Finding Purpose in Life: An Epicurean Perspective

[Loren Booda]

Or, what is your reason for living?

 

[Evo]

Or, what is your reason for living?

My daughters. Maybe a certain special someone that might come along.

 

[Cyrus]

To pay taxes and die. Honestly, no damn clue.

 

[loseyourname]

While I understand the evolutionary reasons for that maternal instinct, I'm damn glad that something I could easily lose is not my reason for living. The simple joy of existence does it for me. Whatever else comes constitutes my reasons for doing things above and beyond simply living.

 

[zoobyshoe]

To find and kill the great white whale that bit my leg off.

 

[chroot]

To make myself happy; secondarily, to make others around me happy.

- Warren

 

[Gokul43201]

To make the most of the time and opportunity I have.

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

Just live I guess. I'd like to think that I have helped others and made them happy along the way too.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't really have a reason for living, it's just the one thing I know how to do really well, and the alternative doesn't sound nearly as fun.

 

[Dmstifik8ion]

To actualize my potential to do the following:
Define, justify and realize my own happiness.
Make the world a better place than the one I was born into and raised to despise by demonstrating the errors in thinking which lead people to despise themselves and the world they live in.
Teach myself and others how to earn self-respect and obtain the respect they deserve from others.
Determine and expose the roots of war and injustice.
Die knowing that I have lived and that it was a meaningful, worthwhile and well-deserved experience.

 

[sporkstorms]

Everything you all are saying sounds nice, but it's all like something out of an Oprah book of the week.

Let's be real here: The reason we all get out of bed in the morning is so we can be around to see the day when sharks have lasers, and robots do all the housework.
Oh yea, and I'm still waiting for the flying car.

 

[Archon]

Well, there's this girl...

Alternately, to test the limits of human endurance by drinking cranberry juice until I pass out.

But honestly...there really is a girl, and she's the closest thing I have to a purpose in life. Indeed.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I have an animal who depends on me. I have to feed her every morning. It's my responsibility. Other than that, my death would probably bring great sadness to my family. So I go on.

 

[PerennialII]

Continue nihilistic ways.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, according to my cats, I pretty much exist just to kiss their little butts. According to Tsu, I exist to kiss her little butt. According the the government, I exist to pay taxes.

I think that about covers it.

Oh yes, to solve problems.

 

[franznietzsche]

To work. I like working. If I didn't have work, I'd substitute drinking. If I didn't have vodka either, I'm sure i'd find some excuse.

 

[Shahil]

we live to reproduce

our offspring can then figure out what's the real reason...

 

[Lisa!]

Getting tired and sick of everything and everyone in the world!

 

[Kazza_765]

To paraphrase Arthur C. Clarke, The only important things are to learn and to love.

 

[marlon]

Or, what is your reason for living?

My sole purpose in life is to get rich or die trying.

marlon

 

[Shahil]

My sole purpose in life is to get rich or die trying.
marlon

You're listening to WAY too much 50cent

But then again, I think 50cent is living the life...he sings crap music about the same subject and he's probably richer than everyone on PF combined.

There's a life lesson their...do we live to enlighten and advance humanity OR is the real purpose of life to find a way to find the easiest way to live a life of luxury and excess with minimal regard for anyone else...

hmm...

 

[CosminaPrisma]

I think my purpose in life is whatever I make it to be. That I haven't decided yet.

 

[Astronuc]

To be.

To serve family, friends and humanity to the best of my abilities and to provide for the future.

To make the world a better place than when I came into it.

 

[Entropy]

Well, according to my cats, I pretty much exist just to kiss their little butts.

That's my purpose too. I wish I could see my cats right now. I'm going drop out of college and abondon my aspirations of being a physicists then move back in with my parents just so I can see my kitties again.

 

[Echo 6 Sierra]

To be.

To serve humanity to the best of my abilities and to provide for the future.

To make the world a better place than when I came into it.

I knew I liked you for some unknown reason! Since I'm not rich, famous, or handsome, (I KNOW! I can't believe it either!) I believe I'm to be here to be good and help someone. My secondary quest is the search for spiritual creaminess.

 

[marlon]

There's a life lesson their...do we live to enlighten and advance humanity

That's the life purpose for the all-time great minds of our day and age, as it has always been. Only geniuses like Mozart, Einstein, Bohr, etc etc are able to achieve that purpose. WE ARE NOT.

OR is the real purpose of life to find a way to find the easiest way to live a life of luxury and excess with minimal regard for anyone else...

hmm...

YES, it's called surviving. The average Jo Schmoe (which most of us are) can, at best, achieve this goal.

marlon

 

[inha]

To crush my enemies -- See them driven before me, and to hear the lamentation of their women!

 

[Entropy]

That's the life purpose for the all-time great minds of our day and age, as it has always been. Only geniuses like Mozart, Einstein, Bohr, etc etc are able to achieve that purpose. WE ARE NOT.

Bull. You don't have to be famous to improve humanity. Anyone can make improve the world, just not nescessarily to the extend they did. Plus, it can be easily argued that Einstein had just as much of a negative effect on society as he did a positive one. I mean, without him we wouldn't have the nuclear bomb.

YES, it's called surviving. The average Jo Schmoe (which most of us are) can, at best, achieve this goal.

There is no such things as an average individual. You say that like "regular people" (which don't actually exist) are like the scum of the Earth and that the famous are gods among men. Which is complete nonsense. Maybe you see yourself as insignificant, but that's not what I see in myself.

 

[Evo]

Oh yes, to feed my cats (and the possums of the world) and bring home fresh fruit salads for my fruit bat.

 

[daveb]

Well, mankind was put here to invent plastic so cats could lick it (why do they do that?) Other than that, I'm just a byproduct of that process.

 

[Bladibla]

To preach death and decay to the world

To make everyone atheists

Eat all living whales

Become a kick-ass engineer/scientist

 

[Dawguard]

To ease the pain of death.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Oh yes, to feed my cats (and the possums of the world) and bring home fresh fruit salads for my fruit bat.

When did you adopt a fruit bat?

 

[Evo]

When did you adopt a fruit bat?

It's my dog, Ricco.

 

[Kazza_765]

That's the life purpose for the all-time great minds of our day and age, as it has always been. Only geniuses like Mozart, Einstein, Bohr, etc etc are able to achieve that purpose. WE ARE NOT.


YES, it's called surviving. The average Jo Schmoe (which most of us are) can, at best, achieve this goal.

marlon

I've got to agree with entropy here, that's Bull. The world would be a much better place if every "Joe Schmoe" had the desire and the motivation to live for the advancement and preservation of humanity, rather than hoping one day they can afford to buy a nice new shiny SUV with a sunroof and live in a big house with a pool and tennis court. Most of us can not make the difference Einstein or Bohr or Gandhi or Nelson Mandella did, but if we all have the attitude you expressed above, then everything they did doesn't count for s***.

 

[moose]

I'll never die, so I will find out someday

EDIT: So who else actually thinks they will never die?

 

[Alkatran]

My goal in life is to not die for as long as possible.

As evidenced by this post, I'm not doing a very good job.

 

[Astronuc]

Death is the last thing I plan to do in this world.

 

[Pyrrhus]

My purpose in Life is to help.

 

[scorpa]

My purpose in life is to get an insanely high GPA to get into the program I want. It's a sad little existence I have :(

 

[Moonbear]

Death is the last thing I plan to do in this world.

Me too. Everyone has to try it once.

 

[Astronuc]

I knew I liked you for some unknown reason! Since I'm not rich, famous, or handsome, (I KNOW! I can't believe it either!) I believe I'm to be here to be good and help someone. My secondary quest is the search for spiritual creaminess.

Thanks E6S. It's always great to make new friends.

I don't care for wealth, except that it would allow me to do research, and support programs in sustainable development and environmental restoration and preservation. I live comfortably and provide for my family, occassionally a friend, and several charities.

I don't care for fame. I prefer to work quietly while drawing little attention.

I don't worry about being handsome - the avatar is not sexy or handsome - I'm like an old dog - just there for the people who need me or someone.

spiritual creaminess.

Eh?

 

[Reshma]

My purpose in life is...to have everlasting happiness!

 

[loseyourname]

I'll never die, so I will find out someday

EDIT: So who else actually thinks they will never die?

Oh, I'm going to try my best. Now that there exist brain interfaces that allow a quadrapelegic to control rudimentary robotic arms and computer cursors with his thoughts, I'm hoping within the next 50 years or so, we'll have full mechanical bodies and not have to worry about anything but preserving the brain. I suppose my goal between now and then is to retire with enough money to afford a robotic shell for my brain when my body starts to go.

 

[marlon]

Bull. You don't have to be famous to improve humanity.

I am not talking about famous people here, i am talking about exceptionally gifted people. They make the difference, they make the big contributions. What we do (ie the commoners like you and me) is not bad but it is neglgible with respect to the advancement of humankind.

I mean, without him we wouldn't have the nuclear bomb.

Wrong, Einstein never supported that particular implementation of his theories. Besides, this is an argument you can state about almost every onject that is known to mankind.

There is no such things as an average individual.

Yes there is, i am talking about average (physical, intellectual,...)capabilities.

You say that like "regular people" (which don't actually exist) are like the scum of the earth

How on Earth do you come to this conclusion ?

and that the famous are gods among men.

Again, you are mixing fame with capabilities.

Maybe you see yourself as insignificant, but that's not what I see in myself.

The chance of us doing actually something great is very small. With "something great" i mean, a new idea that really advances mankind. This can be for example a scientific development, writing a great piece of music, inveting new software that makes life much more easy, etc etc

marlon

 

[marlon]

"Joe Schmoe" had the desire and the motivation to live for the advancement and preservation of humanity, rather than hoping one day they can afford to buy a nice new shiny SUV with a sunroof and live in a big house with a pool and tennis court.

Don't you know that 99.9% of the Joe Scmoes that are trying to achieve the goal you mentionned, actually never acquire it ? Hell, most people only dream about it but they do not have the guts/intelligence/perseverance to actually make the necessary moves to get to that goal.

So, what you state here, really, is pure nonsense since you obviously are using an example that contains a fundamental "contradictio in terminis".

Sorry

regards
marlon

 

[Astronuc]

I mean, without him [Einstein] we wouldn't have the nuclear bomb.

No, it was inevitable once the nuclear structure of matter was discovered. Rutherford's experiments with alpha particle showed the dense nuclear core of an atom, Chadwick determined the existence of the neutron (1932), Otto Hahn and F. Strassmann (1936 to 1938)(http://nobelprize.org/chemistry/laureates/1944/press.html) discovered the fission process with a lot of work from Lise Meitner, and Fermi and Leo Szilard started thinking about the priniciples of a chain reaction.

Marlon - you and the others here at PF are far from common. Don't give up yet, but when an opportunity arises - seize it.

 

[Curious3141]

To ensure it is one of loud desperation.

 

[Entropy]

No, it was inevitable once the nuclear structure of matter was discovered.

So? Relativity probably would have been discovered (in one form or another) eventually too, even without Einstein. Understand where I'm going with this?

 

[Entropy]

What we do (ie the commoners like you and me) is not bad but it is neglgible with respect to the advancement of humankind.

Thats not what you where implying in your previous pst. You where implying that the "little" people can't make a difference at all, and they that only serve selfish needs that help them survive.

Besides, this is an argument you can state about almost every onject that is known to mankind.

Yeah, that was my point.

Yes there is, i am talking about average (physical, intellectual,...)capabilities.

I know. You fail to understand what the definition of average is. Most people don't have an IQ of 100 even though it is the average IQ. And just because people have similar intellegence and/or capabilities doesn't mean that have anything else in common. What type of capabilities? Math skills? Writing skills? Drawing? Running? Jumping? Swimming? Social skills? Management? Finances? Carpendry? Masonry? Etc.? How many people in the world do you think are just "average" at EVERYTHING. Chances are your good at something (maybe not the best) that most people aren't good at. Taking this into account, there is no such thing as an average person.

The reason I'm making a big deal out of this is because I don't like being labled an average joe, because I don't have anything in common with 99% of the people you call average joes, other than the fact that we're not famous.