What is the meaning of life? Nobody has ever given me an answer to this question that I'm satisfied with. Here's a short list:
"To procreate" / "To bring forth the next generation" / "To teach" - The general idea that we live for the next generation. But what's *their* meaning? This just delays the meaning so that 'we don't have to worry about it anymore'.
"Happiness" / "Pleasure" - But happiness doesn't *mean* anything. It is perfectly possible to lie down, decide to be happy, and start laughing... but so what?
"To serve God" - Yeah, yeah, he really makes his purposes well known, doesn't he? This, like any questions answered with a 'God' in them, doesn't actually explain anything.
"To find out the meaning of life" - Ummm... do you know the meaning of the word 'recursive'?
"To live" - Circular and meaningless.
"To experience" - Life is pretty much experience, so this is a lot like the last one.
"To learn" - But to what purpose? You end up dead anyway, smart or not.
"To grow spiritually" - Again, to what purpose? Spiritual growth definately makes your life better, but it doesn't give life meaning.
"To do good" - To what end? To get into heaven? Or just for its own sake? Hmmm... probably the most convincing argument, the only problem being that I don't believe in good and evil.
"To get into heaven" - Right. Well, heaven is great pleasure, right? So then you're just saying that pleasure is the meaning of life. See above.
And so I assume there is no meaning. "But", you might say, "that leaves one directionless in the vast sea of possibilities that is one's life..." to which I reply:
Do as you are compelled
It's not an answer to the question, but it's what gets me up in the mornings.