Are you a Sisyphus? Or does your life have purpose and meaning?

Yarntales, I am sorry to hear you have such problems, but I agree it is important to see the bigger picture. I have seen people change. Actually, I changed dramatically myself 48 years ago, so I know from personal experience how true that is. I have seen drunken, wife-beating, vulgar men, (no, I'm not assuming that of your husband) become loving, caring husbands and fathers. I can understand how a woman in your situation can feel like life is a drudgery. The thing is, you don't need to have faith in your husband. He is human and he is unable to change himself. Only GOD can change Him. Have faith in God who wants to bless you even more than you want to be blessed. Keep your eye on the big picture. You have a purpose in life: to establish and maintain a loving, peaceful home which can be used to help others. Thank you for sharing.

ouch. You seem to be hurting.. I am gonna get the title of a great book for you tomorrow that is supposed to make a great difference in marital life. If you believe in God, then you must believe that every cause has some hope and look forward to changes :)

to respond to the discussion, yes sometimes life seems that way, but I get a hold of quality life now and then :)

Thank you

Thank you, Kah Lee. I'm sure your parents are very thankful to have such a good son/daughter. Keep studying. At least you have a good purpose and I trust you will achieve it.

I'm sorry but I can't follow your reasoning. I fail to see how anyone can reach the conclusion that everything is pointless and that nothing matters. Only a person who is completely isolated from reality and from the love of family and friends could consider that, even for a moment. A life would have to be really empty to feel that way. Then you say that in everything you do, you see beauty, love and purpose in doing it. Maybe I'm missing the point here, but the two statements seem a contradiction to me. I cannot agree with you, anyway, that life is meaningless or futile. Life is short, but is filled with meaning and purpose.

Thank you for your explanation, but I'm afraid I cannot agree with you. Firstly I can't agree that work is endless and tasks are never done. I do a lot of work and complete my projects and this gives me satisfaction. I set goals and achieve them. It is not meaningless, and it also serves to help many others. Secondly, I have seen the treacherous side of life. I have experienced very great abuse of all types. I realise how much evil is in the world, but that doesn't make life futile. That could be said to make life a challenge, but certainly not futile. I have come OUT of a situation of abuse and I appreciate the other side, while having empathy for them and a desire to help. You say I am obviously thinking from a different viewpoint, and here I would agree with you. I most certainly am. You see, I have found the real meaning of life. You say you are an atheist, but I am a child of the living God and I experience His presence, guidance and undertaking for me continually in my life. HE gives me purpose. He gives me reality in life and complete satisfaction.

I am an atheist, and I consider the futilistic realization of materialism a wiser and more mature psychological standpoint from which to reason. That is where I am coming from. You are obviously thinking from a different viewpoint. Work itself is endless, and therefore meaningless. Life is a task. Tasks are never done. What joy I do find in life is joy I see and make myself. Realizing that life is futile and that I will only live once actually increases the value of life (the same way the limitations of value for the dollar increase it's worth). This makes me look harder to love and appreciate what little good is in my life. Bear in mind, I am approaching this from a more universal standpoint. You may not have cancer, be a concentration camp survivor, be a victim of paralyzation, etc. You may not be able to see the tretcherous nature of life. You might think it's grand, but it isn't, and I believe more mature minds realize that. That was all I was saying, but there is not a contradiction here at all. Life is a choir, a terribly overbearing one, and it is up to us to find meaning and satisfaction behind it.

Great to hear that. Keep looking up - there's only dirt under your feet!

I believe we need to set a purpose for our life. If you aim at nothing, you will definitely hit it! Nothing is meaningless when you are aiming for something. Write down your main purpose in life. Write objectives to meet that purpose. Set goals along the way to each objective and then set aims to reach the goals. Check up on your progress each morning or each week. Keep your eyes on the goal and on the objective. Set a purpose and you'll appreciate the finer things of life. Have fun too. Thanks for responding

Ecclesiastes is a great book, but it isn't such a good idea to quote the beginning without considering the conclusion of the matter. Solomon closed with very high thoughts. I'll agree that from a human point of view life is meaningless and repetitious, but when God is taken into account, life takes on enormous meaning. My life is full of meaning and purpose and I rejoice in the privilege of knowing, loving and serving my Lord and count it a privilege to be used by Him. Thanks for sharing. God bless.

Congratulations on being a mum. That is the very most important job in all the world. Love them.

Please do. You seem a happy, good natured person. What a waste if you just drifted. I'm sure you could reach high heights if you tried. Come up, set a goal and aim for it - then another and another. Thanks for responding

Now THAT is a high aim! Number One! I don't think I'd like to be Number One, but good luck to you. I hope you make it. What is your talent? How will you eradicate problems and fatal diseases from the world? It sure would be a happier place if you could do that. How long do you expect it to take? Thank you for sharing. I look forward to hearing that you have succeeded.

PS I see your name is sonam14. Does that mean you are 14 years old?

We are not told what Sisyphus thought, and of course, it is only a myth, but he was sentenced to do this for all eternity, so he knew it would always roll back down. I know what you mean when you say no labour is meaningless, but I can think of a few cases, such as criminals who work toward a crime only to be found out. I guess their labour could be thought to teach them that crime doesn't pay. Thanks for sharing.

PS Love the dog!

tahnx thats my Bubbles

Thank you for your reply. If you do those things, you certainly are not a Sisyphus, and you will be a shining light to those around you, helping them to a better life. While I would agree with what you say at the end - to a degree - I think such a generalisation is rather extreme. Not all very rich people are like that. In fact some of the richest people in the world are very good hearted and giving and many of them actually work for their living. Please don't put them all the same basket. You can't categorise any group of people like that. That are good and bad in any group. Thank you again for your response.

Thank you. I hope you find definite meaning to your life and fulfill your desired purpose.

Good news. Keep it up.

You are young and you are beautiful, if that is a photo of you on your profile. How could you possibly say you don't have meaning to live? You want to be a fashion designer and you choose a beautiful red rose for your avatar. You are evidently a talented young lady. You have a full life ahead of you. What would cause you to say you have no meaning to live?

"Plagued with boredom". I'm sorry. That is an experience I've never had. I've always found plenty to do and enjoy. I wonder if something has happened in your life to knock you for six? It sounds like it. I do hope you soon pull yourself out of it. The GOOD part about being cast down is that it is a great opportunity to overcome and to rise even higher. I like an old saying: "When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade." I hope you soon make lots of lemonade! Thank you for sharing with us.

Good advice! Determining a purpose, and setting aims, goals and objectives to achieve that purpose, keeps the challenges coming and maintains momentum. If you aim at nothing, you WILL hit it!