If nothing is guaranteed to matter, what makes something worth caring about?

[u/MarionberryEast9136]

​

I’ve been trying to understand existentialism, and one thing I keep coming back to is the idea that maybe life doesn’t come with a meaning that we’re supposed to discover.

But if that’s true, I’m wondering where we draw the line between “creating your own meaning” and simply deciding that something matters because we want it to.

For example, if someone finds meaning in their relationships, work, art, helping others, or even just enjoying ordinary moments, is that meaning something real or is it something we create to make life feel meaningful?

I’d genuinely like to hear how other people understand this, especially if you disagree with the idea.

[u/From_Deep_Space]

Meaning does not exist objectively, independently of conscious minds.

Meaning is something that conscious minds synthesize from the absurd universe. 

But you dont get to decide how your mind does the synthesizing. You have some control over your mind and your attitudes, but so much of it is decided before you are born.

Finding meaning in life is a process of figuring out what makes sense for you. It is a highly individual, intuitive, vibes-based process.

[u/New-Evening-3510 → u/From_Deep_Space]

Agreed

[u/Salmon-of-Wizdom]

Without inherent meaning all meaning is subjective and created by the person who finds meaning in something. Part of the argument of Existentialism is that for everyone who has ever or does or will exist that statement is true. Accepting it doesn't actually change anything; it only changes your viewpoint. 

So all meaning continues to be exactly as real as it always was, but now you aren't obligated to find the objectively correct meaning. 

[u/Majestic-Horse-5409]

It’s real to them.

You have things you find important and that matter to you as an individual. It doesn’t make any difference what others think, these things are important to you.

So, you explore yourself and understand what you think are the important ways of living and live in accordance with those values.

We don’t create it like we are pretending it’s meaningful, IT IS meaningful to us as an individual.

[u/Xercies_jday]

Generally it's emotions and "pleasure" that makes us feel something is meaningful. When you have a good relationship, or do something at work, or enjoy that meaningful moment, you are generally getting a pleasurable response from it.

[u/Wild_Front_1148]

Life's pretty dope. Imagine your friend showing you his Minecraft world that you don't really see the point of, yet you must agree the things he made seem pretty cool. He made some pretty buildings and fascinating farms.

Now he deletes the world.

What remains? The meaning. It was not there inherently, Minecraft is utterly pointless, especially after deleting the world. Yet you saw some value in it and your friend even more.

Your life is a pointless Minecraft world and it will be deleted upon your death. From your perspective, even the player and his friend are deleted. Nothing remains. Your friend had fun building the pretty buildings, figuring out which designs work and which don't. He had fun researching and building farms. So build stuff, research farms. You can really only choose between playing and not playing. Yes it is pointless, but the zombies are coming so you should start working on your dirt house.

[u/ToughAd7291 → u/Wild_Front_1148]

The meaning was left behind? Maybe it was just there and you happen to stumble across it. That means you didn’t make it. The OP is asking about meaning making.

[u/Scott_J_Doyle]

Values - it's a simple as you value the things/experiences/people you value, your values are at the root of potential meaning making

You can't just "declare it because you want to" because you can't fool your subconscious value-system (only influence or condition it)

[u/sainathsanga]

Transcendence onto cosmic superpower is recommended by Kierkegaard, Rank and other psychoanalysts. Ernest Becker gives a good explanation in his book Denial of death.

[u/AffectionateYak9677 → u/sainathsanga]

This 👆🏻

[u/SeaGiraffe7489]

It comes with meaning we create, and define with our own things we use to measure what matters. Life has a basic crude purpose which is the procreation of new life, from there we get to freely choose or paths which individual purposes, societal purposes, and so forth form. These typically die off and aren’t life purposes, just having a purpose with your life at the time.

Life is too simple for existentialism to ruin for no reason.

[u/No-Hospital-3900]

Existentialism: There is no meaning and purpose to our existence.

Options:
1. Deny this concept and believe there is a meaning, so you keep doing things because they have perceived purpose to you (ideally not others) or things are done to you and you live life this way. Some things you enjoy, some things you don’t. You may change your mind and decide there isn’t in fact a meaning/purpose, but it doesn’t matter. Then you die. Everything’s groovy.

1. Accept this and experience life as it happens or you make it happen without perceived purpose and you live life this way. Some things you enjoy, some things you don’t. You may change your mind and decide there is a meaning/purpose and that it does matter. Then you die. Everything’s groovy.

2. Don’t decide to accept or deny. Keep guessing whether there is meaning or not and live life this way. Some things you enjoy, some things you don’t. You may change your mind and decide to accept or deny whether there is a meaning. Does it matter? Then you die. Everything’s groovy.

I myself switch between these 3 options on a weekly basis. Which I don’t think matters… or does it… ?

[u/Optimal_Homework_558]

Does other animals and living organisms have a specific meaning? Why should we be different. They just exist and reproduce, wheel of evolution. We are kind of cursed to wonder our meaning when we are just part of the same nature's beautiful mess.

[u/Conquering_Worms → u/Optimal_Homework_558]

Yup, we are all animals…but rather than a curse, I think it’s cool we’re able to contemplate these types of questions (like meaning). I like the idea/thought that we are the universe looking back at itself.

[u/Essa_Zaben]

"The meaning of life is that it ends." ~Kafka... Let that sink in for a minute.

[u/SmoothDistribution11]

When you ask "is that meaning something real?", I'd pay attention to the word "real." To the person who cares about something, the meaning is real. Outside a human context it isn't there at all, the same way events that have nothing to do with us carry no meaning for us. IMO, context drives meaning, not the reverse. So "created" and "real" aren't opposites.

I also think the search for a purpose of life, and a lot of religion, grows out of our inability to grasp death or picture a world without us in it. Everything we understand about life comes through our own existence and experience, so we can't really comprehend something we have no reference for.

That's why we want our time here to mean something: if we're not here forever, we need to find a point in it for ourselves. I’m not sure if we’d be this fixated on meaning if we couldn’t see the end.

[u/JohnVonachen]

Consciousness is what makes things valuable. This is why people are so obsessed with sex. Because without sex (the evolutionary mechanism of crossover) evolution would have taken far too long.

So existentialism assumes the non-existance of an objective value, which I don't agree with. Consciousness is objective value.

[u/cyt0kinetic → u/JohnVonachen]

Value and meaning aren't the same thing, what core objective truth do you think consciousness is assigned to? Existentialists are all about subjective experience aka consciousness.

[u/q1field]

is that meaning real or is it something else we create to make life feel meaningful

It's both. Reality is defined by what we can sense. At the same time, we're genetically programmed to keep moving and stay busy.

Objective meaning is continuum. Subjective meaning is whatever keeps you here long enough to contribute to it.

[u/Southern_Classic6027]

I question the whole idea that we create meaning in a conscious, intentional sense. We're born into a web of symbols, and caring is inherent to most most of humanity. We can't step outside of it, even when we realise it's an "illusion." You care because you're stuck caring.

Even with art, it's meaning is trapped within a changing web of significance. The artist finds the meaning in the creation of it, rather than having some pre-composed meaning then slapped onto the art. And it's cultural significance and interpretation is constantly shifting.

[u/NowUKnowMe121]

Purpose. Emotions. Experiences are real, if it matters or not.

Truly nothing matter as nothing rrally exists.

What matters is what meaning you can g8ve to your present.

If you give negative, it will turn negativr.

If you give positive, it will give you positive.

Got it?

What matters is here and now.

[u/Haleofaguy]

A central meaning isn’t necessary for isolated purpose or passion. The finger is no less real than the hand, even if they are connected and have different purposes and perceptions

[u/Cyberfury]

I’ve been trying to understand existentialism..

Your main folly. RIGHT THERE. ;;)

[u/SnugglyCoderGuy]

That's up for you to decide for yourself.

“creating your own meaning” and simply deciding that something matters because we want it to.

Different words, same thing.

is that meaning something real or is it something we create to make life feel meaningful?

It's both. It is real to that person and it is also something they created that makes life feel meaningful.

What do you mean by your use of the words "Is that meaning something real?"

[u/TJ_Fox]

Meaning is inherently subjective; what would be the advantage in drawing a line between creating your own meaning and deciding that something matters because we want it to? I think those amount to the same thing, and they're simply the basic state of things in a naturalistic universe that doesn't impose/offer some kind of objective meaning.

I find the act of throwing a stone into a pond or river to be highly meaningful, because I've invested it with symbolic importance; to me, the symbolism stands for real, important things such as mortality, agency and legacy. To another person who hasn't made that effort of investment, it's a meaningless action. The investment of meaning itself is the difference.

[u/Clear_Age4536]

Igual la respuesta nos la da Víctor Frankl... cuando dejamos de esperar que la vida nos dé la clave y dejamos de ponernos en el centro para recibir algo de ella, sino que aceptamos lo que viene y nos planteamos qué podemos darle a la vida para responder a sus "desafíos" entonces puede que aparezca el sentido... No creo que haya un sentido como finalidad...sino que le vamos dando sentido a la vida conforme transcurre y respondemos atendiendo a lo que se nos presenta y necesita nuestra atención/ participación/. intervención...Un saludo

[u/Current_Ad_9912]

Care about the suffering in yourself and others.

Try to minimize it. Because we’re here. All suffering ends when we die that we know of, so while we’re forced to feel it until then, I mean, whatever you can do to minimize it in yourself and others

Make life worth experiencing for the next wave of people

[u/GoopDuJour]

Things matter to people. Life (it seems) doesn't matter to the universe. It can't, unless the universe can care.

People, by there very nature, have thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc., so things matter to people in that sense.

Does life has a purpose? Is there some plan that requires life? I tend to think not.

[u/termicky]

Meaning is mostly self-generated, although of course it gets a lot of its structure from our culture.

I don't think I decide rationally that something matters. I don't think it comes from the prefrontal cortex. I think something matters to me because it it sparks a feeling.

Feelings tell us what matter. They give valence and weight to data. Without them, we're just computational.

[u/OldDB2]

The caring itself is what matters.

[u/Substantial-Key698]

For the reason that we aren’t a physical being having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a physical experience. And because we are not alive for much, much longer than we are alive, our existence on this physical plane is a novelty to us. It allows us to have experiences that we cannot have otherwise and cannot have in other planes of existence. That is why even though your entire life here can’t be wine and roses, the fact that you are alive to experience the whole gamut of emotions makes this a memorable experience

[u/WHWallace]

You watch and become invested in movies and TV shows even though you know they aren't real. We're doing the same thing with meaning. I don't think it's an issue or depressing in any way.

[u/edchikel1]

You give meaning to the life you live on earth.

[u/codylthomas]

Meaning is inherently subjective. So go make your own meaning. No one else can take that from you or define it for you.

[u/Significant_Leave405]

Something is worth caring about simply because you care about it

[u/ToughAd7291]

I think I can second that question because it is interesting to find out actually but I doubt that we can come to an answer and uh yeah.. maybe it would end up somewhere along the lines of politics and stupidity or something

[u/Essa_Zaben]

If nothing of what we do matters, then all that matters is what we do. It don't stop till the casket drop.