Life has no inherent meaning. What meaning it has is that which we create by our thoughts, decisions, and actions.

My answer is really a, “Well, yes and no!” I don’t think life intrinsically has any meaning. Meaning is a human concept, and so we are able to give nmeaning to our own lives and actions. It’s up to us!

It means whatever meaning you assign it. It could mean something or it could mean nothing. It's your call.

IMHO, and I can only speak of myself on this but.
It's because that life is finite that I try to make the best of the time I have.
Learning, Exploring,reading, Writing, Music, arts, compassion, empathy, love. This list could go on for days.

I think if I were a believer in the afterlife, I Wouldn't enjoy these things as much because I might just coast through awaiting what comes next.

Just my 2 cents.

What does the existence or non-existence of an afterlife have to do in any way with a meaning to life?
ETA: Unless you are implying that life is just a dress rehearsal for an afterlife and what you do in life will determine your afterlife, but that implies purpose of life, not meaning of life.

I honestly don't see what the existence of an afterlife has to do with the meaning of life.

Its a paradox. It has more meaning in that it's all we will get to experience, nothing more nothing less. It has no arbitrary specific meaning, in that you have to give your own life meaning by how you choose to spend it. If I give you a hundred dollar bill does it have meaning? If you waste it paying for things you could have gotten for free or playing the lottery, no. If you sustain yourself wisely on it, invest or give it to charity then yes. Depends entirely on what you do with it. Just know that it doesnt guarantee you anything beyond what it is.

The [non]existence of an afterlife has nothing to do with meaning and purpose.

There is no intrinsic / given / bestowed meaning but that would be pretty useless anyway, when you stop to think about the implications. Someone else's meaning can't be yours. You can only make your own. And there's plenty of that to be made.

Even from just a science point of view the answer is yes. We are made if the same elements as stardust (Neil DeGrasse Tyson) and when gone will break down to those elements again to be recycled.

It has even more meaning in my opinion when you realise thre isn’t anything afterwards. This life we have should be more precious because we know that we are not just auditioning for some part in god’s giant afterlife production in the skies!

Actually the fact that there is no afterlife actually makes this life even MORE valuable! Why? Because this is the only one we get! There are no do-overs.

Striving for the betterment of yourself and mankind, afterlife or not, gives meaning to life.

A close friend was raised very religious and after he stopped believing in god these were questions he continued to ask himself. Since life has no meaning for him he tried to kill himself recently. I didn’t realize how much his faith meant to him and how much he needed it. He recently has his faith back and asked me if I would judge him. He’s very sensitive and I didn’t realize how much this was hurting him.
*we are still best friends

My life means something to me.

Such a silly question. Of course life has meaning. YOUR life has meaning. MY life has meaning.

life is what you make of it. when it's done it's done. enjoy while you can.

Since there is no external authority to grant meaning to life, it only has meaning for you if you decide it does.

Of course it does. Does your car have a purpose? How about a sandwich?

Of course life has meaning! Every second of awareness is a precious gem, valuable beyond value. There’s no need to think about afterlives—we are in heaven all the time.

Life does not have to be "eternal" in order to have meaning. I is up to each individual to find meaning in their own lives.

Would it have meaning if there was an afterlife? I think people in heaven would also question the meaning of their existence.

Birth was not a choice, but living life should be and is a choice. There is no inherent one meaning for life, just because there is no one way of living life. Your meaning of life should adhere to your way of living life. However, the space where our lives are contained is a shared space. Therefore, we create some rules to abide by so that our subjectivity don't collide up to the point that we crush (which unfortunately is happening). The ordinary monkey way of living has evolved in such a way that we let these rules rule our inner selves so much that we can't find our inner selves anymore and everything feels like a burden. Life feels meaningless. Think about it.. when you were a child, you were mindlessly roaming everywhere, probably was not giving a damn about meaning of life. Then why do you give so much damn about meaning now? Because we are just bored, everything feels the same, we can't change things, we feel helpless, we can't create, we don't know where we are heading, it all looks like a fog. But I can argue that if you can start thinking like a baby again, you will see you would feel differently. But I know it's not easy. Time is a forward moving trajectory. So, if you choose to live, it's probably better to live the way your mind and body is in union which then generate joy and fulfillment. There are some known facts from past experiences, scientific discoveries through neuro-science, yogic science, what can lead towards the betterment of health and mind that we can follow to live longer and happier. Even though your body shares a lot of genetic memory, your mind already inherited a lot of baggage from the past, it's probably always better to believe in the fluid nature of mind that can change and strive towards bringing good for you and others. And if you definitely need a meaning for yourself to move forward, just create one. I believe in taking the full responsibility of this life I am carrying.

What, exactly, does death have to do with life anyway?

It's up to you. If you decide you don't have or want any meaning then that's your life. The rest of us get to make our own calls.
I'll do what I can when I can. I won't let anyone else take my choices.