Finding Purpose in Life: An Epicurean Perspective

[hypnagogue]

To put this in perspective, I think we need to step back a second and consider these words of wisdom from Jack Handy:

"Perhaps, if I am very lucky, the feeble efforts of my lifetime will
someday be noticed, and maybe, in some small way, they will be acknowledged as the greatest works of genius ever created by Man."

 

[zoobyshoe]

To put this in perspective, I think we need to step back a second and consider these words of wisdom from Jack Handy:

"Perhaps, if I am very lucky, the feeble efforts of my lifetime will
someday be noticed, and maybe, in some small way, they will be acknowledged as the greatest works of genius ever created by Man."

Yup. Words to live by.

 

[Astronuc]

Here's something to conside -

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wamc/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=871153

Mary talks with Maggie Baker, a nurse who just spent six months
in Darfur with Doctors Without Borders. Maggie shares her experiences
and gives us a glimpse of what life is like for the Sudanese refugees in that region.

It's not as Earth shattering as the Theory of Relativity, but Maggie Baker has a huge difference in the lives of women and children in Darfur, Sudan. And that is way more important than any discovery. Her name probably will not go down in history or science books, but her work is way more important. And there are many others like her.

Some of the top Afrobeat artists from around the world joined forces recently to help the victims of the conflict in Sudan. They put together an album called ASAP... The Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project. All the proceeds of the album go to help send food, water and medicine to the refugees in Darfur through Oxfam.

One can learn more about the album at www.modiba.net

 

[Astronuc]

For myself, I don't care about being rich and famous.

At the end of the day, I just want to the best that I can do in my work, and I am satisfied. Actually, I enjoy the intellectual challenges, which are sometime pretty enormous, I have a lot of fun, and I get paid very well.

Sure I'd like to make more money, but no for myself. If I had lots more money, I could hire more people, and do more cool research.

As long as my work contributes to improvement of humanity, I don't care if no one knows about it.

 

[scott_alexsk]

What kind of Engineer are you anyways Astronuc?
-Scott

 

[Astronuc]

It's in my bio, but I am a nuclear engineer with specialties in nuclear fuel, materials (particularly high temperature materials) and power systems (particularly nuclear propulsion systems for spacecraft - my area of research in university). And I have interests in sustainable technologies, alternative energy sources, transportation, and environmental sciences.

 

[scott_alexsk]

I suppose my purpose is to learn and to make the quality of life better for humanity. I would like to do research work in Chemistry. I think I have to also write a book on Thomas Nast before I die (only 90 years left!).
-Scott

 

[Astronuc]

I suppose my purpose is to learn and to make the quality of life better for humanity. I would like to do research work in Chemistry. I think I have to also write a book on Thomas Nast before I die (only 90 years left!).
-Scott

Probably a good time to start jotting down some notes and thoughts on Thomas Nast. No time like the present to get started.

 

[scott_alexsk]

Don't worry about that. I have already read extensivley on the topic and have written a 20 page paper on his affects over three years. (don't refer to the one in the history section, that was the bad version). I only began contemplating writing a book about Nast when one of the experts I was interviewing said he did not think he would get a chance to write his book (he is over seventy). By the way the expert is a former political cartoonist for the Washington Post named Draper Hill. It was necessary for me to do such indepth research since there is no good book written about Nast. The one which is widely used is "Thomas Nast: His Period and His Pictures" by Albert B. Paine. This book has a large number of flaws and the author does not even site his sources. So there is a lack of any good book on Nast, which leads many historians to speculate inncorrectly on him. Most do not give Nast the credit he deserves, in taking down Tweed.
-Scott

Edit: Orginally the project was intended to win National History Day, but I think it has turned into much more than that.

 

[magi]

Ask your self what the universe need life for and what the universe is about.

The universe is space time or maybe strings and it all expand after the Big Bang.
Now if you take a rubber band and start a vibration you get a frequency.
If you expand it the frequency increase.
Our world get more and more complex and frequency's that we use in our technology increase all the time like radio, to tv, to radar and mobile phones, to atomic physics.
Is there a connection?

Now what is the universe all about?
In the beginning some of the photons transformed to electrons and then on to larger parikles.
Now it start stars and material is changed back into photons.

What is life about and where is it going?
Life overpopulated Africa, then Europe, then Asia, then USA, then the earth, then mars, then our solar system, then our galaxy and then the universe.
Now the universe have 90% black material and a lot of it is probably solar systems with suns that is to small to ignite and start fusion.
Life will need to ignite them to get planets to live on.
So a long time into the future we are going help the universe to make photons of material.

And that is why we exist.

The tension in the universe will increase and we are going to free material to release tension in the universe.

But this is just one step in why we exist in the universe.
Guess what the other steps are for us to do in the universe...

Wanna read my SciFi book "And there were light". :)

 

[vanesch]

I'm an epicurist, or try to be one. It is the most enjoyable view on life, I think.

Apart from that, when it enjoys me, I prepare the coming of the ants :tongue2: