Sam Harris: Meaning of Life 

“This is not the rehearsal. This is the show.” There is a beautiful yet intimidating sense about this perspective.

The meaning of human life is to experience life, I don't think it is any more complicated than that. It doesn't have to be mind blowing and deep every minute of everyday, it is mostly quite boring or mundane, but that is ok. Now I will water my plants.

So the meaning of life is to live it in such a way that the question never even occurs to you.

A fish says to another fish: "I'm looking for the ocean" "This is it, you found it" "This? No, this is water, I'm looking for the ocean"

The spontaneity by which Sam digs deep and shares his knowledge is something of a marvel. It is always a pleasure listening to him.

"You cannot become happy, you can only be happy."

In a world of 140 character "answers" I appreciate when real humans take time to answer a deep question with thought, nuance, self-awareness and grace.

I've heard Sam answer and talk on this subject/question probably 100 times and it never gets old. It renews me every time.

One of my students, when asked the same question, looked straight ahead and then swiveled his eyes towards me and grimaced and then smiled and said, "Why do you always ask the most outrageous questions? How do I know what the meaning of life is----no, wait," he said. "The meaning of life for me is to enjoy my life." That gave me what I had been looking for all along. Of course, that's it; the meaning of life is to enjoy the whole trip, good days, bad days----all the days until your last breath...

“This is not the rehearsal it’s the show “ great quote

"The ego-climber is like an instrument that's out of adjustment. He puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late. He's likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step shows he's tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see what's ahead even when he knows what's ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about somewhere else, something else. He's here but he's not here. He rejects the here, is unhappy with it, wants to be farther up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because then it will be "here." What he's looking for, what he wants, is all around him, but he doesn't want that because it's all around him. Every step's an effort, both physically and spiritually, because he imagines his goal to be external and distant." ~Robert M. Pirsig,

Wow Sam nailed how we all feel about Lex and this show. Thanks

The act of seeking happiness in any person, object or circumstance outside of yourself is not only a confession of unhappiness, it is the method of unhappiness.

Only 30sec in, not sure what the whole answer is going to be, but the way he starts the answer resonates with something I've been thinking about, "what is the meaning of my life" is not a real question, but rather an intellectual expression of ones own emotional and psychological state, a satisfied happy person is not really asking that question, its usually when we feel lost or depressed that the feeling of meaninglessness emerges, and its never about finding the right correct answer to the question that resolves the the condition.

Awesome answer from Sam. Thanks Lex for having him on. You two have had a huge impact on my life

Love this! Reminds me of when Eckhart Tolle beautifully talks about the present moment. Key word is "being", not "doing." Being aware that you are aware is the key to enjoying presence. This leads to meaning and feeling happy. No thinking is required! Past and future are thought forms. It's always NOW! And it's all we will ever have. ❤🙏

I was struggling for a while to figure out what the real point, or meaning of music was, it seemed so obviously important and yet I couldn't pin-point the answer. Then, when I was working on a song, I realized I was no longer asking that question.. no longer wondering what the meaning was.. it became so obvious.. The music was the meaning. The very act itself was what satisfied me... not some kind of arbitrary goal. I think all of life can be like that. Life _is_ the meaning.

This was wonderful. Great insights, as expected. Great moment to reflect on the ‘now’. Thank you

The Buddha went through hell for years putting his body and mind through extreme measures to answer this question. After all the pain, experimentation, and discovery, he arrived at this: THIS IS IT! There is nothing else! This is very much aligned with Sam's answer.

Keep on doing what you're doing, Lex. Your content is giving us so much value and wisdom. Thank you so much.

This is a phenomenal explanation, probs the best Ive heard. Bravo, Sam Harris

The meaning of life as he said is living in the present. As Stoicism teaches, the meaning of life is learn to be content in the present by controlling only what you can control and letting go of what you can't control. Letting go of what you can't control allows you not to fret about things that will never change by your influence and allows you to not fall into disappointment. You are only deeply disappointed when you have an expectation. Controlling what you can control gives you a sense of progress, hope, meaning, and self-worth.

“You don’t arrive until you sieze to step over the present moment in search of the next thing”

"You're doing something more and more indispensable in this world" is probably the greatest compliment one can get. And then, in addition, it's from Sam Harris.

I believe the meaning of life is to learn and experience, then to teach and pass on as much knowledge as possible, advancing humanity. Sure, being a "present and participatory consciousness" as Sam describes, is necessary, but I don't really think of as a "meaning", it's moreso a way of being or appreciating the life you have by staying in the moment as much as possible. (Which, due to a lack of free will according to Sam, I have a hard time ascribing "meaning" to.)

I have a few points to make about Sam's answer here. Sam starts with fastening the idea that this question might be the wrong one to ask. However comforting that feels to me as someone who has struggled with that question for years now, i don't think rejecting the question is the appropriate way of approaching this very real question. The other thing is Sam's answer to that question. I feel he has taken shade in the comfort of perceiving this question differently. Sam's answer of either observing meaning in every moment as we pass by it is a solution to the problem of not finding an answer to this question, it however is not the answer to the question itself. It's a way of meditating in the realm of mindfulness where shifting the mere realization of how all of this (our human experience) is only the external world & not what's within is like a hallucinogen. A hallucinogen because many people live in that mindful state, not letting the "question of meaning of life" scratch them. I am aware of some people who live their entire life meditating to avoid questions of this complexity. Now, i am not saying Sam is wrong. I am only saying that his answer reflects a little defeatism. It's a good answer for sure but it's no where close to answering the actual question.

lol "This is the most chocolatey moment of my life."

Meditation /Mindfulness is a superpower! Wow! Period. Present moment awareness all the way x 🤗

The meaning to life to me is it has a different answer for every person. We all live our own lives and create our own destiny/future and the decisions we make till the time we take our last breath is our answer to the meaning of life. You wanna know your answer? Live and tell us your meaning of life when you are ready.

Here's my experience. Meaning is a feeling. It has to be felt. It's deeper than logic. Just like other emotions / modes of being. It hits you out of the blue when you walk YOUR path, and I have actually felt it deeply, which I never thought I would. It has later eluded me but that's a different matter.. need to get back on my path.. but just knowing it's possible even for me, I never thought it would, is a blessing. My view now is like this, I really want to be able to lie down in a grass field and feel amazing, not a worry in the world, but I don't think I arrive there by laying down in a grass field and try to not have a worry in the world. It arrives when it arrives. We all have fears we need to face, to even identifying those fears is a fear in itself, that day in the grass field are for the ones that do and face them head on. Also, love plays a deep role here, at some level, even staying alive has some meaning to me because I know people I love would suffer if I died. Again, you can ask, WHY does suffering matter.. I don't know, but something in me says it does, not logic, trust that guy feeling again and again, and logic might seem to have less weight in your life. One thing is for sure, it is that logic is just one of many intelligences we possess as humans, but it's over utilized, it's not where meaning is found. The question why can be asked endlessly, for any matter and you will arrive at the same destination, that it can't be solved logically. For people that are intelligent, and rely on their logic for so many matters, this can be maddening, often because we start asking these questions at times of being disconnected, looking for answers in the wrong places. Good luck on YOUR journey!

Don't strive for happiness - Be Happy!

Keeping peace in your mind & love in your heart.

The best answer to this quest I’ve heard maybe ever. Very nuanced.

This video is one of the most profound pieces of content on RU-vid.

The best book I have read is The Power of Now talks a lot of this! High recommend to anyone that is interested

What is the meaning of life?I doubt whether a doctor can answer this question in general terms.For the meaning of life differs from man to man,from day to day and from hour to hour.What matters therefore is not the meaning of life in general terms.But rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment.Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure,as Freud Believed,or a quest for power as Alfred Adler taught,but a quest for meaning.The greatest task for any person is to find a meaning in his or her life.Frankl saw three possible sources for meaning :in work(Doing something significant),in love(Caring for another person),and in courage during difficult times.Suffering in and of itself is meaningless.We give our suffering meaning by the way in which we respond to it. This is a piece from Victor E. Frankl's book " Man's Search for Meaning".Which I will recommend for you.Your life will not be the same after reading that book. Here are two more quotes from Jordan Peterson(Clinical psychologist) and Yuval Noah Harrari(Historian) on the meaning of life for you to ponder. 1.A meaningful life can be extremely satisfying even in the midst of hardship whereas a meaningless life is a terrible ordeal no matter how satisfying it is. ‐Yuval Noah 2.The meaning of life as far as I am concerned(J. Peterson) is to find a mode of being that is so meaningful that,the fact that life is suffering is no longer relevant. ‐Jordan B.Peterson.

this man is a modern day guru. thanks lex for having him on

"The meaning of life is to give life meaning"

My English professor once said ''you're always waiting''. So happy I heard that at a young age.

Agree with him. For me, it helps if i compartmentalize my day so this hour I try not to worry about the next hour. But i do assign some time each day to General planning. It is hard, but I am trying.

That's the one of the best answer for 'meaning of life question'

it is more simple. It is the feeling that has left the void of needing to survive. Before the meaning of life was not to die for the most long time. Now in the modern time that purpose is gone, but the urge to have it remains

It's what we accept and allow to be and happen in our life, the experience is the meaning

"Be in the moment", and be grateful for it. The book "Ball Four" by Jim Bouton had an extremely memorable passage in it that I never forgot, and ironically enough it's very relatable to what Sam is saying. Bouton, for those of you who don't know, was a major league pitcher in the sixties and early seventies (mainly for the Yankees). He described just walking in the outfield well before the game began, and he became conscious that he was not "tingling". What he meant by that was that he had become so accustomed to being a major league baseball player that it began to feel "routine", and he knew it was "wrong", because he knew how special and privileged he was to be a major leaguer. He vowed from then on to always be "aware" of how lucky he was to be there, to essentially be living a "dream".

I'll agree with Sam on one thing. We are always trying to get to that perfect moment in time. "OK, this is is what life is all about" but we quickly realize the grass is always greener over the septic tank. You can meditate , you can drop acid, you can think this is all a dream. And all that matters is now. Then i would suggest that that view is a narrow one . Its' not all about you. Illusion or not.

The question assumes there is one. The same holds true when people ask what the purpose of life is. I would answer that by saying all human beings share the same inescapable purpose, which is to be happy. No matter what you do at any moment, you are striving to be as happy as possible. Even if you're doing something unpleasant, you're doing it because not doing it would make you less happy.

Been learning meditation for years... still learning 🧘‍♂️🙏🏼

that was a great clip, trippy seeing whats said by Sam Harris whos an atheist basically explain the tenets of "Be here now" hippie/spiritual/buddhist philosophy. And I think its cool that even with two different belief systems, that the same conclusion about how to live a good life can still be arrived at independently of each other.

Beautifully articulated by Sam. Thank you for this, Lex!

CREATION! To continue that life and keep it thriving throughout the universe in as many ways as possible

I love Sam Harris man, this was so beautiful, the egoless way he approached Lex at the end, I almost cried lol

I think this was all about happiness and not in particular about what the sense of life is. I understand this question always as asking for an explanation of what the objective meaning of everything could be and not like "what is your way of living a good life?". But maybe thats just me.

Lit answer Harris.

I love it,this is it,this is the moment not the rehearsal ❤.

Well said Sam Harris. "Here is enough."

Only Beyond "Survival" can the many 'Focus' on the NOW! Very lovely to meet you. Sam Harris. Peace of heart Is everything

Okay. I love both of these gentleman as thinkers for different reasons. When I see Lex- IDK why- and I don't know his spiritual beliefs but his infectious obsession with spreading the virus of love in all he touches actually seemed to penetrate the ever somewhat gloomy existential almost nihilistic look that I always see behind Sam's eyes. Sam-for one so enlightened and meditative something in his eyes seems dark. Maybe I need to read the Moral Landscape. Lex though he may be a supervillain in the making seems so much more radiant with an almost Christ-like aura about him. Must be the Elder Zosima vibe of the Russian- or maybe he is somehow channeling young Alyosha (Brothers Karamazov)somehow-I am certain that must be one of his literary favourites. Love both these guys.

Sam dodged the question a bit here. I agree that learning to be in the moment is a pre-req to have a sense of true meaning. However, if that ability is obtained you must still make choices about what you do with your life to provide that meaning. He skims over this when he says (paraphrasing) "you can't just sit around all as a ball of mush. You need to actually do things". He obviously chooses a path in life that he finds meaningful and I wish he would have talked about that more.

"Here is enough" -Sam Harris on Lex Fridman Podcast 2021

🔥 Wow Sam Harris dropping bombs! Two direct quotes from the clip… “Meditation is this kind of superpower, until you learn to mediate the outside world, the circumstances of your life always have to get arranged so that the present moment can become good enough to demand your attention in a way that seems fulfilling and makes you happy.” “You don’t arrive until you cease to step over the present moment in search of the next thing. We’re stepping over the thing that we think we are seeking, in the act of seeking it.”

God this was beautiful! Never have I heard a response to this mysterious question that really speaks to me like this one. I don’t care about the controversies; Sam is brilliant as far as my questions are concerned.

Someone says to experience life I agree with them , experience the ups and downs of life, the heartbreaks and the happiness of this world ( and brother it goes fast I’m 75 I ask myself what does life experience have for me today enjoy life always think before you act!,

"The meaning of life is quite simply - to live" -Alan Watts.

Suffering ! Joy, Pain ,Love To hone our skills / experiences ! To Purify ! And to eat good food !

This collection of your extended conversation has been a joy. Thank you Lex and thanks to Sam Harris, though of course, neither of you can take credit since there is no free will. You're both good nodes; it's nice to be part of the same network.

The "engage in the moment" is a doudle-edged sword concept. For meditators and people that experienced psychedelics in a good way it means something and for people that live on auto-pilot every day engaged non-stop in trivial activities means something else. You have to make the distinction correctly and i'm afraid you can't if you never experienced the present moment in a contemplative peaceful way. Engaging and enjoying the moment in a serene, untroubled way is the type you want for not ever wondering whats the "meaning of life".

Life in and of itself is rife with meaning, it is up to you to derive it. Mozart's life purpose was not to create music, but rather it was through the creation of music that gave his life meaning. If you perceive your life as meaningless, it is because you believe it to be so, and so it is.

I think the immersion and engagement in this moment, all moments, is more like the path rather than the meaning of life. We might say meaning of life is about self-realization, self-expression ... about becoming that which we potentially are, and are, in a sense, coded to be. That's different for every person, every animate and inanimate thing. A tree becomes what is it's potential, a duck becomes what is its potential to become, the universe becomes what is its potential to become. That seems a foundation for meaning.

I just enjoy Sam Harris so much

“You can’t actually become happy, you can only BE happy” - Sam Harris.

This is beautiful, thank you Lex, thank you Sam.

Thanks for hosting Sam Harris !

You guys remember that episode of Arrested Development where Gob chips his tooth from biting into a candied apple and whistles every time he pronounces certain words? That was a good one.

Lex, thanks for not interrupting Sam Harris.

His answer totally makes sense. Its sad that only few people can understand what he is talking about.

The past has gone, the future is not here, only a succession of the constant 'Now', we live in the 'Now'. Learn from suffering, from suffering we learn values we never knew. And from pleasure and happiness, learn how to dig it all, dig the detail, take the mind off the beaten trail, and wander into untrodden meadows of the mind!

Sam Harris is such a great person. We need many more like him.

It's very interesting to think about it. Though many people might find Jordan Peterson controversial in the philosophical field I really like the way he described the mechanism of constant movement of the human mind from the "unbearable present" to the "ideal future". I think it is exactly what Sam Is talking about here. It obviously is a mechanism that has led the humanity to the point where it is. It indeed brought many good as well as well as bad things. The funny thing is that we can still still accomplish whatever we want but it is also in our power to have a good experience while accomplishing it instead of the permanent anxiety that unfortunately most people live with throughout their whole lives.

The becoming or being. That's what really meditation does. Thats it. very good

To enjoy, through discovery and creation. But you have to “know” and accept that life is all omnipotent and be grateful for the sacrifice and consequent suffering of others, and life in order to sustain your experience within your specific configuration and format of “life”. Once you see beyond language, or drop language. You’ll realise what you really are. Everything and nothing, simultaneously. Language, although has its place, also is the greatest barrier and blockade of “knowing” as people tend to “think” in terms of their learnt, and limited language. Therefor you’re experience and “idea” of your “self” and life is limited to that which you have learnt through linguistic communication and what is logically justifiable to the extent of your exposure to that form of communication

These 10 minutes were the most eye-opening minutes of my life. Sam Harris is truly a genius.

Surely the meaning of life is to love as love can give meaning to any life.

"Why am I experiencing the same pleasures every day?" That is such an amazing question.....

I found this bit very helpful specially with the state of mind I am at these days - Thank you

There’s no meaning to life. Life has the meaning you give it, man is a meaning machine.

I suggest searching “Spiritual Unfoldment with John Butler” in RU-vid for a good introduction to meditation

Correct me please But Sam corelates Life with happiness." The meaning of" is happiness, somebody do a math equation for that. Living in that moment in time, Alex adds purpose. So we go from explanation to motivation. Throw in you don't know if your a robot or not and it's all an illusion then perhaps you need stay away from the mushrooms. I love listening to it. I love this channel. Just getting into , but what i don't see or hear is the God equation. Maybe I have not got there yet. But if I were in the room I would ask' " is Jesus Christ who He says he is? ... Drives the intellects crazy... foolishness as Scripture would call it.

Meaning and life are two words people like to put together carelessly. Same with free and will.

I see Sam Harris, I click.

The problem with this is, that when you'd be completely content you wouldn't have any reason to do anything anymore. So maybe it's evolutionary important to never feel too content. 💟

If Jordan Peterson answered this question he would say the meaning to life is to get married and have kids. LOL

Since the scientific method does not address the question "why", or whether something has meaning, it makes me wonder that, if there truly is no transcendent reality outside the system of the universe, such as a God, then why would human language have developed in such a way that included the word, "Why", or the concept of meaning, or have the consciousness which is aware of the desire to know why? But I suppose some would say the question "why" is irrational?

Lex asked the question looking for an answer “without serving it up, without any explanation” fully-knowing that Sam is incapable of that. Sam, just say “being present!”

One of the deepest video I have ever heard. No psychobabble or fluff. Just profound.

This is some high level stuff...this is exactly why religion appeals to average pple...

That was an answer from a man who doesn't really know nor has he found the meaning of life. He circumvented the question for almost the entirety of the 10 minutes. He didn't address the key moments in our lives - the highs and lows. How do we understand tragedy - serious illness and death. If we follow his advice, we will never address heartache and should try to mask these deep seeded and unresolved feelings with trying to recapture fleeting moments of satisfaction and joy. He will find it difficult to contextualise death as he doesn't believe in life after death. He just sounds like his life is somewhat unfulfilled even though he is revered by many. Contentment is difficult to grasp when you don't explicitly know the reason for your existence. Have goals (personal, spiritual, professional etc) - short and long term and go about your life trying to achieve them. Have a routine, utilize your early mornings and try to help others. Once you've succeeded in achieving a goal, set another one. The key is to know why you have these goals and they have to be underpinned by a higher sense of purpose and belonging. I am a man of faith and that dictates my purpose. My words may not resonate with many here but rest assured, I am pretty content with life.

It's a meaningless question. Like asking the meaning of a rock or a tree or a photon. There's no self to have a meaning. The universe just is.

What an incredibly thought provoking answer Sam Harris gave!

There is no meaning to life. You put the meaning into it.

SH is on the right track, but this "Vipassana" presentation is somewhat incomplete. The assertion is that a wise course of action is to merge into the "Be Here Now" mode. Then he presents a means of doing that in his videos on meditation. Fine, but there are other categories of tapping into the Eternal Now besides his Vipassana methods, such as: Hatha and energetic yoga, mantras, and even getting out into nature. Here's the mantra method from the Rig Veda: Access "Mahamritunjaya mantra - Sacred Sounds Choir" and listen to it for 5 min per day for at least two weeks.