Why do people think there has to be a meaning to life?

Question

Isn't living itself enough?

Answer 1

3 possibilities:

1. Life has a meaning.

2. Life does not have a meaning.

3. Only some of the lives have meanings.

If the first statement is true, you are wrong.

If the second statement is true, you do not need to have your statement.

If the third statement is true, you have to find whether your life has a meaning or not.

By the way, what do you mean "isn't living itself enough?"

You mean living itself has enough meaning, so life does not need any meaning ?  I don't see your logic...

One of the major life tasks man has to reply to life is what is his meaning of life...

Answer 2

To attain peace within themselves

Answer 3

life is just like a carnival ride...

Answer 4

Life would be much like the doldrums if there was no meaning or purpose to it. As we grow to experience life, we can choose to seize moments and to expand our horizons or we can choose to gather moss, age, then wither and die.

Answer 5

People believe there is a meaning to life because we have free choice to affect the lives of others and because we don't want to believe that we are valueless.  And we are not.  We have the free choice and ability to greater aid others in their happiness.  You have a meaning to your life that you may not perceive.  You look forward to children, so you have already defined some sort of meaning.  

Answer 6

Some people need a meaning.

Living itself feels useless, if life itself isn't good.

If you live in pain, and every day is another struggle, than you sometimes need a reason, just to keep yourself going.

That may be the plan of god, or just friends and family that need you.

Answer 7

Because if there was no meaning to life, why have children?  Why wake up tomorrow?

Destiny leads people to believe, Hope leads people to dream.

These are all meanings in life, they define life for me...

Live, Love, something

Answer 8

read purpose driven life......

Answer 9

Because most humans are self centred and lazy. They want not only to be told there is meaning, they want to know what it is (without discovering it for themselves) and they expect the universe to revolve around them and owe them meaning.

I am here because of an amazing win in a genetic lottery that meant I got to be born and I plan to make the most of this great and finite life.

Answer 10

Do you mean a higher,sort of supernatural meaning?Because I don't believe we necessarily need that.But setting goals in life is what keeps you going, and I certainly need that.

By the way, Wittgenstein had a lot to say upon the matter, and on unnecessary philosophical questions in general.

Answer 11

Yup. I don't think there's a meaning to life and if there is its different for every person. I don't think that makes life hopeless like some people think, I just disagree with their philosophy that life has to have some grand meaning and we all need to search out what that is.

That type of philosophy is overwhelming. I still believe that we should strive to learn and make the best of our lives. Everyone has something that they consider to be important and I think people should focus on that. I don't think people need to kill themselves.

I mean that is a very pessimistic attitude to have. I'm reading this book right now called "man's search for meaning" - the author was in a concentration camp and he came to realize that even when everything is taken away. They can't take away what is within you.

Your mind, your psyche, your thoughts and ideals, etc. In the second half of the book, he goes on to say that people have to search what is meaningful for them. Sure I'd like the answers to life but I don't have them and neither does anyone else, we're all doing the best in this life thing, whatever it might be.

Answer 12

It spares them the horror of looking into the abyss.

Life is a virus, clinging to a ball of mud, suspended in an endless void.

It has no meaning save what we chose to impose upon it.

Have a nice day.