If death is inevitable why do humans as a species live? Once something becomes inevitable, time no longer exists. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to die tomorrow or next year.
i dont see how one follows from the other…?
individuals die, species live. some of the atoms that comprise a tree die while the tree continues to exist far beyond the average lifetime of any atom within it. If you could further clarify your argument it would be quite edifying. We probably won’t all die at once, but once i die you will all be dead to me.
The reality is, when dead there is no concept of death. We invent a ‘end’ when there is no ‘end’.
Epicurus said it brilliantly, “While we exist, death is not present, and whenever death is present, we do not exist.” There is no death, only dying, thank heavens we have sex, which is the only reason that we don’t die out completely.
A man who leaps from a tall building will certainly die. But he still falls.
It was just an accident that life came around I think. My theory is that some random reaction kept happening because of the particular conditions that we have on earth, that made certain separable combinations of atoms reach a state that has been dubbed as a discrete state of ‘life’. Then the life kept dying until the reaction happened in the right way for it to stay alive. And then again until the reaction happened in the right way for it to do that and reproduce as well. And thus, life reached a state of continuity and carried on just coz that was what it did. Then competition arose and evolution was necessary to live ‘better’ than the others and in no time at all we became like we are, with our ids, egos and super-egos.
We just live because thats our sole ‘purpose’. Its just what life does. And it can’t carry on living, because of some equilibirum thing going on with the world. I think. Why anything that goes against the flow, like a building or a tree, it gets old and is just naturally destroyed over time and becomes what it was before it was tampered with, eventually.
I don’t think that was particularly relevant, but worth saying I think.
Yeah, but thats just the ego working at a slightly more advanced level than other animals who haven’t yet evolved to have the capacity to do so.
So you’re asking ‘what is the meaning of life?’ All I can deduce is that there isn’t one. Meaning is just a made up term like Time that was imposed onto a chaotic situation to try and find impose order for perceived improvement for social efficiency and progression. This whole life thing is just like an accidental detour that is in fashion at the mo. But fashion is forced and fickle, 2 things that never last.
You could also say that since death is inevitable, so is everything that ever happened, is happening and ever will happen. Things only happen in one way: whatever u choose, it only ever happens in one way which becomes obvious, for example, when you look back at your life. Time doesn’t exist like I said earlier. Its order imposed on chaos in an attempt to find sense.
I think that answers your question better than my last post.
On a positive note, life has exactly the meaning which we give to it. Life has no meaning, except for that which we give to it.
Could you please explain the fact that time doesn’t exist?
Time does exist as a measurement of movement. But that’s beyond the point. The point is that we exist. We can either choose to ignore that fact and live dull, unexamined lives, or we can come to terms with the reality of our eventual nothingness–realizing we’ve nothing to lose in living life to it’s fullest RIGHT NOW. Life doesn’t have meaning in the objective sense that words have meaning, but it does allow us the freedom to create subjective reasons for continuing to be.
The morbid reality of life, there must come an end, death. Why, well we need to make space for the next generation. Humanity is a relatively new addition to this universe and our light will extinguish long before our universe’s. So why do we try to live and find enjoyment battling against the unconquerable force? What do we do when faced with suffering and the knowledge that we must all pass away? If God exists it all becomes nice and easy to explain, as it’s part of “God’s Planâ€, whatever that might be, but the comfort that there is a design is enough to keep billions content and even make some happy. But of those who see death as a real ending with nothing afterwards, they have to fact the grim reality that our lives are meaningless, when it come to a greater plan and we’re nothing more then a variable in the process called the Chaos Theory.
Some people turn to Religion to find meaning, others Hedonism, others Philosophy, and the many other distractions of existence. We look to the world to fill the void that life created within us. But ultimately we have become to self aware of what we are and of are own fickle nature. Born of primordial-ooze to become once more what we deposit in our handkerchief when we sneeze. The dark bleakness that the existentialist preached has become the reality of many who are disillusioned with religion. I think the luckiest people in this world are those who live in a coma, creating there own reality in dreams, living many life times worth of experiences in the safety of there own mind, and unaware of when death will steal them away as the doctor’s hand reaches over their bed towards the plug.
So what becomes of this lonely traveller called the human race? To have the true answer to this would make you a billionaire. But most people are asleep, walking around in a daze from one party to the next, not worrying about death till it’s so close that they can feel the gentle caress of the Grim Ripper upon their soul. Those of us who unfortunately decide we need to deal death before our time have to face the bleak reality at the wrong time. We should be like our fellow brethren and enjoy the party. Yet all parties must come to an end, though no one goes and complains that it’s all going to be over in an hour or two… do they…
thanks for the post Logo. The eternal present, that’s exactly where it’s at.
Beautiful post Pax Vitae. Instead of thinking that death, with it’s sudden end, (for those of us who consider it that) makes life meaningless, i choose to let that knowledge imbue my life with poignancy and inertia. I am also extremely grateful for being born, albeit from an atheistic stance.