Having said that, I find value in relationships, not jobs or hobbies or things. Meaning? There is no meaning. Things are as they are. And it’s beautiful.
So, if you still want life to be "worthwhile", you might as well ask it to be meaningful, it's pretty much the same thing, and meaningless is just another way of saying "not worth it".
Or inversely, "life having a meaning" or a "purpose" doesn't mean getting at an "ultimate understanding of life" or getting the "real meaning of life". Just means finding something meanigful (that makes life meaningful) to you. Somebody for example might find the meaning of life in travelling and getting to see the world, or find meaning in relationships as you said.
So sure, there can be meaning in being useful to society. But that's not really my point. My point is that meaning does not need to be a goal. If you hang your life's worth on the meaning you find, I am betting you're going to be disappointed a lot of the time. It doesn't need to be that way. Look beyond meaning for worth and value.
Well said.
Then what gave your life "worth" and "value" would be what gave it meaning.
You're pretty much saying the same thing, but with different semantics for meaning.
Meaning doesn't necessarily mean to "some big end goal". People use it for anything that they feel makes their life worth it ("gives it meaning"). So "being of help to others" to "enjoying family life and friendships" or "expressing myself through playing the piano" to "religion" can all be said to imply meaning.
I would normally feel a sense of ambiguity when somebody wrote of "giving their life meaning" (but less so when spoken, because they might emphasise '_/meanin/_'), but would not feel much about the phrase "the meaning of life", nor "life, the universe, and everything!".
And it's not just about “helpful” or “useful to society”, it can also be meaningful work if you e.g. can express yourself doing it.