I'm curious as to what you all think about meaning. Is there a "meaning of life" as such? That is to say, is there a pre-assigned meaning -- a purpose -- to your life that you are obligated to fulfill? Or is life inherently meaningless, and we only assign a meaning after the fact? To clarify, I believe that there is no meaning of life that exists before I assign it. If I want to write novels, then that's the meaning of my life. If I want to raise a family, then that's my meaning. If I want to pave streets, then I live for that purpose -- but it was not preordained to be so.
The second question is narrower in scope. Say you're thinking about a particular girl on a particular sunny afternoon. You're daydreaming about how you would love to get in touch with her, but you haven't talked to her for weeks. Just as you're about to give up, she taps you on your back and says hi. (This actualy happened to me). Do you believe that this encounter was arranged -- was destined -- to happen? Do you think you are now somehow obligated by some higher power to pursue that girl? Was it a sign? Or do you believe its only value is in the conclusions that we can draw from it?
My personal belief is that everything is coincidence. There is no such thing as fate. But that's not to say we can't learn a great deal from coincidence, and I often do.
First, I believe that any meaning we find in a situation is assigned to it by us -- in other words, that it isn't intrinsic to the experience. Second, I believe that reading meaning into these things that probably doesn't exist can be dangerous. In the case of the first question, you can wander through life looking for a "sign" telling you what to do with your time on Earth. With respect to the second question, you can fool yourself into believing that you are "fated" to be with that girl, and it will only set you up for a more painful disappointment if it doesn't happen.
But then I think I'm in the vast minority. I'd guess that most people are superstitious and would like to breath a powerful meaning into anything that seems like it might be meaningful. I'd like to hear what you guys think.