What is the meaning of life?

[fairyblood]

Bastardometer said:

I saw this exhibit last year in L.A. Very interesting.
This is the way to go here:

Body Donation for Plastination

(Yes. These pictures are of REAL people that donated their bodies)



All anatomical specimens on display in the exhibitions BODY WORLDS and BODY WORLDS 2 are authentic. They belonged to persons who declared during their lifetime that their bodies should be made available after their deaths for the qualification of physicians and the instruction of laypersons. Many donors underscore that by donating their body, they want to be useful to others even after their death. Their selfless donations allow us to gain unique insights into human bodies, which have thus far been reserved for physicians at best. Therefore, we wish to thank the 6.000 living and 300 deceased body donors.

For these purposes the Heidelberg Institute for Plastination maintains a special body donation program. Before signing a declaration of intent, all body donors are provided with detailed information. An information brochure published precisely for this purpose informs donors about the plastination technique, the history of body donation for plastination, information on the Institute for Plastination, how to become a body donor, what happens with the body at the Institute after death, and how the plastinates are used.

Body donation for plastination purposes constitutes a declaration of will, which may be revoked at any time.

Once a year a body donation meeting mostly takes place at the Institute for Plastination in Heidelberg. Meeting Gunther von Hagens personally gives body donors the opportunity to exchange views with him. Moreover news around the BODY WORLDS exhibitons as well as new projects are presented at this opportunity.



More info:
www.bodyworlds.com/en/pages/home.asp

.............woah. That's cool in an Ed Ghin sort of way. Very interesting.

[Halo]

This exhibit is in Chicago now through September.

It is really cool.

When I would go to the Museum of Science and Industry, I always found the "slices" of bodies fascinating. (They have "slices" of real bodies between glass.)

So this exhibit even fascinates me more.

A little background on it's creator Gunther von Hagens:

Gunther von Hagens is the inventor of the plastination technique and creator of the BODY WORLDS and BODY WORLDS 2 exhibitions. In 1965, he began his medical studies at the University of Jena. He spent two years as a political prisoner in East Germany after having distributed leaflets protesting against the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops and an unsuccessful attempt at escaping from East Germany. In 1970 the West German government bought his freedom for US$20.000, enabling him to finalize his medical studies at the University of Lübeck in 1973. In 1974, he received his license to practice medicine before moving to the University of Heidelberg, where he finalized his doctoral thesis as a resident in the Department of Anaesthetics and Emergency Medicine in 1975. He started an eighteen-year career as a resident and lecturer in the Institute of Pathology and the Institute of Anatomy at the Heidelberg University in 1976.

Back in 1977, at the department of Anatomy of Heidelberg University, he invented plastination as a groundbreaking technology for preserving anatomical specimens with reactive polymers. The process was patented between 1978 and 1982. Also in 1978, Gunther von Hagens started his own company, BIODUR Products, which has since marketed special polymers and equipment for plastination. These are currently exported to four hundred institutions in forty different countries worldwide. Gunther von Hagens founded the Heidelberg-based Institute for Plastination in 1993, with the aim of offering plastinated specimens for educational use and for the BODY WORLDS exhibitions, which premiered in Japan in 1995. He finalized his engagements at Heidelberg University in 1995 and consequently accepted a visiting professorship at Dalian Medical University in China in 1996. In the same year, he also became the director of the plastination research centre at the State Medical Academy in Bishkek/Kyrgyzstan. He has since been active at both locations and in 2001 additionally founded a private company (the "Von Hagens Dalian Plastination Ltd.") in Dalian, China, which currently employs two hundred people.
In 2004, Dr. von Hagens began a visiting professorship at the New York University College of Dentistry. He is currently in the process of designing the first anatomy curriculum in the United States that will use plastinated specimens in lieu of dissection.

[SparrowsSoliloquy]

I had never read or seen this thread before..interesting I have a lot of ideas and theories on what life means and what encompasses an afterlife..but none of my views are based on any sort of religion...when I have time, Ill have to come back and post.. until then it would be interesting to see what others think:)

btw.. that exhibit looks interesting!

[britany]

Ok, ok people your never going to figure it out b/c it is just a question ever one ask's, but they will never figure it out, you can have you ideas and stuff but it is just one of thoes things...

[SparrowsSoliloquy]

Here is a concept.. speaking of life and afterlife and the meaning of life..ect..

If we are to follow Einstein in the belief that we are all made up of energy and that energy can never be destroyed- BUT it can change form...if that is true and we are made up of energy- as is the world around us.. then when we die.. we dont necessarily really die do we? our energy has to go somewhere right? so there very well could be some sort of afterlife.. what it entails I dont think anybody knows but..I think it has to do with our thoughts.. our thoughts are very powerful things.. and they, like all other things,.. produce energy and reality. .I dont have time to explain all of my thoughts but I at least started it..lol.. anyway.. check out the movie What Dreams May Come..it comes close to my views on the afterlife...if anybody is interested btw.. has anybody else seen it? I think it is a really good and thought provoking movie..so is The Waking Life...

[moneyisevil]

The meaning of life...wooo.....

IMO...to learn and love as much as humanly possible... and to grow as much as possible....

When i die...i want to be put in a glass of water with my ashes...so as the water evaporates i can go up into the sky...ya know....

But i dont know....i think the meaning of life can be anything...

"swing on a spiral...of our divinity....and still be a humaaaaaaan...."

[SparrowsSoliloquy]

MIE-

I agree with you I think LOVE has a big part to do with it... I also think, and this is my opinion, that there is a GOD or higher energy source that we are all from and created from.. I think when we die we go and rejoin that source.. we are human but we all have a spark of the "divine" in us - and always will..and we are infinitely more capable of much more than we realize. I do think that that there are different sort of planes of existence after we die..I think it depends on our thoughts as I said before..our thoughts produce energy.. and what we put out into the cosmos has a way of attracting the same like type of energy back to us.... so when we die we sort of gravitate towards similar places in the afterlife with other f like minded people.. I think there is a place what most would call Hell but I do not believe it to be full of fire nor do I believe God puts you there.. I believe you put yourself there...long story... be back later..

[moneyisevil]

interesting....i dunno....i wanna say we're just evololoutioned monkeys...because thats what we really are....what happens when monkeys die? do they have a heaven? do their energies go somewhere into space and feel good?

what happens when gorillas die? or when rabbits or even ants....we're all animals and i think we forget that...we call ourselves humans....

i think in order to figure out what happens when we die we have to think about what happens to other forms of life on this planet ya know...

what happens when midochondrian (sp?) dies? does it's energy get passed into a portal.....?

when u die do u have vision? Sometimes i cant come to terms that i am going to die...because sometimes im so stuck in my head..with a view that seems like its going to last forever.,...im like, "damn im not going to be able to observe anything or think..." and its craziness....

this life feels so permanent sometimes and i forget im gonna leave.....

[SparrowsSoliloquy]

HI Money..

I, for some reason, believe there is an afterlife for everything...but I dont have time to explain it all..lol.. I will try and be back later... been fun chatting with you:)

[Nessie]

My meaning of life is making a lot of good things that affect something...like having a child and bringing it up well, or influencing people with songs that mean something to someone...
Not that everyone who's not a rockstar and doesn't have any children doesn't have a meaningful life...

I don't consider myself important for the world, but it's enough that there are some people around me that are influenced and maybe even inspired through me, just like they inspire me!

You should just be comfortable with yourself and agree with what you do...be confident enough to know how much you are!

[roving_eye]

the meaning of life? to make the best of every situation. love, forgive and love again.

[erishkigal]

Anyone know much about Nihilism?

[moneyisevil]

The meaning of life??

life ( P ) Pronunciation Key (lf)
n. pl. lives (lvz)

The property or quality that distinguishes living organisms from dead organisms and inanimate matter, manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, and response to stimuli or adaptation to the environment originating from within the organism.
The characteristic state or condition of a living organism.
Living organisms considered as a group: plant life; marine life.
A living being, especially a person: an earthquake that claimed hundreds of lives.
The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence: the artistic life of a writer.

The interval of time between birth and death: She led a good, long life.
The interval of time between one's birth and the present: has had hay fever all his life.
A particular segment of one's life: my adolescent life.
The period from an occurrence until death: elected for life; paralyzed for life.
Slang. A sentence of imprisonment lasting till death.
The time for which something exists or functions: the useful life of a car.
A spiritual state regarded as a transcending of corporeal death.
An account of a person's life; a biography.
Human existence, relationships, or activity in general: real life; everyday life.

A manner of living: led a hard life.
A specific, characteristic manner of existence. Used of inanimate objects: “Great institutions seem to have a life of their own, independent of those who run them” (New Republic).
The activities and interests of a particular area or realm: musical life in New York.

A source of vitality; an animating force: She's the life of the show.
Liveliness or vitality; animation: a face that is full of life.

Something that actually exists regarded as a subject for an artist: painted from life.
Actual environment or reality; nature.

adj.
Of or relating to animate existence; involved in or necessary for living: life processes.
Continuing for a lifetime; lifelong: life partner; life imprisonment.
Using a living model as a subject for an artist: a life sculpture.

Idioms:
as big as life
Life-size.
Actually present.
bring to life
To cause to regain consciousness.
To put spirit into; to animate.
To make lifelike.
come to life
To become animated; grow excited.
for dear life
Desperately or urgently: I ran for dear life when I saw the tiger.
for life
Till the end of one's life.
for the life of (one)
Though trying hard: For the life of me I couldn't remember his name.
not on your life Informal
Absolutely not; not for any reason whatsoever.
take (one's) life
To commit suicide.
take (one's) life in (one's) hands
To take a dangerous risk.
take (someone's) life
To commit murder.
the good life
A wealthy, luxurious way of living.
the life of Riley Informal
An easy life.
the life of the party Informal
An animated, amusing person who is the center of attention at a social gathering.
to save (one's) life
No matter how hard one tries: He can't ski to save his life.
true to life
Conforming to reality.






I like the last one....conforming to reality!!! WOOOO!!! THERE IS NO REALITY!!!! YOU ARE ALL JUST CRAZYYYYYYY@@@@@@@@@@@

[Halo]

Today, I feel like the meaning of life is to just get fucking through it.

[Nessie]

yeah that seems to be very difficult on some days...