Is the pursuit of meaning, like the pursuit of happiness, equally futile?

[SmallKoy]

Are we setting ourselves up for disappointment and disillusionment?

 

[Namarupa]

I believe so. It's a recurring motif in many prolific schools of thought throughout the ages. i.e zoroastrianism, hinduism, buddhism, stoicism, the new testament, pessimism, absurdism etc.

 

[DOKTOR_G'HUL]

You create your own meaning, so pursuing meaning as if it was outside of yourself is futile. It's the same with happiness. Pleasure is fleeting; it does not endure.

 

[DarkRange55]

Warning, contrarian asshole here! (Me!)

Obviously this question is open to personal interpretation.

I would first say, pursuit of meaning or pursuit of what you want to do with your life? Do you view them as synonymous or distinct? I think thats open to personal interpretation.

Emotions are fickle and they change by the day and hour.

Secondly, again I would argue that the concept of happiness is a little nebulous. I think happiness is more so the result of many factors in your life going in the right direction (health, wealth, love, lifestyle, self esteem). So it can be seem as multi-variant equation.
I would also say that looking at it from a stoic philosophy: happiness is not nothing you should seek out but rather it's an experience and a transitory emotional state. It's better to seek daily contentment since it's unrealistic that every moment will be joyful like having to do things you don't like such as clean and work, but to still be content in those moments.
Additionally, there are different forms or types of happiness. Momentary happiness vs memory happiness.
I just think that you should always seek contentment while you are on the road to true inner joy.
I think many things can influence your state like optimizing your lifestyle - the food you eat, your exercise regime, your social network and status of those connections (i.e., is your partner mad at you), your job and the balance of work and life, making progress on your goals, your monetary situation (debt can be stressful), your health, how you deal with sorrow and stress when it does arise, your mental state of mind and how you frame things, even your perspective, ect.

The human brain was not built for happiness (at least completely consistently) but that does not mean it's not attainable.

The happinest person in the world, as measured by functional magnetic resonance machines (FMRI) is a monk named Mattieu Richard.

Matthieu Ricard - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Read Happiness Hypothesis

The Happiness Hypothesis - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Forever Sleep]

I don't think the pursuit of anything you think might help improve your life is a bad thing. But, I think you have to be cautious of the fallibility of it. We may never know if there even is a meaning behind life. Similarly, we may get so fixated with the idea of achieving happiness that we don't relax enough to achieve it.

I don't think it makes it pointless to try though. Just that we almost need to accept that we may try and not succeed. Or, only succeed so far. You may feel satisfaction in feeling you have found your own purpose in life but, that likely won't apply to everyone else. You may achieve brief periods of happiness but have to accept these are fleeting and need nurturing all the time.

But, I definitely feel like: 'If you don't try, you don't succeed.' If you don't even bother thinking about these things or, try to work out what could make you happy, nothing will change. Of course, you could just as well come to the conclusion that it's impossible to find a universal meaning and fleeting moments of happiness aren't worth the effort.

 

[Ambivalent1]

Yes as is everything in life. This life is literally absurd. SI confines us to this absurd life clawing for meaning that doesn't exist except in temporary places.

 

[Pluto]

 

[BrainShower]

I have to go with yes.
I mean, if finding meaning "means" something to you, and it makes your experience on this planet better, then by all means go for it.
Doesn't really rev my engine tho

 

[sserafim]

You create your own meaning, so pursuing meaning as if it was outside of yourself is futile. It's the same with happiness. Pleasure is fleeting; it does not endure.

I think that life is objectively meaningless (nihilism), but as you said, you can create your own meaning (absurdism).