Serenity is the feeling that nothing is a waste of time

[Jaded Sage]

they're misguided. perhaps, they're simply projecting. a sort of confirmation bias.

That is a disappointingly dogmatic view, my friend.

[alpha]

they're misguided. perhaps, they're simply projecting. a sort of confirmation bias.

That is a disappointingly dogmatic view, my friend.

i don't see you offering any real explanations or evidence.

[Jaded Sage]

if i understand you correctly, you're saying that those who feel that life is meaningful, are in a state of serenity?

By this definition: I am not saying that all those who feel life is meaningful are serene, but all those who are serene feel life is meaningful.

No definitely not.

True serenity is only held by those that except the truth of meaninglessness.
There is no serenity in the delusion that one's life has meaning.

Sorry. I didn't see your post.

How do you account for the fact that people, like myself, have experienced the type of feeling described: serenity, as a sense that nothing is a waste of time?

[alpha]

How do you account for the fact that people, like myself, have experienced the type of feeling described: serenity, as a sense that nothing is a waste of time?

allow me; it's merely an illusion. sorry to burst your wonderful bubble.

[Jaded Sage]

If he says the same thing I'm gonna be disappointed. In philosophy, we try to rid and guard ourselves against dogmatic thinking.

[Hobbes' Choice]

i actually disagree with both of you (jaded & hobbes) on this issue. i believe that serenity should be wanting meaningfulness, and feeling it, but only when it truly and clearly exists. all other scenarios have nothing to do with serenity.

But it does not. And the only people who are truly serene accept the reality of their relationship to the rest of the universe.

Pretending that you are important in the face of the universe can only lead to angst and disappointment. Obviously.

[alpha]

But it does not. And the only people who are truly serene accept the reality of their relationship to the rest of the universe.

Pretending that you are important in the face of the universe can only lead to angst and disappointment. Obviously.

are you saying that one should be happy that life is meaningless?

[Hobbes' Choice]

But it does not. And the only people who are truly serene accept the reality of their relationship to the rest of the universe.

Pretending that you are important in the face of the universe can only lead to angst and disappointment. Obviously.

are you saying that one should be happy that life is meaningless?

no.

I'd not mentioned happiness at all.

If life has meaning then death is a disappointment and at odds with serenity.
To die in serenity means letting go.

[alpha]

no.

I'd not mentioned happiness at all.

If life has meaning then death is a disappointment and at odds with serenity.
To die in serenity means letting go.

i do see death as serenity, or deliverance, but your statement is still false. life can have meaning without making death a disappointment. in a life that has meaning, death can be a part of the cycle, and only transports the person to another life, a higher, more serene and pleasurable one. i'm not saying this is the case, just that it's theoretically possible.

[Jaded Sage]

This was so close to being actual philosophy.

Can I be brutally honest? I'd be embrassed to put thoughts like this on the internet. It's a cowardly thing to run away from a point. At least one of you tried.

[alpha]

This was so close to being actual philosophy.

Can I be brutally honest? I'd be embrassed to put thoughts like this on the internet. It's a cowardly thing to run away from a point. At least one of you tried.

it's ok, sage, you did your best too.

[Hobbes' Choice]

no.

I'd not mentioned happiness at all.

If life has meaning then death is a disappointment and at odds with serenity.
To die in serenity means letting go.

i do see death as serenity, or deliverance, but your statement is still false. life can have meaning without making death a disappointment. in a life that has meaning, death can be a part of the cycle, and only transports the person to another life, a higher, more serene and pleasurable one. i'm not saying this is the case, just that it's theoretically possible.

Bullshit. You don't know the meaning of death. You're just delusional. If serenity is delusion then you have it.

[Hobbes' Choice]

This was so close to being actual philosophy.

Can I be brutally honest? I'd be embrassed to put thoughts like this on the internet. It's a cowardly thing to run away from a point. At least one of you tried.

I've said all there needs to be said.

Serenity is to realise that every moment is meaningless. And time is not a quantity that has any value capable of being wasted.
There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on every beach on the earth. Your life means nothing and, each moment means less.

And every Buddhist would ultimately agree.

To pretend anything more is pure arrogance and hybris.

[alpha]

Bullshit. You don't know the meaning of death.

and i suppose you do? tell me, how many times have you died?


You're just delusional. If serenity is delusion then you have it.

[Lacewing]

I think the OP was thought-provoking... even though I got lost in some of the responses.

I have heard that serenity is the feeling that nothing is a waste of time.

That works. It shows acceptance and appreciation of the moment, whatever that moment is.

When people ask about the meaninglessness of life are they really asking about the unhappiness of their own lives?

In most cases, I'm guessing yes.

There are various reasons for talking about "meaninglessness". People who think that life is supposed to have all kinds of specific meaning, might equate "meaninglessness" with "emptiness" (and I think most people fall into this category). They might think that if you're not chasing after something or believing in something in particular, your life is void of meaning. Whereas there are those who are very content NOT assigning meaning to things -- rather, just watching things pass by like clouds, or interacting without expectations. Then there are those who believe that EVERYTHING has meaning/value/connectivity in this Earth realm, and that might make life feel magical.

I think the only meaning is what we "make up". I can have fun with that... or I can set it aside. I don't think that meaning is necessary for happiness. But, I see VALUE in everything, for now. And I'm happy with that.

Perhaps people who don't see any value... try to shift focus away from their responsibility by saying something is meaningless... when actually there is nothing wrong with meaninglessness... and it's instead the person who is deficient in finding value in whatever comes along.