[quote]michael2507 wrote:
I believe that life simply happens because I see no necessity for it being otherwise.[/quote]
At the human level there is, however, the paradox of choice…
[quote]Professor X wrote:
However, you do have a purpose, don’t you? You feel it as the motivator waking you up in the morning, causing you to go to school, to search for friends, to have sex and to eat. You feel hints of it upon logging into a forum with the hopes of finding like-minded individuals being present who also felt they had a purpose stronger than simply the act of being. It pushes you to do something…more than simply following in line.[/quote]
…[opens mouth to speak; stops himself]…I’m going to skip over a lot and say two true things:
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Every major life change I’ve been through–school choices, career choices, marriage–happened with an observable concatenation of events that made me believe in fate, or at least that MY life has a script or plan.
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If there’s a nobler thing I can do with my life (after taking care of my vital needs) than be good/helpful to other people, I haven’t yet figured it out.
(Even on this website, I try to contribute in a way that justifies what I take away.)
[quote]Pauli D wrote:
Suspended simply by grace, I am content for anything to happen.
Not my words, but an interesting and worthwhile outlook nonetheless.
Contentedness not in the sense of passivity, not in the sense of submissive or weak-minded compliance, but simply content and quite grateful for all that has happened, all that has not and for all the potential and possibility that lies ahead.
Very well written, Professor X.
Peace
[/quote]
Do you think many people even realize that there may be a reason to be “grateful”?
[quote]m0dd3r wrote:
if any of you are bored or have too much free time you may enjoy this:
http://images.ucomics.com/images/pdfs/sadams/godsdebris.pdf
It’s a freely available e-book written by Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert. It addresses philosophy, religion, and the meaning of life in a way I’ve never seen before. It’s meant to be slightly humorous and sometimes the logic is purposefully iffy, but it’s really a great read.[/quote]
Wow, that was intriguing!! Have you read the next one, The Religion War?
Prof., most of us ask the question. Most of us don’t come up with a satisfactory answer.
This is the problem. Questions. Answers. All these are words. WORDS. Life is much more than can be expressed through words. Can you even express your feelings in words and give them proper value? I can’t. The attempt falls short of full impact.
Let me use an example to fully elaborate. Ask a brand new father, one that has just witnessed the birth of his first son, what is the meaning of life. All I would do in his place is point to that brand new little extension of humanity. Don’t consider this an answer of procreation, for it falls far short of the whole expression. Words ultimately fail in the explanation.
Better ask the question: “What is not life?” It may be much easier to define the minimum instead of the maximum. The mind cannot bend itself to fully comprehend the totality that is life. What do you do with your life… now that’s a worthy question. And one we can all answer.
[quote]Pauli D wrote:
Suspended simply by grace, I am content for anything to happen.
Not my words, but an interesting and worthwhile outlook nonetheless.
Contentedness not in the sense of passivity, not in the sense of submissive or weak-minded compliance, but simply content and quite grateful for all that has happened, all that has not and for all the potential and possibility that lies ahead.
Very well written, Professor X.
Peace
[/quote]
You speak of awareness. This “club” is small. Those that do not find grace (as in being grateful) are not aware. Sleepwalkers. One cannot wake them. One cannot mind them. Pointless.
I dunno what works for everyone else, what gets them out of bed, but I know me.
I have an unsatiable appetite for life. I love exploring new places, meeting new people, and learning new ideas. Maybe thats why I can’t be confinded to a gym. I love the breathtaking view of a mountaintop when Im out snoboarding. Or rockclimbing, and looking down while hanging from the top of a summit, knowing that only a few ropes is holding me from death should I slip.
Its running into a black bear out hiking. Or drinking water from a stream. Or the way everything seems to go silent when Im thrown 20 feet in the air if I happen to catch a good wave wakeboarding. Or eating something you’ve cought, grew or killed. I never did understand why my father and uncles all hunted and had gardens. Or cabins. I do now.
Maybe its moments. Maybe we all live for fleeting moments. Moments of joy, happiness, tranquility, love and peace. Within not just around us but within ourselves.
Its this website, and libraries, and bookstores abound. The internet. I love to learn new ideas, theories and apply them to my life.
I guess you could say I never stopped being a competitive athlete. Only now the only game I ever suit up for is called life. I think alof of people here can relate to that.
[quote]rocky79 wrote:
Very profound and insightful articulation Professor X.
Check out this site
It might help describe and answer what you are thinkin.
Peace Out[/quote]
Very, very cool. Thank You
Just because ‘we’ may have a purpose doesn’t mean you or I have a purpose. Our purpose could be as simple as being alive, being this force of planet Earth, being life in general. Our purpose as a whole, not as individuals. And we may be fulfilling it whatever we do, as long as we technologically advance and spread.
A ‘purpose’? A human word implying a persona behind a phenomenon.
Children had parents and adults invented their own deities to whom they may be as a child - gods . Now, with this past ingrained into world culture, whenever they feel a strong longing or drive they automatically go in the direction of a god-like scenario. I think there isn’t any rational reason to let preconceived notions direct one’s thought process. Unfortunately to avoid that these days you have to look deep inside yourself and catch your mind on a burnt-in habit.
I know my purpose and it’s nothing more than to get closer to God. It’s a wonderful purpose where everything makes sense to me. But it’s also an impossible purpose to explain to another. A person will either understand or they won’t and there’s not a word one can say to make them sway this way or that way.
A question I’ve never really known the answer to is ‘what is it inside a person that makes one believe in God and another not believe?’ There is no external argument that can make a difference. This choice is all internal and it’s origin and nature I still don’t understand. Science is useless to prove or disprove so it’s something beyond cognitive reasoning.
Nevertheless, it makes sense to me this way because I can’t believe an educated person would have an advantage over an uneducated person when it comes to God. Logic, wisdom, intelligence… they’re all worthless when it comes to faith. It’s all from somewhere else… the heart, the soul, or whatever one might call it.
Our purpose is to make others happy and to be happy
[quote]n3wb wrote:
Our purpose is to make others happy and to be happy
[/quote]
Lucy: “Charlie Brown, what do you think we’re here for?”
Charlie Brown: “I don’t know, to make others happy, I guess.”
Lucy: “I don’t think I’m making anyone very happy. Of course, nobody’s making me very happy either. Somebody’s not doing his job!”
A compelling original post.
I take it from the standpoint that life is meaningless, and therein lies the potential for wisdom and freedom. Its when you start looking for Meaning (capital M) that you start missing the point by seeking an illusion to shield you from reality and the responsibilities therein.
I think a good place to begin is to realize on a conscious level that we are all in the same boat, and work to act accordingly.
Nietzsche said it well when he stated that the universe is not hostile, it’s indifferent. That is the hardest reality to face. Perhaps its where one turns after knowing that that measures the capacity of one’s soul.
[quote]vroom wrote:
michael2507 wrote:
I believe that life simply happens because I see no necessity for it being otherwise.
At the human level there is, however, the paradox of choice…[/quote]
Good point, but regardless of how extensive the ability to choose freely may be, it doesn’t necessitate life having an inherent purpose. That is what I meant with life simply happens in the given context.
[quote]Scotacus wrote:
A compelling original post.
I take it from the standpoint that life is meaningless, and therein lies the potential for wisdom and freedom. Its when you start looking for Meaning (capital M) that you start missing the point by seeking an illusion to shield you from reality and the responsibilities therein.
I think a good place to begin is to realize on a conscious level that we are all in the same boat, and work to act accordingly.
Nietzsche said it well when he stated that the universe is not hostile, it’s indifferent. That is the hardest reality to face. Perhaps its where one turns after knowing that that measures the capacity of one’s soul.[/quote]
Well written.
What is this - the worst thread ever?
When life has meaning, you can bear almost anything; without meaning. nothing is bearable.
Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.
The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.
Prof, what drives you to ponder such things?
[quote]duke wrote:
When life has meaning, you can bear almost anything; without meaning. nothing is bearable.
Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.
The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.[/quote]
What is wrong with simply being? Isn’t it enough? More than we could ever ask for? More than we could ever have a right to claim? Being as of itself offers an infinite spectrum of possibilities, one of which is the possibility to simply choose a purpose for one’s life or a certain stage of it and act accordingly.
I am not arguing that there is no place for God, i.e. that my view rules out His existence, but rather that there is no essential need for God and all the consequences His existence would entail with regard to the purpose and meaning of life for all this to make sense.
To me, the greatest tragedy is not once in a lifetime having pierced the vail of illusion - the ramblings of the mind on the constant search for purpose and meaning in the framework of concepts and opposites while missing the big picture, the fact that in an objective and completely detached sense, simply by being, everything is absolutely perfect as it is already.
To clarify: This is not a side blow at religious beliefs. Rather, I’m fully aware that for some people, religion can be beneficial or the “missing link” in this context.
What I’m getting at is the state of mind many people probably only experience in the face of death if at all, that unconditional acceptance and detachment from all that has been deemed content, purpose and meaning of the person’s life. Nevertheless, in my (limited) experience, these people often seem to be perfectly content, maybe for the first time in their lives.
They seem to know everything is just the way it should be - without any further addendum like an inherent purpose or meaning which it is imperative to seek out.
[quote]michael2507 wrote:
duke wrote:
What is wrong with simply being? Isn’t it enough? More than we could ever ask for? [/quote]
Michael, of course there’s nothing wrong with simply being and if it’s enough for you, then more power to you buddy.
I don’t subscribe to your point of view, but that’s the beauty of free choice, we each can choose our beliefs, and therefore determine our own purpose in life.
I stated mine, and there’s nothing wrong with yours.
YOu are right of course - without god there is no Purpose, or Meaning. My question is: why does one feel the need for Purpose or Meaning? One certainly doesnt need a god to have a purposeful, meaningful life. So you cant make the teleological argument, that god is the natural desire of humanity.
Id say the exact opposite. Its when humans begin to substantially appreciate that we are all in the same boat is when you’ll see progress. This is the essential message you’ll find in all the great human philosophies, traditions and religions, while the sometimes attending gods come and go. Gods have always been political tools.