One of humanity’s big questions is: “why are we here”? Are you satisfied with answering: “there’s no reason”?

Does the universe have purpose. I do not think so. It simply is.

In my own life, I find meaning in relationships with people, in learning, and in comprehending and appreciating my relationship with events and my environment.

lifes just a series of memories good or bad and no no purpose at all it just is

I think the 'reason' we are here is to take care of the planet. I think we've failed.

curiosity and the enjoyment of creating things with my hands are the things that give me joy and purpose in my life

I'm having a hard time because life is limited. I want to do so much and basically know everything (that I see as valuable), but I have to decide what I want my life to be. What I would like to say is meaning is potentially everywhere you look. You just have to find a pathway through all that nice juicy (potential) meaning in the world. The source of that meaning comes from within oneself. Find what makes you happy or what makes the world a better place, whatever you like, except maybe don't hurt others along the way, please. We are all in this together.

Everywhere. You just need to look.

As others have stated, the universe doesn't have a purpose, it just is. I do though. Productive work is my purpose in life.

My life has meaning because of the love I share. Everybody I have ever loved in any way will carry a piece of me with them wherever they go forever. Through my family and friends, my love will spread all around the entire world and maybe someday into space! I have added one amazing person to the world's population and helped raise him and his brother to be kind, thoughtful, respectful, and loving people. My pets have better lives for having lived with me. My plants thrive and eventually grow large enough to share clones with my plant loving friends. I try very hard to do no harm. I also try to live in this moment and enjoy and appreciate as much of my life as I can.

i don't find the issue of meaning a good argument at all against atheism. of course there is meaning without a supreme being but let's imagine for a moment that life is indeed meaningless. if it is, it is! and if we don't like that, we don't like that! does our not LIKING how something is prove it ISN'T that way? that is one of the worst arguments against atheism i've ever heard, APART from the fact that we make our own meaning and the whole meaningless-without-god thing is bogus from the git-go.

as for your last question: life is a characteristic, not a thing. it can't have a purpose. people can have a purpose. life itself? it is its own purpose, just as the universe is. to attribute purpose you have to attribute will, and to attribute will, you have to have someone to exercise the will . that implies (in this instance) a supreme being. i believe there are none of those. so i don't use the word purpose with regard to life or the universe. i may have one. i decide that!

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It just is. I'm just is. One day l won't be.

"Meaning" isn't part of my consciousness. I don't "find" it, because I'm not
looking for it. I do not suffer from existential angst.

I don't need "meaning".

In Korea once. His name was Meaning and he taught English to Korea kids. That dude could down soju like it was Budweiser...you know because Budweiser is water. Anyhow, the guy had a beard when beards weren't as hip. I think that was a sign of some sort.

Not knowing much or anything about God and not understanding who or what I am is baffling in the extreme. My only experience is through conscious awareness and I don’t understand that one bit. Hell, I don’t understand the concept of existence—according to modern physics theories there are no things, space comes in quanta, and time doesn’t exist.

After all is said and done, the implications of the mystery of existence are staggering in the extreme and valuable beyond value.

I don't agree. I have meaning. I work diligently to make the lives of others better. I find fulfillment in my work. I don't have to believe in an afterlife to find meaning in this one. I love life. I also love people. And yes I know there is one life to live and do try to make the most of every day. Just because I'm an atheist doesn't mean there is no meaning. I know my life is better because I have meaning and purpose.

I don't know that life has some great meaning. I make mine meaningful to me and that is all I can do.

What gives your life meaning? Do good work, help others. You have to find your purpose yourself.

I think this is probably the most important thing that needs to be framed correctly for believers to at least not be fearful of atheists.

We need to move forward is what gives my life meaning. Not sure how else to say it though.

Meaning, for me, comes in the little things and the connections I make with others. It comes from what I decide. Nothing has any intrinsic value or meaning until I assign it one. However, it often gets assigned meaning almost automatically. And I need to be more careful about that.

I find meaning in ethics, being as kind and respectful as I can toward others. This is what makes me happy.

Where do I find meaning? In the dictionary, of course. ???

At farm fresh two years ago , a young boy came behind me and touched me on my hip to get my attention . I did not recognized him . He told me his name was A .... and " u r the lady w funny accent who gave me medicine and saved my life remember me , I remember u , do the monkey again ! " I seen his mother standing by smiling . Unfortunately , still did not remeber , but I pretend I did . So many people every night . The kid has asthma crisis from what mom explained . He told me he plays basketball now . He said " thank u lady , I love u ". I cried . I felt like a million bucks , whatever that means in America , I felt the most important life in this plannet . I did my famous monkey impression as well , right there at candy alley too . That's the meaning of life as far as I care . Rest , I give two rats behinds about . Is that makes sense ?

Meaning gets used in too many ways for this topic to make much sense. It seems the "new atheist" answer you give is using it as a synonym for value. Fair enough. Most of us think life has value, though we do come at the quesiton from a rather biased perspective. But taken literally, life doesn't "mean" anything. It's not symbolic. It just is. The religous individuals you imagine in your question are using it to mean "purpose". As in what's the purpose of life? Well, if you mean purpose as a synonym for goal then- the purpose of life is to make more life. That is, to exist in a fashion that gives your genes the maximum chance to exist in the future. If you mean purpose as is "reason" then we're back to your starting point - there's no purpose, no reason. Or do you mean something else?

1. no, it is not a good argument against "atheists". I have never, not once, had anyone use the "what about the meaning of it all" argument in a convincing way, so it is not good in that sense, and it fails all logical considerations, so it is not good in that sense either.

2. I do not belief there is "purpose" to life and the universe.

My feeling is that the universe does know I'm here. I am matter taking up space. I am consuming resources and ideas from around me and have produced not only my children, for example physically, but am also producing ideas and creations for others to consume in an emotional or intellectual sense. I am participating in the world as time goes forward.

The universe is made up of inanimate matter, solids, gases and the vacuum of space. From what I can tell, the movements of the celestial objects seem to be striving for a balance of sorts. Pressures create explosions, destruction becomes creation, bits of matter find each other get rounded into spinning balls from all that gravitational orbiting, and under the right conditions, at the right time, perhaps support life. Sometimes we can take some metaphorical comfort in recognizing ways to understand the nature of life.

Living creatures, from what I can see, have an innate predisposition to produce, grow, absorbing resources from around them, and then they themselves become a resource eventually in the circle of life.

As for meaning in human life, I think we all discover talents within ourselves that we can offer to the world, where ever there is a niche to be filled, whether it's manual labor, creative ideas, nurturing care, etc. We find a way to interact and play a part in the drama that is our web of life.

When we fail to be productive, we might ponder the reason we are here and fall into depression. We then only have to look back on what good we have done in this life and celebrate that, keep on doing what our talents allow, and if nothing else, create a happy secure place for those around us.