h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

42

Hi just joined THGTTG is gr8 dunno what the new film will be like heard mixed reviews.

Simple...
Look around you..what is every living doing, thinking of doing, trying to do, or, indeed, has just finished doing. Yes....making babies.
In short, that's it!

Of course, there's little bit more to it than the simple exchange of bodily fluids...like providing food, protection and so on..but, basically, LIFE is all about reproduction...the continuation of the species...the endless competition for resources.

i believe that the meaning of life is to live. simple as that. the simplest answer is usually the right one.

42

I was joking '42' is a quote from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy

try to eat drink and be merry,
avoid typhoid and dysentery

The usual ideas are about self gratification, finding yourself or just making sure your ok. How about God first, others second and yourself last, hard to do but doesn't half make a difference!

The Meaning of life, hmmm, try this.

life - n. pl. lives (lvz)

The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence.

The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism.
The characteristic state or condition of a living organism.
Living organisms considered as a group: plant life; marine life.
A living being, especially a person: an earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives.

The interval of time between birth and death

The interval of time between one's birth and the present

Slang - A sentence of imprisonment lasting till death.

The time for which something exists or functions

A spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death.

A source of vitality; an animating force

adj. - Of or relating to animate existence; involved in or necessary for living: life processes.

To observe, reflect, augment one's own opinions with such observance and reflection, then produce profound or not-so-profound statements of such opinions to anyone who happens to listen... or just say "bugger all" and go get a cup of coffee.
This, it turns out, is what most relatively functioning individuals happen to do. Even those with digital watches.

Deep

I need more explanation of the question. Does it refer to all life - any life - only human life or only your life? Is it restricted to conscious life? (that would exclude most plants in most people's view - except possibly Prince Charles's). What life forms are conscious? How many are? 42?
What do you mean by meaning? Purpose? Goal? Answer in no more than 42 words, please.

There are many philosophies which say that the meaning of life lies in enlightenment, and while I do think this is an important goal, it's certainly not the meaning of life.

I think that, at some point in time, every conceivable notion of the meaning of life has been stumbled upon by someone. Thus, all forms of enlightenment available to beings of our limited scope have already been achieved.

Also, any philosophy, no matter how intelligent or brilliant it sounds, will ultimately either die with us, or be added to the stew of human thought, to be argued, distorted, compromised, defeated, and rediscovered in an endless cycle, until it either spawns a major religion and, in effect, generates more warfare, or is totally squashed out.

So, the meaning of life basically relies on your beliefs. If you believe that, at some point in our existence, we will reach our ultimate end (ie, our existence ends with our death, or after a number of lives), then about the best that can be said for our own existence is that we exist to facilitate the continued and future existence of other forms of life.

If you believe in an indefinite existence (usually some form of afterlife), then your belief of the meaning of life is given.

Also, in response to the person who answered "42", I think pretty much everyone who read that would recognise the reference. If they don't, they really shouldn't be on this site.

I'm not so sure there is a meaning to life. I think the point is to just enjoy it in any way you can!

Dangerous question, if you were to think about it too hard you would find it hard to stop. You would spend far too much time thinking and end up missing out on the very life you were trying to understand in the first place. It probably wouldn't be that great an answer anyway, probably something that would leave people going 'eh?' and asking difficult questions like 'What, for goodness sake, are you talking about?' and 'Have you been tipping you're medicine down the sink again?'

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Pretty much, yes!

take one day at a time thats all we can do .

Life has no meaning, it is a series of random events. if there was a meaning to life (other than 42) i challenge anyone to find it. and you wont. trust me.

No meaning, no point, it just 'is'.
the 'is' is of course, up for discussion itself, but I think many people went mad, moved to the countryside, or failed there driving licience test as a result of contemplating the 'is' too hard.

Is that a quote from Tom Lehrer?!?
I could swear it is but it might be a coincidence or something equally inexplicable.

as in the thing from the_greatest_person who said...

try to eat drink and be merry,
avoid typhoid and dysentery

we swears it on the precious that it is.