Meaningless Life or Die as Meaningful Death

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Chandni Desai Would you rather live a meaningless life or die a meaningful death? The meaning of life is the purpose of life, and each person has a certain role to play in the achievement of that purpose. Living a meaningful life is fulfilling that role, whether it be converting the heathens, or washing the dishes of those who convert the heathens. To many it has seemed increasingly doubtful that there is some greater purpose ordained for us. And even if there were some greater purpose ordained for us, it would not follow that our lives were made meaningful by carrying it out. Suppose it turned out that we were created by a bored and somewhat perverse deity, purely for her own amusement However, people do not often lead a single-minded life, the meaningfulness of which hinge on the achievement of some single goal, or focuses on some single other person. Our lives tend to be much more layered, or web-like. This layering makes good sense from the point of view of meaning: It serves to protect meaning against contingency. Failure in one realm need not disrupt the structure of the whole life. Of course, no amount of layering can guarantee protection against alienating disruption. For some, loss or acquisition of belief in God might have this effect. Layering of one’s life concerns, rather than single-mindedness, has the advantage of allowing one to examine one’s life concerns objectively and comfortably, without the immediate risk of alienation from one’s life. Meaningfulness” is a normative concept in the right circumstances, and, to people in those circumstances, it should be something inherently attractive. My normative conditions might be summarized by saying that you live a meaningful life when you enjoy your life, it makes a difference, and you believe in it. This does seem inherently attractive. Leading a meaningful
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