The Real Meaning of Life [Paperback]

David Seaman (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 2005

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”).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... full of gems by real people ... who think there are indeed solutions to our problems." -- Terry McMillan, Washington Post Book World

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (August 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577315146
• ISBN-13: 978-1577315148
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #299,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for Anyone 8-108 Years Old, October 19, 2005

By 

David LaVigne (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Meaning of Life (Paperback)

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.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellently Original Attempt at Answering an Age-Old Question, September 29, 2005

By 

Avid Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Meaning of Life (Paperback)

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.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent, unique opportunity to understand your fellow man, November 25, 2005

By 

34028836 "34028836" (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Real Meaning of Life (Paperback)

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.