Ever wonder what is your purpose in life? (1 Viewer)

[Bob McLaughlin]

I'd say the point is to do stuff you enjoy. It's just that simple.

Sometimes you have to do stuff you don't enjoy in the short term, and that's okay as long as it enables you to do stuff you enjoy at some point. Looking forward to things is often more fun than actually doing them. We all have bills to pay. But presumably we're paying these bills because we like having a place to live, toys to play with, etc. Also, not everything enjoyable costs money. And for some people, helping other people out can be the most enjoyable thing of all.

If you aren't enjoying life at least every once in a while, you aren't really living, you're just existing.

 

[Jacinto]

You're looking at the macro and not the micro. Life isn't about how you impact the whole world, but about individual, personal relationships. I think if you could see how you make others feel, through their eyes, you'd know exactly what you're here for. On a daily basis you make an impact on the lives of family, friends, spouses, children, and total strangers. Those interactions, no matter how brief, give our lives meaning.

 

[Julian Reville]

My 3 dogs think my purpose in life is to bring home bags of dog food.

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

My purpose in life has been painfully obvious since I was a child. What is less obvious is how I'm supposed to realize that purpose with all the challenges that have been presented. I guess that's the "fun" part.

 

[MarkHastings]

While I plan on having kids at some point, I seriously believe that it's bad to believe that reproduction is the purpose of life. The reason I feel so strongly about this is, just look at all of the people who get into trouble thinking that this is the reason.

I've talked about this with a female friend who lost her baby on her first attempt at having kids. She said it was devastating because she felt her purpose in life was to have kids and she failed at that. It depressed her SO much because she thought she failed at life.

What a HORRIBLE thing to do to yourself! And as was stated, what about those who can't have kids? What about those who are pressured into it because they feel they have nothing else going for them? What about those who think that having kids will make their "sucky" life better? etc.

It just seems to make for bad situations when we all start believing that the purpose of life is to create more life.

While some people were meant to, I believe that not everyone's purpose is to create life. As was stated, life is what you make of it. Perhaps there is no purpose to life. Why think you need to do these things in order to live a fulfilling life? That's rubbish!

I hate to bring up a Faith Hill quote, but the secret of life is, there ain't no secret...and you don't get your money back.

 

[Joe Szott]

The Lords of Silicia will reveal your purposes when it suites their need-wants. Do not have the hubris to believe you may guess their hive-will, meatbag.

*End of Line*

 

[Buzz Foster]

Well, I sure HOPE it isn't reproduction. I'm one of those...non-reproducing types.

 

[Justin Lane]

I hope you are not looking forward to streets of gold or mansions in the hereafter. I doubt a maker who preaches against material goods would defile his kingdom with manifestations of man's greed.


This is a tough question to answer.

More and more I think we are here to pass on our genetic material in the neverending chain of life.

Things I know we are not here for:

Working 40 Hours a Week to pay for Mortgages, Cars, and Food.

Judging others based on societal norms.

Arguing, Hatred or Prejudice.

Hopefully this thread will show us all the light


J

 

[JoeyR]

I agree, try reading the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Sheesh! Didn't anyone here watch It's A Wonderful Life? There's your answer right there.

 

[Zen Butler]

To smoke cannabis, watch movies and keep my cat happy. Pretty simple stuff. Oh and the occassional trip

 

[drobbins]

He has given us all free will. Material things, money, power, etc.. are not evil, it's what is done with them that can defile.

I have thought of life as a learning or training experience. Kind of like school. You get an education that will help you to some extent through the rest of you life. Even in 1st grade I knew that I would graduate, but I had to go through all the years anyway. There is no way to get to the end with out putting the time and effort in. Our life experiences on Earth builds our character and defines who we are.

For his homework yesterday, my son asked me how I would define success. I told him " to accomplish as much as your capable of, and being content when you do"

Dave

 

[BrianW]

I don't understand why the two necessarily contradict each other, but don't feel the need to explain.


The purpose of life is to figure out what the purpose of life is.

This isn't a mere tautology. That the Universe would give rise to life is remarkable enough. But life alone would not be sufficient to ponder -- much less answer -- such a deep question. No, not just life, but intelligent life, is required for the Universe to know itself. So the Universe, then, gave rise to us specifically so we could ponder that burning question.

Hence, the Universe exists in order to give rise to consciousness, and the Universe has given rise to consciousness in order to determine why the Universe exists.



It's either that, or chicks.

 

[Trey Fletcher]

They don't contradict each other. In fact a large portion of the scientific community rejects evolution and embraces intelligent design. These scientists are in every major university, and their research is in every discipline from microbiology to astronomy.

I could get into our purpose, but I'm concerned about where my post may lead in relation to this forums' rules.

 

[Holadem]

!!!

Large? Please. This is an extreme fringe of the scientific community getting a disproportionate amount of press because of the political repercussions of their "theory" to which a distressingly large and equally clueless portion of the populace responds favorably, because it serves as a bridge between unfounded beliefs (that's why they call it "faith", no evidence) and the academic legitimacy of science.

--
H

 

[Trey Fletcher]

Two things.

1. Legitimate science of the last 50 years has cast serious doubt ( I would personally use stronger words) on Darwins theory.

2. I would be more than happy to have a mature and respectful discussion of this topic (provided we don't raise the ire of the mods), but you'll have to dispense with calling me or anyone else with a different opinion "clueless."

 

[Lynda-Marie]

I like George Carlin's thoughts on the subject, that the PLANET wants plastics, but it couldn't figure out how to make the stuff itself, so it created us. Now that it has the plastics, the paradigm is "Earth + Plastics" and now the Earth is phasing us out, using viruses and global warming.

Or, if we were to quote the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: 42

Don't Panic!

 

[Lew Crippen]

Well if they don’t contradict one another, then I’m puzzled by the phrase “rejects evolution and embraces intelligent design”.

I’m really curious as to the Nobel Prize winners who “embrace” intelligent design. While I retain an open mind, it is very difficult to sort out what legitimate scientists are considering and what is being promoted by largely non-scientific groups who are opposed to evolution on religious grounds (e.g. the recent schoolbook including intelligent design that was merely a rehash of one written before the concept gained prominence.


I’d also be interested in any research submitted for peer review that ‘rejects evolution’ and ‘embraces intelligent design’. So far the literature I’ve read is more speculative and philosophical than being based on findings and observation.

Also if you could list some of the experiments performed that tend to confirm intelligent design (that can be or have been tested by others) and give some of the predictions by these prominent scientists that have been generated by consideration of ‘intelligent design’.

 

[BrianW]

Me too. "I'm not sure you know the meaning of that word." My point was that the two could easily be embraced simultaneously. Just because the Universe is intelligently designed (if, indeed, it is) doesn't mean that evolution isn't part of that design. How difficult is that?

That's not to say that Intelligent Design is science. It isn't. Science is not equipped to answer the question of ID any more than it is equipped to answer the question posed in this thread.

The longer I live, the more convinced I become that we are here to serve, to make the world a better place, to make the place better for future generations. No contribution is too small.

 

[Jay H]

Nice, I like that.

As mentioned in my original post, besides reproduction, the continuation of the species and all that crap, one would like to think that the individual would promote the whole, i.e. that one's life could be used to better the world, i.e. discover the cure for AIDS or perhaps rid the world of Malaria, things like that. That it's more than just earning a paycheck, buying a nice TV, going to watch mindless entertainment.

One of the things I have done the last three years is organize a bunch of hikes with a charity theme. Leading hikes to raise money for The Brain Tumor Society of Massachusetts. Over the three years I've done it, a small bunch of hard-core hikers have raised about $10k for research and support for familys affected by tumors. My mom had a very benign, minor form of brain tumor removed back in 1986. It is something small that I have had fun organizing. We chose some "hard" dayhike and we set a goal in hiking it. One year it was a 25 mile dayhike to hike the Devil's Path in the Catskills. This year is was a hike to hike the full Presidential Range in the White Mtns of NH. Next year, it might be a Great Range traverse in the Adirondacks... things like that.

No, I'm not curing cancer though I sincerely wish I was now, but it is about the one thing that makes me glad to be around.

Jay