Detector, why do we have to have a purpose? Why is it necessary, such an essential thing?
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Detector, why do we have to have a purpose? Why is it necessary, such an essential thing?
As organisms on this earth we have one essential purpose. To Procreate. I think the Bible even says that we should go forth and bear many children. If you need me, i'll be fulfilling my life purpose >:)
So if you're unable to procreate due to age or illness, you should just kill yourself because you have no purpose?
If it isn't necessary, many humans spend an awful lot of time looking for one. Books have been written on it. It's like we have an inner desire to make sense of our world and our place in it.Quote:
Originally posted here by thesecretfire
Detector, why do we have to have a purpose? Why is it necessary, such an essential thing?
From "Solid Living In A Shattered World " by William H. Hinson (pp. 124-25): "In one of George Moore's novels, he wrote about the peasants in Ireland during a severe famine. Many of the people were given jobs building roads with primitive equipment. For a time, the people worked with their picks, shovels, and wheelbarrows. They were so grateful to have employment, to have a reason to receive their bread, that they whistled and sang as they labored. After a time however, they discovered the roads they were building ended up in dreary bogs and swamps. In reality, the roads they were leading lead nowhere, and with that realization, a tremendous change came over the workers. Their cheerfulness disappeared. They became unhappy and disgruntled. They became difficult to deal with. All of the whistling and singing disappeared. The observation was made that, 'Roads that lead to nowhere are hard to build.'"
How do people make it without a purpose in life? How do we make it if we don't have something to look forward to? How do we make it without meaning?
People's insistence on searching for a meaning comes from our innate lack of self confidence, or simply the fear that we don't know where we're aiming in life. I prefer to live my life to the best of my ability, and keeping to basic principles of what I consider "good". I happen to base these principles on typical Christian morals, but that's just because of how i was raised. I believe that only once we're done on this plane of existence will we ever be able to see what out purpose is, and whether we achieved it. So why don't we all just live by the principles: treat other's with respect, play nice, and don't worry too much, everything will fall into place.
Oh, and BTW. My Previous post about procreation was just an attempt to add a leetle bit of humour to quite a serious topic, so I wasn't insinuating naything about those who can't procreate due to illness/old age. ;)
Quote:
Originally posted here by Flibberdy
People's insistence on searching for a meaning comes from our innate lack of self confidence, or simply the fear that we don't know where we're aiming in life. I prefer to live my life to the best of my ability, and keeping to basic principles of what I consider "good". I happen to base these principles on typical Christian morals, but that's just because of how i was raised. I believe that only once we're done on this plane of existence will we ever be able to see what out purpose is, and whether we achieved it. So why don't we all just live by the principles: treat other's with respect, play nice, and don't worry too much, everything will fall into place.
Oh, and BTW. My Previous post about procreation was just an attempt to add a leetle bit of humour to quite a serious topic, so I wasn't insinuating naything about those who can't procreate due to illness/old age. ;)
So I hear you saying (correct me if I'm wrong) that really the way to get through life is to not worry about meaning, but to do the best you can and make your own way as best you can. But how does one deal with the tradgedies of life? And if we can only know our purpose after we die, isn't it too late then? And if we don't know the purpose of this life, how is it that we will know it after we die?
what in the world is this thread all about?
How do we deal with tragedies in life? You don't need a book to tell you how to do that. Just a little confidence and maybe support from fellow human beings.
It has meaning to me and my family. That's what i am concerned about.
I've stopped trying to figure out how and why I got here...it's a waste of time. I'm just trying to figure out what to do now that I am here.....
KD - well said.