Re: Martin Fowler and the meaning of life

[Sethomas]

I posted a very similar thread to this probably about a year ago when I discovered Camus, but times change and so have I. I want to hear your thoughts.

Fartin made a comment about how futile it is to just think too goddamn much, as I'm wont to do. I've been at every corner of the existential spectrum, from blind acceptance of life's value in se et per se to crumbling in self-loathing for my having yet to end my one of billions of pointless lives in light of the fact that all life is pointless. When I dangle in the middle, I've often talked to perennial residents of each part of that spectrum. I ask the one "why keep going?" and the other "what the fuck is wrong with you?"

I think that the question is only really substantive if one doesn't consider the possibility of an afterlife. Right now I believe in a positive afterlife for those who earn it, although I make no claim to understanding its means. As for hell, I think that oblivion is punishment enough. Augustine defined evil as the privation of good, and I think that it's enough for evil souls enough to exist only long enough to highlight the good of others rather than necessitating an infinite expanse of time in excruciating physical pain.

That was a tangent, but what I was saying is that there's a certain integrity to living life as we do without expect of reward or fear of punishment. Or, alternately, the fear of perdition versus the reward of paradise should cancel each other out to require a fundamental internal reason for continuing in life. In the Book of Psalms heaven was promised as a balance for "this vale of tears"; the back of my book proposes my theory as a justification for "the stochastic fumbling of being and nothingness." But to assume nothing to existence but a lachrymose jumble of space and particles, why bother?

Kurt Vonnegut answered this question by saying that it was curiosity that put him through all these years. Despite Emerson's warning that imitation is suicide, I tend to fall in this line. If life is all we have, I may as well see what all I can get from it. I loathe philosophically-grounded egoism, but that is in fact the logical extension of nihilism. I would love to live for others, but I realize the irrationality of that. It's of little point to avoid hurting others with your departure if their equally pointless lives will end in a geological microsecond, isn't it?

So, I write this in a good time in my life when I have a wonderful significant other, a functional mental chemistry, and what's probably an irrational optimism for my own future. So, I figure, why not see what's next?

In that thread, what works for you guys?

[FartinMowler]

It's almost as though you think I know what the meaning of life is :/

In the movie Judge Dredd (1995):

* Warden Miller: So tell me, Rico, what is the meaning of life?
* Rico: It ends.


wouldn't it be ironic if I'm the one that someday explains all the answers to you

[DehydratedPorkMan]

Watch the movie Pi.

Loosely translated because my DVD player is broken:
"I named him Icarus, after you. You fly too high. If you keep thinking too hard you'll get burned."

It's something like that.

Going off on a tangent, too, but you mentioned it as well. I have a pessimistic view on heaven and hell and it's pretty basic. Because I'm bi-polar, I believe that your struggle through life is hell and when you die, your eternal peace is your heaven. Nobody I told that to has ever been happy about the view.

[kahljorn]

I'm going to not respond to seth cause he kind of said everything I would've already said
I think it's gay when people associate the meaning of life as, "GOING OUT TO PARTIES AND DRINKING WITH FRIEESESDNS LIVING LIFE THE WAY ITS MEANT TO BE LIVED IN SOCIAL CIRCLES BECOMING THE TOP OF THE SOCIAL HIERARCHY YAYAYAYA"
I mean what do you do Fartin Mowler that involves living life so much?

Don't many authors and poets end up KILLING THEMSELVES? There's plenty of poets and authors who have shitty lives and they end up being so shitty because they "Live life too much". Look at Bukowski. Any author or poet who acts like they enjoy being miserable is a liar. That's partly how you can tell a GOOD writer from a BAD writer when the characters feelings are actually appropriate to a situation.
I mean seriously it's not like EVERY poet and author has THE MOST INTERESTING LIVES EVER or something ;/

I think that regardless of if you are having intellectual studies or going out drinking with friends and making funy jokes that everyone laughs at you're still "Alive" and "Living life". I would say that INTELLECTUALISM created your ability to drink and make funny jokes with friends (language right) and everything you know and love and feel comfortable about in life was created by intellectualism. It's kind of dumb to insult people who read books when it's usually them who end up improving life.

[FartinMowler]

I mean what do you do Fartin Mowler that involves living life so much?

still havn't a sense of humour even though you know the world around you is somewhat doomed Men like Oppenheimer thought to much :/

[kahljorn]

You didn't answer my question.

"created your ability to drink and make funny jokes with friends" I also said that. I guess you think making funny jokes and laughing is what living life is all about.

Also I do have a sense of humor sorry if my "Sense of humor" doesn't mean that I make everything in life a joke even the things that dont have to be, but then I don't really understand what you're saying. I guess that's not GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOUR HIGHFLYING FREELIFELIVING experiences.

Plus don't act like it's all a joke then afterwards follow it up by saying, "PEOPLE LIKE OPENHOUSEHEIMER THOUGHT TOO MUCH SERIOUSLY".

I think it's funny that whenever people talk about the meaning of life or "LIving life" they always do it by talking about what they think they're good at.

I think "Living life" might mean a bit more than being able to laugh when things go wrong. I mean, that's nice and all, but there's alot more. Like, for example, if you want to um i dont know live life and you were a caveman or a villager you'd have to go out and kill pigs or pick berries that's not a joke i don't think they were laughing about it, maybe afterwards but still that was laughter in the expediecy of the moment because the actions required to remain alive had already taken place and they could relax and laugh.

[FartinMowler]

"created your ability to drink and make funny jokes with friends" I also said that. I guess you think making funny jokes and laughing is what living life is all about.

How did you get that from

I don't respect people that don't take the time to understand that the true poets and authors lived life to explain life not bitch and moan.

I think it's funny that whenever people talk about the meaning of life or "LIving life" they always do it by talking about what they think they're good at

this is a fun read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_of_life

[ArrowX]

How bout don't think about it, it wont matter to you because your DEAD. Its like Going to sleep except like a billion times more nonexistent.

[kahljorn]

"I mean what do you do Fartin Mowler that involves living life so much?"

"still havn't a sense of humour even though you know the world around you is somewhat doomed"

I don't see what seth "Bitching and moaning" has to do with cosmological arguments intended to explain the universe ;/
I guess I should be saying:
"How did you get that from that?"

[kahljorn]

the reason I assumed you were talking about funny jokes is because you've done this "YOURE OVERTHINKING" thing too much allong side the, "YOU'RE A STUFFY INTELLECTUAL GET OUT AND LIVE LIFE" thing as well and it always ends up in you making a bunch of jokes and showing how "Carefree" you are.

[FartinMowler]

why do you use caps?

I'm not carefree, of course I get stressed about the simplest things in life that matter, not things I can't have any possible control over.

[kahljorn]

I almost always use caps when I'm trying to overexagerate.

[FartinMowler]

CHICAGO (AFP) - The world is inching closer to nuclear Armageddon, a group of prominent scientists and security experts said.
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The United States rejects a series of arms control treaties and announces it will withdraw from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Terrorists seek to acquire and use nuclear and biological weapons.

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- 1995: Fourteen minutes to midnight

Further arms reductions stall while global military spending continues at Cold War levels. Risks of nuclear "leakage" from poorly guarded former Soviet facilities increase.

- 1991: Seventeen minutes to midnight

The United States and the Soviet Union sign the long-stalled Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and announce further unilateral cuts in tactical and strategic nuclear weapons.

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The Cold War ends as the Iron Curtain falls.

- 1988: Six minutes to midnight

The United States and the Soviet Union sign a treaty to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear forces; superpower relations improve; more nations actively oppose nuclear weapons.

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SALT talks reach an impasse; India develops a nuclear weapon.

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The United States and the Soviet Union sign the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

- 1969: Ten minutes to midnight

The US Senate ratifies the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

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France and China acquire nuclear weapons; wars rage in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and Vietnam; world military spending increases while development funds shrink.

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I'm going to a band practice today and hope I do well

[kahljorn]

Don't overthink it :0

[Grislygus]

Personally, I think that we're just going into another terrifying Cold War. (Call me an optimist.)

[FartinMowler]

I remember when the band Rush came out with there album Grace under pressure and it really had me freaked out. I used to have nightmares about shit like that back in the early eighties and look what happened to him.

Distant Early Warning
------- ----- -------
An ill wind comes arising
Across the cities of the plain
There's no swimming in the heavy water --
No singing in the acid rain
Red alert
Red alert

It's so hard to stay together
Passing through revolving doors
We need someone to talk to
And someone to sweep the floors --
Incomplete
Incomplete

The world weighs on my shoulders
But what am I to do?
you sometimes drive me crazy --
But I worry about you

I know it makes on difference
To what you're going through
But I see the tip of the iceberg --
And I worry about you...

Cruising under your radar
Watching from satellites
Take a page from the red book --
Keep them in your sights
Red alert
Red alert

Left and rights of passage
Black and whites of youth
Who can face the knowledge
That the truth is not the truth?
Obsolete
Absolute

On August 10, 1997, Peart's daughter and only child, 19-year-old Selena Taylor, was killed in a single-car accident somewhere between Ottawa and Toronto. His common-law wife of 22 years, Jaqueline Taylor, succumbed to cancer only 10 months later on June 20, 1998. Peart, however, maintains that her death was the result of a "broken heart" and called it "a slow suicide by apathy. She just didn't care." [1]

[kahljorn]

FARTIN MOWLER AND THE MEANING OF LIFE:

Fartin Mowler and his partner Mr. Will Graham are heading to what might be the most difficult case in their lives.

Mr. Will Graham (sitting in the passenger seat)

I had a dream last night that I’m walking past a huge group of people protesting global warming, and as I walk by I let out a fart

Fartin Mowler

And good a morning to you, what kind of fart?

Mr. Will Graham

Not a wet fart (pauses and clenches his ass) it was a really perfect sounding fart, like a French horn

Fartin Mowler (does a funky black guy voice)

I like the French horn, if I was going to mix a cool song I would have French horn and some hot black chicks dancing in my video

Mr.Will Graham

Then…(rolls his eyes) less than a few feet away there sits a sweet old lady in a bright yellow rain coat giggling and she looks like she’s trying to clench her ass and does the spontaneous combustion thing.

Fartin Mowler (unclenches his ass)

People don’t just combust

Mr. Will Graham (raises his voice really loud starts using his hands wildy to explain how scary his dream was)

Protesters then start running over and beating the old lady trying to put her out but it’s no good, she explodes with a rain of plastic rain coat and body pieces landing everywhere lighting the protesters on fire

Fartin Mowler (hearing the call on the radio Fartin drives even faster)

So it’s an Irony thing?

Mr. Wil Graham (hands are still up in the air from his wild out burst of emotion)

(To be continued)

http://www.i-mockery.net/viewtopic.php?t=24782

[Sethomas]

Sorry for the bump, but I decided to make this a YouTube challenge because I want to be online popular and shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saFMfd10tNg

[FartinMowler]

Thank goodness for your tangents and irrational optimism.

[theapportioner]

I think the question is so hopelessly confused it's meaningless.

[Sethomas]

Then why not admit defeat and kill oneself? That's what it's all about, isn't it? Or are you saying there's a better question to be asked?

[FartinMowler]

It's not a question...the meaning of life is finding meaning to your life

[Sethomas]

Or, as Sartre said, "existence precedes essence". That's the crux of Existentialism. But does that mean that if we find no essence/meaning, we should feel liberated to call it quits?

[FartinMowler]

Do your farts smell better than mine?

[Cosmo Electrolux]

This is the best thread ever....EVER!