Purpose

I've been thinking a lot about my place in the world lately...

You see, i'm stuck between several points of view.

One is that in the end, nothing matters and it all will come to an end eventually. So I should just spend my life being happy and making the best of a pretty crappy situation.

Another is that nothing is set in stone, and that the universe doesn't have predeterminded operations and that an infinite number of factors can change the course of the ultimate fate of the universe...Thus I should live my life for the sake of future generations. I should make progress a priority and not my own happiness.

Then there's the view that the universe is linear, and everything that happens within it has been mathimatically and physically predetermined at the beginning of its existence. So basically, every feeling, thought,action,...even my desire to create this thread and discuss this topic is all apart of a "plan" created by the universe...No matter what decision I make or thoughts I create...they aren't a result of my free will, and I have no control over my purpose. Thus I am a Zombie :p

Not sure where I was going with that last view *ahem* :rolleyes:

But anyway...what view do you guys and gals have on your purpose?

Edit: I think some may have misinterpreted what I am asking.

To rephrase: What do you think you should do with the time you have as a live human being on Earth?

What should you aspire towards based on your beliefs and understanding of the universe?

Wether the Universe is pre-ordained or not doesn't make any difference - the end result is exactly the same; Wether it is a planned series of random events, or an unplanned series of random events, we will still experience it as a series of random events.
All human endeavor is ultimately futile, as unless we can figure out a way to leave our own solar system and inhabit a new one, then we will have the same fate as our sun.

But seeing as that is billions of years in the future, it isn't something that should worry anyone.

It's a consequence of the human condition that we try to attach "meaning" to events, as if there was a narrative to your life - rather than just view them as "events". We think that there has to be a 'reason' or a 'purpose' to these events - becuase we are so self-centred as a species and as individuals, that the idea that things just happen regardless of our feelings on the matter seems unfair.
This goes right back to how we first began to understand our natural surroundings - a form of magical thinking - making us think we could have some kind of control over nature by say, sacrificing something to some diety in order to have an effect on our lives; like making it rain, or making the crops grow.
Some people still believe that they can have a magical effect on events simply by mumbling words to themselves in the form of prayer.

The universe is indifferent to your actions. It has no concept of "fair" or "unfair".


But that's not to say that life is pointless.
You will only be remembered by those people that you have had an influence on during your time on earth (or as a result of your time on earth). Wether this is a positive influence or a negative influence is up to you. Surely better to be a positive one ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwRDwES-jt8

Fate/Destiny and the idea of time being one incredibly long script, both suggest the presence of a higher power. Neither are ideas I find plausable.
Likewise for the idea of a 'purpose'. Purpose implies I was created to carry out a certain role. I was not 'created', I just 'happened'.

I get that people want to find a certain calling in life. Something they're just really good at doing or enjoy so much they could do it their entire lifetime, but I disagree that there's some mystical force in the Universe deciding what that ought to be.

Personally, I feel no need for a 'purpose', I'm happy enough just doing what I enjoy.

I feel no "purpose", I just live my life to the fullest :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Macnme

Wether the Universe is pre-ordained or not doesn't make any difference - the end result is exactly the same; Wether it is a planned series of random events, or an unplanned series of random events, we will still experience it as a series of random events.
All human endeavor is ultimately futile, as unless we can figure out a way to leave our own solar system and inhabit a new one, then we will have the same fate as our sun.

But seeing as that is billions of years in the future, it isn't something that should worry anyone.

It's a consequence of the human condition that we try to attach "meaning" to events, as if there was a narrative to your life - rather than just view them as "events". We think that there has to be a 'reason' or a 'purpose' to these events - becuase we are so self-centred as a species and as individuals, that the idea that things just happen regardless of our feelings on the matter seems unfair.
This goes right back to how we first began to understand our natural surroundings - a form of magical thinking - making us think we could have some kind of control over nature by say, sacrificing something to some diety in order to have an effect on our lives; like making it rain, or making the crops grow.
Some people still believe that they can have a magical effect on events simply by mumbling words to themselves in the form of prayer.

The universe is indifferent to your actions. It has no concept of "fair" or "unfair".


But that's not to say that life is pointless.
You will only be remembered by those people that you have had an influence on during your time on earth (or as a result of your time on earth). Wether this is a positive influence or a negative influence is up to you. Surely better to be a positive one ;)

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You lost me after the first sentence

& yet you quoted the whole thing? :confused:

We all have a purpose on this very planet for a reason --- God has a test for us. Where is it? This very planet. When we die and live healthy and great, we have passed this test. And that has a reward.

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Originally Posted by madmarsrocks

We all have a purpose on this very planet for a reason --- God has a test for us. Where is it? This very planet. When we die and live healthy and great, we have passed this test. And that has a reward.

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Which God?
Jehova? Vishnu? Zombi? Buddha? Zues? Ra? The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

And are you saying that an unborn featus has somehow "failed" a test and that this has a purpose?
That a child that dies in infancy's purpose on the planet was to die in infancy?

Nope - I don't buy into that.

We are simply a form of highly evolved bacteria that has gained the unusual ability of self-introspection.

There is no "purpose" to life. Not even the much purported "to pass on our dna" imperative. Just because a bunch of chemicles randomly started to self-replicate billions of years ago, doesn't mean that the "purpose" of our existence is to follow that trend.

"Purpose" & "Meaning" are human concepts that don't hold much weight in the physical universe.

You are looking at things from the wrong perspective.
For instance;
Do you think the "purpose" of the meteorite that killed off the dinosaurs was to actually kill off the dinosaurs? and the "meaning" of this event was so that human beings would be able to evolve from the evolutionary niche that was now free'd up?

Nope, the meteorite would have been completely indifferent to the "impact" it would have. (see what I did there?)
It may have been the consequence of that particular meteorite strike, but the meteorite itself had no "purpose" or "meaning" - it had been randomly dislodged from the the kypher belt when it started on it's course for planet earth.
Without that meteorite strike, none of us would be here today.

Think on that when you are deciding what "purpose" or "meaning" your life has ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Macnme

Which God?
Jehova? Vishnu? Zombi? Buddha? Zues? Ra? The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

And are you saying that an unborn featus has somehow "failed" a test and that this has a purpose?
That a child that dies in infancy's purpose on the planet was to die in infancy?

Nope - I don't buy into that.

We are simply a form of highly evolved bacteria that has gained the unusual ability of self-introspection.

There is no "purpose" to life. Not even the much purported "to pass on our dna" imperative. Just because a bunch of chemicles randomly started to self-replicate billions of years ago, doesn't mean that the "purpose" of our existence is to follow that trend.

"Purpose" & "Meaning" are human concepts that don't hold much weight in the physical universe.

You are looking at things from the wrong perspective.
For instance;
Do you think the "purpose" of the meteorite that killed off the dinosaurs was to actually kill off the dinosaurs? and the "meaning" of this event was so that human beings would be able to evolve from the evolutionary niche that was now free'd up?

Nope, the meteorite would have been completely indifferent to the "impact" it would have. (see what I did there?)
It may have been the consequence of that particular meteorite strike, but the meteorite itself had no "purpose" or "meaning" - it had been randomly dislodged from the the kypher belt when it started on it's course for planet earth.
Without that meteorite strike, none of us would be here today.

Think on that when you are deciding what "purpose" or "meaning" your life has ;)

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You are obviously not a Christian, are you?

Quote:

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Macnme

Which God?
Jehova? Vishnu? Zombi? Buddha? Zues? Ra? The Flying Spaghetti Monster?

And are you saying that an unborn featus has somehow "failed" a test and that this has a purpose?
That a child that dies in infancy's purpose on the planet was to die in infancy?

Nope - I don't buy into that.

We are simply a form of highly evolved bacteria that has gained the unusual ability of self-introspection.

There is no "purpose" to life. Not even the much purported "to pass on our dna" imperative. Just because a bunch of chemicles randomly started to self-replicate billions of years ago, doesn't mean that the "purpose" of our existence is to follow that trend.

"Purpose" & "Meaning" are human concepts that don't hold much weight in the physical universe.

You are looking at things from the wrong perspective.
For instance;
Do you think the "purpose" of the meteorite that killed off the dinosaurs was to actually kill off the dinosaurs? and the "meaning" of this event was so that human beings would be able to evolve from the evolutionary niche that was now free'd up?

Nope, the meteorite would have been completely indifferent to the "impact" it would have. (see what I did there?)
It may have been the consequence of that particular meteorite strike, but the meteorite itself had no "purpose" or "meaning" - it had been randomly dislodged from the the kypher belt when it started on it's course for planet earth.
Without that meteorite strike, none of us would be here today.

Think on that when you are deciding what "purpose" or "meaning" your life has ;)

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by madmarsrocks

You are obviously not a Christian, are you?

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This ^
Is the funniest thing ive read on here in a while.

When you think your place in the universe is as insignificant as dust in a desert... you're wrong. Our planet... no, our galaxy is as insignificant in the universe as a particle of dust in a desert. Our existence is more than a billion times lesser than that. We're nothing. Neither you and me will ever do or change anything that matters in the cosmic flow, as no man or living creature ever has. We're just the very tiny spot that had the luck of falling right into all the astronomical sets of odds favouring the creation of life. And ironically, our species is working hard to screw up that very spot.

Our insignificance will become obvious to all when dreaming Cthulhu rises from his house at R'lyeh in the bottom of the ocean :p

My view on purpose?
The purpose of your life is whatever you choose it to be. Live your life so that you can be satisfied with what you've accomplished.

Word to the wise: don't let your purpose be something grand/utopian like to "change the world for the better" or "save humanity from its evils". Bad things await down that path. :hood:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gilgamesh

Word to the wise: don't let your purpose be something grand/utopian like to "change the world for the better" or "save humanity from its evils". Bad things await down that path. :hood:

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Trueism

Don't go for the lofty "Save the World" ideals;
Focus on the small, simple things you can do to improve the lives of the people around you - Empathy is one of the most "human" emotions there is.;

Like this guy; He's got a purpose to his life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddkyBh9GuJc&NR=1

Put it this way: Who cares about global warming? It means we get warmer weather. How is that a bad thing?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Macnme

Trueism

Don't go for the lofty "Save the World" ideals;
Focus on the small, simple things you can do to improve the lives of the people around you - Empathy is one of the most "human" emotions there is.;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddkyBh9GuJc&NR=1

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Or you could choose the impossible and build a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, Where the great would not be constrained by the small!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Macnme

Wether the Universe is pre-ordained or not doesn't make any difference - the end result is exactly the same; Wether it is a planned series of random events, or an unplanned series of random events, we will still experience it as a series of random events.
All human endeavor is ultimately futile, as unless we can figure out a way to leave our own solar system and inhabit a new one, then we will have the same fate as our sun.

But seeing as that is billions of years in the future, it isn't something that should worry anyone.

It's a consequence of the human condition that we try to attach "meaning" to events, as if there was a narrative to your life - rather than just view them as "events". We think that there has to be a 'reason' or a 'purpose' to these events - becuase we are so self-centred as a species and as individuals, that the idea that things just happen regardless of our feelings on the matter seems unfair.
This goes right back to how we first began to understand our natural surroundings - a form of magical thinking - making us think we could have some kind of control over nature by say, sacrificing something to some diety in order to have an effect on our lives; like making it rain, or making the crops grow.
Some people still believe that they can have a magical effect on events simply by mumbling words to themselves in the form of prayer.

The universe is indifferent to your actions. It has no concept of "fair" or "unfair".


But that's not to say that life is pointless.
You will only be remembered by those people that you have had an influence on during your time on earth (or as a result of your time on earth). Wether this is a positive influence or a negative influence is up to you. Surely better to be a positive one ;)

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Good ol' Macnme, I had a feeling you would be the first to respond! LOL :love:

But I have to respectfully disagree with some of your points. :frightened:

First off, I don't believe purpose is the result of the "human condition". nor because of our egos.

In fact, I believe the concept of purpose comes from our ability to perceive cause and effect.

For example, life on earth is possible because of a series of virtually perfect cosmic events.

Therefore, I can say that the purpose of the Sun is to sustain life on earth...or be really hot and shiny. :p

Since we are called "life"forms, the purpose of life's existence is to simply...live, in anyway possible.

Eh...I wish I knew how to explain this better...

Also, this "meaning" we attach to things, is the brains way of interpreting the variety of things we perceive around us.

And I'm not sure what you meant by "fairness", could you elaborate? :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnipySev

Or you could choose the impossible and build a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, Where the great would not be constrained by the small!

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Ya know....i think someone actually built Rapture in LBP. :P

http://i364.photobucket.com/albums/o.../CarlSagan.jpg

I thought our purpose was clear; Play, Create, and Share. :p

With some elemant of seriousness now:

The only real view I have on our purpose is religious based.
So, my perspective on our purpose is to be kind to others, be appreciative of their views (religious, political, cultural) and practice your own beliefs.
Also, try and do good instead of wrong to try and achieve a better life (aka The Afterlife)

It is quite unfortunate that the only perspective I can offer is from a religious origin. Sorreh. :(

In all honesty the only purpose we have is to **** ourselves up in a different way to everyone else. :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tecnoguy1

Put it this way: Who cares about global warming? It means we get warmer weather. How is that a bad thing?

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Seriously, where have you been living the last decade? >_> I am not the greenest person alive, but the effects of global warming have been a fairly constant subject in the media that is hard to miss.
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When I considered there may be no purpose I simply felt apathetic about life. But when I thought more about it, that should be no reason to stop trying at whatever you want to do or become. If life is simply for the living, I wouldn't mind a bit.

I think why people are always searching for a purpose to life, the universe and everything is the fact that we need one. We want something to make what we do worthwhile and to have an aim to strive for. As people we are dependent on culture and order to tell us what to do. We give ourselves purposes everyday, its how we go through our lives. But I think I would rather give myself my own purpose than have one set out for me. :hatsack: