What is the Purpose of Life?: A Reflection on Existence

[Lisa!]

I enjoy my life most of time since I try not to worry about the future and just do something to make a better future. I try not to think about things that I can never change and I just try to change my view about this problem. Whenever life is to difficult to stand, I calm myself by saying "Thanks to God almighty, we're free at last!".
But sometimes I ask myself "What will happen at the end?" and then I think the whole world and life is silly or confusing. Some people say there is another world and things like that. It sounds like a game to me "Why has God created us?" ! On the other hand, some peole say there's no life and world after our death. It makes the situation even more confusing.

Now I want to ask you what's the purpose of life?

 

[Galileo]

Now I want to ask you what's the purpose of life?

You know, I just figured that out when I was on the toilet. But I forgot it already.

..sorry :uhh:

 

[Lisa!]

You know, I just figured that out when I was on the toilet. But I forgot it already.

..sorry :uhh:

:rofl: Sounds like you're too busy to think about it in another time!

 

[Tide]

To make the problem tractable, assume a spherical life ... ;)

Seriously, why rely on someone else to define the purpose of YOUR life and why not define your own purpose?

 

[Lisa!]

To make the problem tractable, assume a spherical life ... ;)

Seriously, why rely on someone else to define the purpose of YOUR life and why not define your own purpose?

I'm not going to rely on someone's else definition. I just want to know if others have any idea about that.

 

[Tide]

So would that be life in general, your life, my life? Can we narrow it down a bit? :)

 

[saltydog]

Lisa, there is no purpose of life. Now that may seem a grim perspective to some. I don't think so. Why should it? Why do humans need purpose? Why do we need life after death? Tough to let go isn't it? That is is our heritage, our adaptation to a harsh, unforgiving, cruel Darwinian world. I suspect it's such a heritage of "survival" that leads us to seek purpose. It's a survival strategy of a limited intellect. However, with time I believe a person can obtain the wisdom to transcend this limitation and live a very happy and productive life knowing fully well that there is nothing after death and no grand purpose to life at all.

 

[arildno]

Life. The great mystery. The all-embracer.
Or was that death?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

what's the purpose of life?

To eat, to reproduce, and to be eaten. Or did you mean what is the purpose of human life? In that case add: to avoid being bored.

 

[Mk]

"Thanks to God almighty, we're free at last!".
"Why has God created us?" !

You can easily avoid those to questions by become atheist. That should reduce your stress level.

 

[Astronuc]

Now I want to ask you what's the purpose of life?

Part of the journey of life is figuring out the purpose of life - or rather finding the purpose. Meanwhile, enjoy the journey.

"Don't worry, be happy" - Bobby McFerrin.

 

[HiPPiE]

Satisfaction of the faculties, discovery, happiness: distraction.

You can easily avoid those to questions by become atheist. That should reduce your stress level.

:0 also avoid an answer to the previous questions.

 

[Daminc]

I thought it might be:

"Find out your good points and try to enhance them. Find out your bad points and try to reduce them. Be honest with yourself".

It's something that'll last you a life time and if there's no meaning to life at least you'll become a better person (hopefully).

 

[Lisa!]

Being an atheist? I figured out to be an atheist. I thought a lot about it but being an atheist doen't really help. It just causes more questions in my mind.
Some of you say be happy ad enjoy your life. Ok I'm doing that, but why I came to this world "To make myself happy?". so base on it I should end my life whenever I'd think I couldn't be happy anymore!

Or was that death?

I think life is as mysterious as death.

So would that be life in general, your life, my life? Can we narrow it down a bit? :)

Well you can. But you know I think there's a purpose for life in general.

 

[El Hombre Invisible]

The purpose of life is to cook for you, clean for you, and satisfy your every desire for the rest of your wife. It would also help if she could point out any unfortunate spoonerisms you make at inappropriate moments.

On a more serious note, I think the question, and so the answer, can be split into:
- the purpose of a life;
- the purpose of life in general;
- personal purpose,
the difference between the first and last being that the purpose of a life holds for all life forms, while personal purpose is unique to each.

For the purpose of a life, we can look to what defines it. A living thing metabolises, grows and reproduces. All else is accidental, so you might say the purpose of a life is to metabolise, grow and reproduce.

All that is rather specific to one life. The metabolism of some life form long since dead is hardly relevant to you or me today. Reproduction is relevant, for were it not for my dear mother's ill-thought-out night of sexual abandon, I would not exist and would not have a life to have a purpose. The impact on my life of the reproduction of my ancestors is the realm of genetics and evolution. I'd say the purpose from this viewpoint is one of natural selection: to preserve the bloodline and refine the fitness of generations to come by advantageous sexual selection. I am proud to be a blight on the purpose of life in general, then. \o/

And finally personal purpose. This is not something intrinsic like the previous examples, for the purpose itself is unique, must be determined and may be transient. This is the realm of existentialism. The purpose of life is the great existential problem we must all face. Some people opt out of the problem by embracing some pre-packaged solution, such as religion, capitalisim or heroin addiction, while others permanently defer the problem, say by spending their lives drinking lager in front of the television. Others find something to dedicate their lives to and maybe achieve great things in one or more field, maybe achieve nothing despite trying. I'm not sure it really matters what approach you take, if any. There is no wrong or right path to existential relief, but I think most people would agree that dedicating your life to helping homeless kids is probably more rewarding than dedicating it to relieving yourself of junk sickness. And people will think you're a lot cooler, so you'll probably get a better range of prospective mates to refine your progeny's fitness for survival. The best way, of course, to find a quest you will be happy to dedicate your life to is to broaden the scope of your experience. Some people do this with travel, others work, others means of expression, others sex, others drugs... Plenty of areas to experiment in.

So I'd go for:
1. follow a healthy, balanced diet;
2. follow a good exercise regime;
3. choose your sexual partner(s) well;
4. shag often;
5. experience as much as you can, preferably without debasing yourself;
6. find something you like and hold onto it with both hands;
7. when you're done growing, child-rearing and achieving, do all the things you didn't let yourself do earlier in life just in case.

It's not a bad philosophy. Look after yourself, broaden your experiences, embrace free love but be discriminating, try to achieve something in your life, then screw it all and become a reclusive crack addict!

 

[LURCH]

Now I want to ask you what's the purpose of life?

I think the answer to that depends on what you mean by "life".

 

[HiPPiE]

Being an atheist? I figured out to be an atheist. I thought a lot about it but being an atheist doen't really help. It just causes more questions in my mind.

I agree basically. I think religion is good for comforting people and giving them an unquestionable reason. I personally can't believe in it so I ignore questions like... well, like the one I'm about to not ignore.

Some of you say be happy ad enjoy your life. Ok I'm doing that, but why I came to this world "To make myself happy?". so base on it I should end my life whenever I'd think I couldn't be happy anymore!

I think you should end your life if you're not happy anymore and the people around you wouldn't be hurt. And also if your unhappiness isn't temporary. It's hard to judge how temporary things are, of course, but it can be done :).

So I modify my previous statements. I think the purpose of one's life is to make EVERYONE happy. It just so happens that you have more power over your own life than those of others so often it's most effective that people concentrate on making themselves happy. But you should never forget the others!

 

[saltydog]

but why I came to this world "To make myself happy?". so base on it I should end my life whenever I'd think I couldn't be happy anymore!

You came to this world by chance caught on the wing: out to get the newspaper one ordinary day, a stroll to the corner store, a chance encounter, love, a relationship, a family . . . Lisa. There you go, all cus' of a newspaper. There's nothing wrong with that either. And you can't be certain you won't be happy anymore so that last part is inappropriate.

 

[Townsend]

Now I want to ask you what's the purpose of life?

There is no purpose...

Reality does not need a purpose

 

[vanesch]

Now I want to ask you what's the purpose of life?

According to Epicurus, the purpose of life is pleasure.

http://www.iep.utm.edu/e/epicur.htm

(look at part 5 Ethics).

 

[Bladibla]

I enjoy my life most of time since I try not to worry about the future and just do something to make a better future. I try not to think about things that I can never change and I just try to change my view about this problem. Whenever life is to difficult to stand, I calm myself by saying "Thanks to God almighty, we're free at last!".
But sometimes I ask myself "What will happen at the end?" and then I think the whole world and life is silly or confusing. Some people say there is another world and things like that. It sounds like a game to me "Why has God created us?" ! On the other hand, some peole say there's no life and world after our death. It makes the situation even more confusing.

Now I want to ask you what's the purpose of life?

What the heck do you mean you think 'im free at last ' when life is difficult? that makes no sense.

I don't see why you glorify your 'analysis' of life in the forms of questions which stupid wannabe philosophers/ACTUAL Philosophers ask. Why ask? Whats the point of it when you can't change with it the thing you do, let's say, in the next hour of your own life?

Philosophers should learn to laugh at themselves. A more important question, 'lisa!'. Are you trolling?

 

[JamesU]

This is an interesting thread.

I do think there's a purpose to life. I don't think anything exists without a purpose.

What's the purpose of an individual life?
--------------------------------------
A tough one to answer, though I think the purpose on one single individual life would be accompanying another life. If there was one individual life, it would be insignificant, because what is significance to a single being. Each and every life takes a role in others lives.

What's the purpose of life in general?
-----------------------------------
Even harder to answer. But I believe that the purpse of life in general is because nothing would exist without it. Actually, that may be the wrong way to put it. but what I mean is: how can one object 'exist' if another 'alive' object is not there to realize it? Without consiousness, nothing is realized, therefore, insignificant.

 

[Astronuc]

According to Epicurus, the purpose of life is pleasure.

The authors of the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution recognized the "pursuit of happiness".

The purpose is to make the journey between birth and death.

Live well and make it a long and meaningful journey.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Purpose? To BBQ steaks for Tsu.

As the good book says, "be fruitless and BBQ".

Seriously though, I think that no matter how we view things, be it from a religious, social, or evolutionary point of view, to me it makes the most sense that we are to make the most of ourselves. So I say follow your heart and be great at whatever you do; and learn how to be happy.

 

[Lisa!]

This is an interesting thread.

I do think there's a purpose to life. I don't think anything exists without a purpose.

What's the purpose of an individual life?
--------------------------------------
A tough one to answer, though I think the purpose on one single individual life would be accompanying another life. If there was one individual life, it would be insignificant, because what is significance to a single being. Each and every life takes a role in others lives.

What's the purpose of life in general?
-----------------------------------
Even harder to answer. But I believe that the purpse of life in general is because nothing would exist without it. Actually, that may be the wrong way to put it. but what I mean is: how can one object 'exist' if another 'alive' object is not there to realize it? Without consiousness, nothing is realized, therefore, insignificant.

Are you sure you're 13?

 

[Lisa!]

Purpose? To BBQ steaks for Tsu.

As the good book says, "be fruitless and BBQ".

Seriously though, I think that no matter how we view things, be it from a religious, social, or evolutionary point of view, to me it makes the most sense that we are to make the most of ourselves. So I say follow your heart and be great at whatever you do; and learn how to be happy.

Good.
Can I ask you why we should make the most of ourselves?

 

[Daminc]

Why not?

Too many people say "Why should I?" when faced with something to do when they should be asking "Why shouldn't I?".

We ARE the sum of our experiences. The more we do the greater we are.

--------

On a weirder note I've thought that the meaning of life was to tie up loose energy:

In the beginning there was a big bang and chaos reigned.
Within the midst of the chaos the gods were formed to pacify the chaos and so they made the stars and the planets to tie the chaos together with order.
One day the gods got together and one said "B*gger this for a lark there's got to be an easier way"
And the goddess of wisdom spoke "Yer right. We've got to find a way to automate the whole thing before I break another nail".
And so the god's made life to increase the order in the universe.
The goddess said "Let them reproduce themselves so we can go and have a holiday, I'm knackered."

 

[JamesU]

Are you sure you're 13?

is this a compliment?

 

[Lisa!]

is this a compliment?

That depends you like looking older or not.

 

[Skyhunter]

Now I want to ask you what's the purpose of life?

Since you mentioned God I thought this might be of interest.

Fortunately for God, he has no religion (chuckles.)

The other thing that we shall say is required in this time is that you understand fully what God’s Will truly means. For it always helps to know the rules of the game before you play it. God’s Will is the exchange of Love. To go against God’s Will is to exchange something other than love. How well you love, how much you love, that is what each soul has as their homework – the giving and receiving of love is really the only commandment God gives us. Under that one commandment, you could put all the other commandments and another hundred you could make up, and they all fit into – give and receive only love.

 

[Lisa!]

Since you mentioned God I thought this might be of interest.

Thanks. That was intersting.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Good.
Can I ask you why we should make the most of ourselves?

So that your life will have purpose?

 

[JamesU]

That depends you like looking older or not.

huh?

 

[Lisa!]

So that your life will have purpose?

OK.

huh?

That was a compliment because you were talking like people who are older than your age.

 

[JamesU]

oh...thank you