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Ask HN: What is the ultimate meaning of life?

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11–20 of 45 posts

Re: Ask HN: What is the ultimate meaning of life?

#11

To achieve the greatest duration of positive harmonics represented anthropocentrically through harmonious works, i.e. creating the most playtime for others to progress in their own extension of the natural harmonic ordering of the universe. This is achieved through the mastery of self-control gained during the experience of wisdom or enlightenment (the self-reliant demonstration of one's growth in knowledge). This wi…

What do you mean by "harmonics"?

Re: Ask HN: What is the ultimate meaning of life?

#12

To achieve the greatest duration of positive harmonics represented anthropocentrically through harmonious works, i.e. creating the most playtime for others to progress in their own extension of the natural harmonic ordering of the universe. This is achieved through the mastery of self-control gained during the experience of wisdom or enlightenment (the self-reliant demonstration of one's growth in knowledge). This wi…

What do you mean by "harmonics"?

I mean a self-certain integral circular motion which presupposes necessary agreement with itself (its relation to every position of its continuum of movement) and therefore has the potential for mechanical extension of its unity or "oneness" with other harmonies - in other words, positively amplified resonance.

Re: Ask HN: What is the ultimate meaning of life?

#16
The mystics agree (most of 'em anyway) that whatever it is, it is real and it can be personally experienced. In my case the sense that _something is wrong_ and there was something missing - maybe some piece of secret knowledge - went away. Life became "complete." Questions that had nagged for years sort of dissolved: they weren't answered, but there was no impulse to ask or discomfort from not knowing.

The overall effect is very much like "knowing the meaning of life" although the implementation is a lot more "I no longer care whether life has a meaning or not. Whatever this is this is fine."

Hard to describe the "no longer needing an answer" - it is a very distinct thing. Not at all the same as having the question answered.

Re: Ask HN: What is the ultimate meaning of life?

#17

To know God, and His son Jesus, whom He sent. - John 17:3 Reading the Bible is a good place to start.

“To glorify God and enjoy Him forever” - The Westminster Shorter Catechism.

Either God exists or He doesn’t. Your decision about which part of that statement is true, can only be taken by faith. No logical proof can convince you of either.

Re: Ask HN: What is the ultimate meaning of life?

#19
It's about death. Often we avoid finding the meaning of death because it's an unpleasant thing to face, but there's no life without death. Once you find the meaning of death, you find the meaning of life.

So what does death mean to you? There's lots of frameworks for this, pick one that fits.

In the past, we had bushido, chivalry, martyrdom, Valhalla, and that the best way to die was in battle. You don't need faith for this, but it helps. But going into battle and having like a 50% chance of death, that's one way to be in full control of your life. You could say that dying to prevent your kin from being looted and tortured, that's as meaningful as it got.

Some people believe that we're all waves in the same ocean. I believe it might have been Seneca but there's also a few others. We're just a collection of energy. An ant is not sentient, but ant colony has the complexity and possible sentience. But it's just a bundle of energy, a system that manages energy.

Our bodies are similar. Farms are like power plants, they convert energy from one form into another that's broken down by humans, for the cells. And humans convert that energy into something else. Humans build cities and rockets. Cells build humans. We're part of a system in a way that cells are part of us. A city holds a form of sentience, probably similar to an ant colony, but different to humans and animals. And so when we die, our energy is just returned to the universe, recycled by other little animals. Some people think your consciousness can be reincarnated as animals, but what if you can be reincarnated as a city? Who knows how this consciousness thing works? But if you want to find out about that, listen to stories from people who have nearly or temporarily died or those who had a stroke and had their brain totally break apart. They're surprisingly consistent.

For some, death is the afterlife. God and Karma give us a KPI and our role, as humans, is to meet it as best we can. God, being omniscient, knows the right things to put in that KPI, so all we do is just serve God fully. You'd trust that God is smarter and knows what's best for you. Humility is a prerequisite, where people finally admit that they don't know and ask for a higher power to guide them.

Anyway, this is just an example of how far you can get when you flip the question around and ask what the meaning of death is.

Re: Ask HN: What is the ultimate meaning of life?

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean by "harmonics"?

I mean a self-certain integral circular motion which presupposes necessary agreement with itself (its relation to every position of its continuum of movement) and therefore has the potential for mechanical extension of its unity or "oneness" with other harmonies - in other words, positively amplified resonance.

Well, we know what harmonics are like. Harmonics of say, words/poetry, is when a conversation seems to mesh well and people are completing each other's thoughts to a certain rhythm. But what's anthropocentric harmony like?
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