out of life by coming up with new projects to do.

My relationship with God is the main thing.

Aside from that, my creative pursuits (writing, drawing, lately calligraphy, which now I think about it is quite logical since it's basically writing and drawing together).
Time spent daydreaming. (A couple hours a day at least. I daydream a LOT.)
To some extent, coming on the forums (here and elsewhere) to participate in an exchange of ideas. (On various topics-- autism and unrelated things. I'm on another forum that discusses one of my special interests.)
Music. Always music. I'm probably surrounded by music or making music at least half the time.

Before I found God, I had some bad things happen... my life basically lost all meaning. The things I found that gave me a reason (not the greatest reason) to get out of bed in the mornings (not even bother to get dressed) and to stay alive (not that I never considered ending it), when I had nothing, were video games and fandom. Altogether an inadequate substitute for God (still things I enjoy in moderation, though-- they're awesome), they are just (barely) enough (short-term) to keep you alive (and little more than that). Honestly it's not about restricting time spent; I have things in my life now that matter. And I do more of those things.

And that's just the positives-- the stuff I like doing. But I'm too tired to get into the darker side of how I determine whether life is worth living.

Surfing is my everything. I also enjoy repairing, designing and making things, reading and learning.

Making money and being able to spend time on my interests (and using said interests in a profitable manner, thereby combining the two).

For me its swimming in mountain pools, connecting with animals, and sleeping under the stars!

I don't believe there to be any meaning in life...I would like to, for then I would not need to fear death and the nothingness it would bring, but I can't.

What makes my life worth living? Art, fiction, imagination. And exploring what it means to be me.
As despicable as mankind is, we're capable of creating much more beautiful and interesting things than anything that exists in the natural world.
Movies, books, music, games, art, dreams, daydreams...

I feel that everything is meaningful. I don't have to do anything except connect with it.

The fact that I'm able to live on my own and hold down a job, being here on WP and being able to listen to The Kinks in today's cold and dangerous world.

The only meaningful thing in life is, in my opinion, love. Which sucks for me.

Does life have to be "meaningful"?

This is a very subjective area and any answers you get will most likely be peculiar to the individual who professes them.

For me life does not have an innate, natural meaning. It is meaningless and absurd in its raw, ontological state. Part of being human is finding meaning in life which usually means enjoying yourself or not being miserable. I find reading books, learning, watching films, listening to music and playing games meaningful. I find very little social interaction meaningful. Quite the opposite in fact, the majority of social interactions I engage in on a daily basis are essentially meaningless and absurd from my perspective but I perform them anyway because it is expected.