I saw a church sign today

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Your significance is the story that is tied to you. Every issue you have overcome, or failed to overcome is part of what you embody in your significance. We are all significant because we have all lived our life, we have met challenges and survived. We signify the survival of a species, the survival of ideas, some of us signify the passing of the torch to the next generation... some of us signify the society of today, with little or no "family" to speak of.

We are neon signs, blinking across a desolate void all of us signifying that somehow, a weird combination of chemicals and reactions survives and thrives in an inhospitable universe... that despite our best attempts to wipe ourselves out... Life continues on.

We may never have a sign that is huge and visible for miles, we may never have a sign that has our name as Stars in the Next Big Thing... but each of our little signs mark an amazing accomplishment, we may never have peace in the Middle East, or Universal Health Care, or Legal Pot, or Gay Marriage... but we have Life.

And that's a pretty significant thing.

*scratches head*

Personally I think the gift of life itself is meaningless. It is what you do with it that makes a mark.

We all do something with it, and our significance is tied to what we do. Significance isn't necessarily good or positive... Its kind of like the BiP, its not just made of the Good experiences, or the Bad experiences... not just the Positive influences or the Negative influences... but its all those taken together.

So Ted Bundy holds the same significance as Albert Einstein?

No moreso that a neon Budweiser sign and a giant 30' Casino sign hold the same significance. Ted Bundy holds the same significance as Ted Bundy and Albert Einstein holds the same significance as Albert Einstein.

Ted Bundy isn't non-significant... just ask any of the families of his victims what was more significant in their lives... him or the theory that energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared.

[Adios]

Your significance is the story that is tied to you. Every issue you have overcome, or failed to overcome is part of what you embody in your significance. We are all significant because we have all lived our life, we have met challenges and survived. We signify the survival of a species, the survival of ideas, some of us signify the passing of the torch to the next generation... some of us signify the society of today, with little or no "family" to speak of.

We are neon signs, blinking across a desolate void all of us signifying that somehow, a weird combination of chemicals and reactions survives and thrives in an inhospitable universe... that despite our best attempts to wipe ourselves out... Life continues on.

We may never have a sign that is huge and visible for miles, we may never have a sign that has our name as Stars in the Next Big Thing... but each of our little signs mark an amazing accomplishment, we may never have peace in the Middle East, or Universal Health Care, or Legal Pot, or Gay Marriage... but we have Life.

And that's a pretty significant thing.

*scratches head*

Personally I think the gift of life itself is meaningless. It is what you do with it that makes a mark.

We all do something with it, and our significance is tied to what we do. Significance isn't necessarily good or positive... Its kind of like the BiP, its not just made of the Good experiences, or the Bad experiences... not just the Positive influences or the Negative influences... but its all those taken together.

So Ted Bundy holds the same significance as Albert Einstein?

No moreso that a neon Budweiser sign and a giant 30' Casino sign hold the same significance. Ted Bundy holds the same significance as Ted Bundy and Albert Einstein holds the same significance as Albert Einstein.

Ted Bundy isn't non-significant... just ask any of the families of his victims what was more significant in their lives... him or the theory that energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared.

*backs away*

[LMNO]

Rat, I know you don't care, but I just wanted to point out that you're shifting levels of subjectivity in mid-sentence.  It coheres grammatically, but basically talks past itself and makes no real sense.

[Adios]

Rat, I know you don't care, but I just wanted to point out that you're shifting levels of subjectivity in mid-sentence.  It coheres grammatically, but basically talks past itself and makes no real sense.

Thanks, I couldn't make my brain work good enough to articulate that.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Rat, I know you don't care, but I just wanted to point out that you're shifting levels of subjectivity in mid-sentence.  It coheres grammatically, but basically talks past itself and makes no real sense.

I do care... but I'm not sure I understand the point you're making.

I'll try to rephrase:

Significance is a signifier... the meaning of a sign. The significance of an individual human (the meaning tied to that human) is, IMO, the life that they lead, the experiences they have, the choices they make.

Ted Bundy and Albert Einstein then are both humans and both have meaning tied to them (significance). Einstein's significance is not merely in his scientific work, but his whole life. Ted Bundy's  significance is not only his acts of murder, but his whole life. Each of their lives holds significance.

Significance isn't equal among individuals, no moreso than a BiP is equal among individuals, nor is it specifically positive or negative.

Is that less unclear?

[Adios]

Yes, thanks.

[LMNO]

Wait... Doesn't that merely redefine "significance" as "existence"?

The existence of an individual human (the meaning tied to that human) is, IMO, the life that they lead, the experiences they have, the choices they make.

Ted Bundy and Albert Einstein then are both humans and both have meaning tied to them (existence). Einstein's existence is not merely in his scientific work, but his whole life. Ted Bundy's existence is not only his acts of murder, but his whole life. Each of their lives holds existence.

[Adios]

I am going to try to enter this conversation. My brain right now is struggling with abstract subjects, si if I say something stupid, point it out and I will try to correct it.



I am not a great man and I will not be remembered past the current family generation. Any significance attached to me will be found in the ones I leave behind who I have touched. The ripples of any influence that I have left on them will be displayed decades from now.
Essentially this means that my personal significance will never be known to me.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Wait... Doesn't that merely redefine "significance" as "existence"?

How about "Our unique existence is what we as individuals signify"...

The question seems similar to "what is the meaning of life?" 'Meaning' indicates that there is some defined purpose... significance, on the other hand, doesn't necessarily require purpose. There may be no purpose to life, but in living we create significance through our existence.

I am going to try to enter this conversation. My brain right now is struggling with abstract subjects, si if I say something stupid, point it out and I will try to correct it.



I am not a great man and I will not be remembered past the current family generation. Any significance attached to me will be found in the ones I leave behind who I have touched. The ripples of any influence that I have left on them will be displayed decades from now.
Essentially this means that my personal significance will never be known to me.

Wow Charley, looks like your brain is doing better than struggling!

I think that's a very interesting point. I think we can understand some of our personal significance. You know what you signify to your wife currently, what you signify to your family, what you signify to the weirdos here on PD.com... but I agree with you that the full import, the entire significance of our lives aren't known until we're dead.

Hell, think about Lucy, she died thousands of years ago and her significance was maybe nothing more than a female that could pop out babies and pick yummy berries. Yet now, her significance to the study of evolution is likely far more than she could ever have comprehended.

This suddenly reminds me of Ecclesiastes 7:1 "A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth."

Solomon* held that the day of your death was better than the day of your birth, because when you are born, you hold no significance... you do not have a 'good name'. You may grow up to be an asshole, or you may die as a baby or young child. The day of your death, however, is the final tally. Your significance is now set... maybe not fully understood (Van Gogh), but the body of work is complete... the experience of existence is done.

Then again, maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.




*lets just go with the mythology for now

[Adios]

Oh, I agree that to some extent we are aware of any influence or meaning in our life day to day. I am also sure Bach had no idea as to the longevity of his influence.

It isn't our place to know what our significance will be. Can you even begin to imagine how that would affect our every day decisions?

It seems that if we are quick to laugh, quick to love, slow to anger, quick to forgive and have a passion about something that we can share then we are successful. It's the example our lives set and not the words we say that will determine our final result.

I like it that way.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Oh, I agree that to some extent we are aware of any influence or meaning in our life day to day. I am also sure Bach had no idea as to the longevity of his influence.

It isn't our place to know what our significance will be. Can you even begin to imagine how that would affect our every day decisions?

It seems that if we are quick to laugh, quick to love, slow to anger, quick to forgive and have a passion about something that we can share then we are successful. It's the example our lives set and not the words we say that will determine our final result.

I like it that way.

That's a very interesting observation, Charley. I like it.

[Adios]

Oh, I agree that to some extent we are aware of any influence or meaning in our life day to day. I am also sure Bach had no idea as to the longevity of his influence.

It isn't our place to know what our significance will be. Can you even begin to imagine how that would affect our every day decisions?

It seems that if we are quick to laugh, quick to love, slow to anger, quick to forgive and have a passion about something that we can share then we are successful. It's the example our lives set and not the words we say that will determine our final result.

I like it that way.

That's a very interesting observation, Charley. I like it.

Thanks.

[VRykV]

What gives my life significance?


Beauty.  Truth.





And extended oral pleasure.

I really like that.
I'm that kind of kid full of fear who easily falls into metaphysical arguments and shit, but...
Beauty, good stories, sex, love, and wonder. Not necessarily in this order.

[Jasper]

Significance need not be a lasting thing to be valid.

BAH!

Bah to YOU, sir!

I mean, even if I were to do things so incredible that every history book from then on would be filthy with the minutiae of my daily life, it would just be a different kind of impermanent significance.  Nothing lasts very long in this universe, and things only seem long to us because we die so goddamn fast.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Significance need not be a lasting thing to be valid.

BAH!

Bah to YOU, sir!

I mean, even if I were to do things so incredible that every history book from then on would be filthy with the minutiae of my daily life, it would just be a different kind of impermanent significance.  Nothing lasts very long in this universe, and things only seem long to us because we die so goddamn fast.

Tell it to Cicero.  Or Gilgamesh, who has been significant for so long that nobody's sure he really existed.