Life – The Short Form

Les Pages aux Folles asked our readers to Twitter us the meaning of life. And, boy, did you come through! Here are some of the best tweets about the meaning of life that we received, with our thoughts in response.

* All I need to know about life I learned from 2 1/2 Men. - smarmysuit@blogfog.com

As a life philosophy, this seems rather limited. Still, it is the longest running sitcom currently on the air, so we're willing to allow that it might have something to teach us about the vagaries of existence.

* Life is a comedy to those who think and a...parody to those who – no, wait, that's not it. Life is a...polity to those who – damn! I knew it whe - ILikeIkea

Yes! The subtext of this tweet is that life is confusing, even when we're trying to quote somebody else's wisdom about it. Especially when we're trying to quote somebody else's wisdom about it.

* Must clean litter box. Maxime getting anxious. You wouldn't like Maxime when she was anxious. - mystere_wellington

Okay, this wasn't quite as deep or thoughtful as we expected. Still, the point is well taken: we all have our own personal litter boxes that must be periodically cleaned. After all, who among us would like Maxime when she was fretful?

* Walking to work. Street quiet. Too quiet... - antimoniuxm hmaxted synchronicarly

In these times of war and economic collapse, this message gets to the heart of our social anxieties. Maybe antimoniuxm hmaxted synchronicarly knows Maxime, maybe she's waiting for the Indians to attack. Either way, this tweet captures the harsh uncertainty of modern life.

* GETTING READY TO COME OUT TO MY FAMILY ABOUT BEING...BEING A...OKAY, I CAN SAY IT: A MAC USER! - Bagram Emmanuel

Family does give many people meaning in their lives. Maybe too much meaning. Especially family conflicts. Fortunately, this is a tweeting contest and not a self-help column, so we don't have to advise you on how to break your computer proclivities to your loved ones.

* Comedy is when you fall down a manhole and die. Tragedy is when I get a hangnail. Allergy is when I eat nuts. - Jared (not the Subway guy)

Pain, laughter, physical decay – this was so close to being profound!

* Like, you know, I know, it came to me in a dream, but then I woke up. You know? - slavinia8473612

We know. Oh, how we know. You don't need more than 140 characters to encapsulate the feeling of overwhelming...addleation doesn't really get at it. The frusterlation of the tip of your tongueness of the answer to the ultimate question is palpable in this tweet – the meaning of life is so close you can practically taste it – it has a...metallic savour with a hint of strawberries. Aaaah! If only we didn't wake up! Or, at least, had the sense to write the meaning of life down before we fully woke up and forgot it!

* Life? Don't talk to me about life! Brain the size of a computer, and what do they ask me to do? Pick up a piece of paper! - MtPA@AdamsNet.arg

Well! Somebody sure is impressed with himself! Remember: it's not the size of your brain, but what you do with it!

* Life sucks. Got guns and plenty of ammo. Am walking into school now. Am looking for high value targets. There's gym teacher. He'll do. Aim g - soul27sucker

Of course, we disagree with this young man's interpretation of the meaning of life. Yes, bad things happen, but good things happen, too: a blanket condemnation of all existence just doesn't seem right. Nonetheless, we admire the fact that, despite his negative attitude, he is, unlike many of his slacker generation, actually out in the world doing something.

* Why are tweets limited to 140 characters? What can anybody say in 140 characters? This is the shallowest manifestation of digital culture ye - asdeerffgthderfas_TheKhan

Questioning the rules? You may as well question why gravity points down or why you shouldn't wear socks with sandals or why Vin Diesel is allowed to keep making films. Some things cannot be questioned. Some things just are.

* Love each other. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. - theloavesandfishesdude

We have no idea what this means – the metaphors seem obscure. Obviously, some people didn't take our challenge seriously.