I’m not optimistic this will go anywhere before everyone agrees on the definition of meaning.

That said, this seems simple to me. We have a naturalistic account of life which centers on reproduction. Get yourself some self-copying organic molecules and everything else follows. One end of it is human agency. We have (descriptively) rational goals, purposes, intentions or whatever. Some are built in, e.g. pleasure and survival. Finally, we have linguistic meaning, interpretation and narration, which is important for community and socially-derived sense of self.

Somewhere in the mixture of mortality and social instincts, we get the emotional drive for fulfillment we vaguely call meaning. I’m skeptical that it somehow transcends the ordinary varieties listed above.

I agree that to a certain extent it would be subjective. Like, for one person it may entail being a doctor, for another joining the Peace Corps, and for yet another writing and making music.

However, I don't think it's totally arbitrary. Seems to me there are a limited number of ways we as humans find meaning in life (though it may be a large number, and I am not sure what number exactly it is). Part of that is because we evolved to enjoy and strive for certain things. We're social beings, so many people derive meaning from caring about others. We're inventive creatures, so many of us derive meaning from creating new things.

It's not actually ludicrous to say that a person could derive meaning from bricks or apples. What if I made a career out of growing apples? What if I grow massive orchards that will sustain me and secure my children's future as well as provide healthful food to others? I may not be able to derive meaning from one single apple, but a single apple can be a metaphor to me about the rest of my life.

Interesting thing about our evolution towards finding meaning in certain things: humans fall into depression if they truly cannot find personal meaning in anything. It seems we are somehow wired to NEED meaning in life. I'm not saying you need meaning to live, but to be generally happy/content with living you do.

And I'm sure there are some nihilists out there who would disagree, but I have yet to meet one who had a happy life and wasn't somehow depressed. Maybe the exception would be some sort of psychopath?

"The meaning of life is to give life meaning"

Well said!!!
I think that is the very definition, the essence, of living.

I don't think emoting or emotional attachment should be mistaken for meaning.

I think meaning has to equate to semantics where something meaningful is transmitted to the mind rather than just feelings.

If there is no purpose or meaning I don't think it something you can create by emoting over events with pseudo profundity.

The implication in the OP seems to be that there is no overarching meaning, and that we will find the most satisfaction in generating ever more novel, interesting and beautiful meanings. This is a creative endeavour, valued for its own sake as is the taste of different foods. And just as food is sustaining as well as tasteful, so is the creative evolution of new meaning. The pursuit is of beauty more than of truth (in the propositional sense at least).

I don't think emoting or emotional attachment should be mistaken for meaning. — Andrew4Handel

Quite true.

"Making meaning" is a serious matter.

There are lots of issues with meaning making.

One issue is conflicting values. One persons meaning can easily chronically conflict with anothers (for example religions vs atheism) (Capitalism vs communism) and so on and there is no way to resolve this kind of dispute.

This is one reason I think making meaning is dubious as opposed to discovering meaning. If there is an objective or inherent meaning it unlikely to lead to subjective value clashes.

I don't think enjoying something equals making meaning because I don't think we can choose what we enjoy. If you love your family and have meaningful relationships with them I don't see that as a choice but rather luck.

Finding meaning in Bach or Newton or Renoir I don't see as making meaning because you are being provided by meaning from someone else.

So in what sense is anyone making meaning as if from nothing or truly self generated?

To some extent I see emoting as an enemy to true meaning were emotional coercion is used to advocate the supremacy of ones meaning rather than reason.

Finally it seems wrong to create children and then put the onus on them to validate their existence. It is a cop out for parents who failed to make a child's life meaningful.

There’s no such thing as objective meaning, only relative meaning, hence any meaning we hold true is inherently aligned with our internal view, as we see it from a perspective that removes all doubt. Discovering our own meaning to our life and seeing the absolute truth in that is entirely fulfilling, but it’s simplicity makes it one of the most complex ideas to comprehend. Even generally accepted ‘meanings’ are still entirely individualistic, as mentioned with the example of what it is to be blind. The signature of our own essence is present in every experience and interaction we’ll ever face, as we only ever perceive through the filter of our own mind and past experience, which in itself is our essence. That essence is life and it’s that life that applies meaning, so in the act of life asking what is the meaning of life, the meaning of life would be to give life meaning.

In Dutch the word 'meaning' is the same as 'desiring'.

So you get the sentence: The meaning of life is the desiring of life.
"De zin van het leven is zin in het leven."

P: We can give our own life meaning by ourselves alone — intrapersona

This would be like saying I can have an enjoyable conversation with myself. It is possible. I think you'd need to imbibe in drugs though.