The meaning of life - as communicated to me by Eris herself

[P3nT4gR4m]

Life is strife. You hate to suffer but you need it.

It's a catch 22 - everyone wants a better life for their kids but that's what turned us into a race of fat, weak, lazy whining fucks in the first place.

Then you die!

[Elder Iptuous]

In some sense...
if it were the whole story then those that suffer the most would be those that are most alive, and that seems wrong on the face of it.

[P3nT4gR4m]

The way I see it the suffering is fuel for the art. If you survive the suffering without becoming consumed by it, without succumbing to the flames, in doing so you return, charged with the art and with it you create your own paradise. However, if you spend too long in paradise your spirit starts to rot.

Luxury and bliss are necessary but without torment they become a torment in and of themselves. Heaven and hell must be in balance. I suspect the best life would be one where pleasure and pain are experienced in equal measure but I'd have to admit that some other ratio may be nearer the mark.

[Kai]

Life is absurd.

Therefore...

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

And then Pent was a Buddhist.

[Cainad (dec.)]

And then Pent was a Buddhist.

I just got a mental image of one of those golden Buddha statues... not the fat laughing Buddha, but the thin one, and with P3nT's leering mug instead of the usual serene face.

[Doktor Howl]

Life is strife. You hate to suffer but you need it.

It's a catch 22 - everyone wants a better life for their kids but that's what turned us into a race of fat, weak, lazy whining fucks in the first place.

Then you die!

NO!  Then YOU die!  YOU DIE!

[P3nT4gR4m]

And then Pent was a Buddhist.

I met the Buddha on the road. I killed him. I'm a smart fucker. I got away with it. Stick your karma up your arse

[Nephew Twiddleton]

And then Pent was a Buddhist.

I just got a mental image of one of those golden Buddha statues... not the fat laughing Buddha, but the thin one, and with P3nT's leering mug instead of the usual serene face.

Dammit Cainad....


Twid,
Making it happen

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Is in WOMP-ertainment

[Cainad (dec.)]

And then Pent was a Buddhist.

I just got a mental image of one of those golden Buddha statues... not the fat laughing Buddha, but the thin one, and with P3nT's leering mug instead of the usual serene face.

Dammit Cainad....


Twid,
Making it happen

[Epimetheus]

Luxury and bliss are necessary but without torment they become a torment in and of themselves.

Why would endless bliss be a torment?

[Laughin Jude]

So what you're saying is that the Universe is kinky.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

And then Pent was a Buddhist.

I met the Buddha on the road. I killed him. I'm a smart fucker. I got away with it. Stick your karma up your arse

"Karma" is just about meaningless because of the variety of definitions it has. ("Cause and effect" does not fit in my ass, for the record. The good news is that reincarnation does.)

All I'm saying is, this thread sounds a lot like the Middle Way and a focus on accepting suffering, two things that IIRC are Buddhist bedrocks regardless of the particular school of thought.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I don't think we need suffering. I do think we need strife; we need to struggle for things, work for what we want, and to be disappointed at times. People often mistake not getting what they want for "suffering", though, because they're too spoiled to know any better.