The Real Meaning of Life

By David Seaman Jr.

Unlike most personal growth books, The Real Meaning of Life is not written by an expert, nor is it the culmination of painstaking self-study or a sudden breakthrough. The book collects the insights of everyday people who responded to David Seaman's simple query, "What is the meaning of life?" typed into an online forum on a laptop at Starbucks. To his surprise, a flood of responses came. Some suggested "boobies and beer," but Seaman found that most were much more thoughtful -- so much so that he created a website and now this book to collect the best of them. From thousands of respondents -- including Buddhists, born-again Christians, atheists, waitresses, students, and recovering heart attack patients -- come incredibly diverse wisdom that can be aphoristic ("Be grease, not glue"), philosophical ("There is no point to life, and that is exactly what makes it so special"), or whimsical ("Me, I'm going snowboarding").

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1577315146
• ISBN13: 9781577315148
• Release Date: August 2005
• Publisher: New World Library
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.5" x 0.5" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

an excellent, unique opportunity to understand your fellow man

This is a collection of a couple of hundred opinions on the meaning of life. They're short arguments, typically a paragraph or two. They come from common, everyday people. That's what makes it unique, and an excellent learning experience: you can peer into what your fellow man thinks about life. After all, you've already heard and read what famous thinkers, scientists and philosophers have to say on the subject. But often these brilliant minds fail to influence the public sphere, fail to alter the course of human existence. For while they may make claims about the nature of truth, if we as a majority don't accept this truth, then it usually doesn't influence the course of human events. It's the people, the six billion of us, that have the real power. (Example: the average man voted for Bush. Twice. With that power, they changed the course of human history.) That's why it's absolutely fascinating to get a perspective on what the average person thinks is the meaning of life. It's these ideas, contained within this book, that guide and explain the course of humanity's actions. And you'll be amazed at these ideas: many of them blatant offenses to logic, that not even the most liberal philosopher would be able to find a publisher for. Gross fallacies, bumbling inconsistencies and circular logic roam freely throughout. What you're getting is not wisdom on the actual meaning of life; it is wisdom on what your fellow humans believe. However crazy they may be, these collections of ideas are guiding our world. That's what makes this a tremendously important book. Because if enough people believe that something is the truth, then it becomes the truth. So read this book to find out what people think the truth is.

Very Interesting!

David was faced with an assignment for his class and to his amazement this assignment turned into a book as David asked a question on the internet, "What is the meaning of life?" David tells us in this work how shocked he was to the many responses that he had ranging from silly and lighthearted to intense and heart-felt. The responses came from people in all walks of life, from intellects to simple folks, from Christians to Buddhists, rich and poor, kind and cruel, the answers flooded in. I believe this work will enlighten you. After all, people actually had to take the time to sit and write their response and I believe we find from this book that the answer to that question is based a lot on where that person is in life, what experiences they have had and their spiritual commitment or lack of the same. Think about it; if you were to answer that question, just what would you say? An interesting and fun read; you will enjoy this book.

A Great Book for Anyone 8-108 Years Old

This book starts out with a great introduction which captivates and also helps the reader relate. How many of us have been stuck writing a term paper and floated into a chat room for advice? The responses Seaman garners out of the chat rooms and from friends and family are timeless and charming all the same. It puts life in perspective, and brings oneself down to Earth to remind us of what's really important. This is a short read and can be enjoyed by children and adults.

An Excellently Original Attempt at Answering an Age-Old Question

This sometimes witty, sometimes poignant, sometimes introspective attempt at responding to one of man's oldest querries leaves the reader with both answers and questions. Neither intensely prescriptive nor overly profound, Seaman's book offers responses and ideas from people of different ages, theological backgrounds and philisophical standpoints. The book seeks not only to provide answers to this question, but also to plant further seeds of personal investigation in the minds of its readers. More than any other book I've read in my life, this book makes me think. This book will make you laugh and cry, and maybe even reconsider the meaning of life as you know it.

Don't miss this one!

This book draws you in from the very first sentence you read. David writes an honest and enticing introduction that won't let you put it down. you feel as though you're having a conversation with him. Each submission included in the book, about the meaning of life touches you in a different way in that it's humorous, touching, sad, or just plain true! It makes you think and get a wide range perception of life and how people think. you can read it at any pace, at any time, and in any order...very enjoyable, and well written! i read it in half a day!