GOD
GOD
The meaning of life is simply to live....
Every organism reaches this on their own and in their own way, therefore the significance or intent or import would be on one's own term.
He who knows, does not say. He who says, does not know...
Well, since I am a Christian, I have to incorporate my Christian worldview into my answer. I don't know why I am pouring forth my heart and soul on an online message board, since the OP likely is just using the "FREE COPY" thing to get people to post, but here goes...
The Meaning of Life...I think that every individual is born with unique talents, abilities, and personalities that God wants us to use to positively impact others and, hopefully, in the process, direct others to Him. (matthew 25:14-30). I will admit that I have been very blessed with many talents and with having such a great childhood and home life. I know far too many people who, at a young age, have already sufferred tremendous tragedies in their lives, whether deaths(loss of a parent, child, sister, brother), screwed-up famlly situations, or debillitating physical/mental illness. In my experience, these tragedies seem to occur to some of the most upstanding individuals I know...people far better than myself. I often question why...I don't know why...If I could understand everything God allowed to happen, well, He wouldn't be the great Creator...I just have to accept that God has a plan for everyones' life, and that life is transient..there is eternity before us. (Luke 13:30)
In the meantime, I think it is our duty to, again, use our talents to the best of our abilities to positively influence others & help those who are less fortunate. This doesn't necessarily mean that every individual should go and start X charity. It may just mean living a pretty "normal" life, while always keeping in mind that we are, in fact, dealing with other people on a daily basis who all have their own real problems/struggles that we may not know about. Sometimes, simply being a friend & a good parent/spouse/sibling/child to someone else is better than all the charity fundraising in the world...which is also important, but not everyone is in such a position to do something like that. To those who are able to achieve great prominence through their superstar talent, I think this (using their great influence to draw attention to charity work/their personal religious beliefs) is, in fact, a great endeavor.
In conclusion, I think that the meaning of life is that there is more than just this life...in the meantime, make the most of what God has blessed you with to make a positive difference in others' lives! He died so that you might live. While anything we do can never compare to this great sacrifice, the least we can do is to help others using that with which he blessed us.
Well, if you made it this far, thanks for reading my rather lengthy response!
Want a copy? Try this ...
http://rapidshare.com/files/73020147/OnceARunner.pdf
http://www.racingsnailclub.com/video/OnceARunner.pdf
... this site used to work to download a copy, photcopy thereafter for about $10.00, however, I suspect it has been given the boot. Too bad. It was xlent while it lasted.
Sweet!! Thanks...I'm currently printing my "new" copy!! You have NO IDEA how long I've been looking for a copy...and I just randomly decided to check the message board before calling it a night...Thanks, again! You made my week!