Intrinsic Purpose of Life

[The Sum of Awe]

i'll say it, a lot of you probably want to say it too I have started a ton of threads in a row lately. Sorry about that if it bothers you, I'll try to keep it down!

Anyway, I've been thinking about the meaning of life again lately. I feel that I left that thought unsolved, tripped in a whole of seeing life as completely random, meaningless, and the belief that the question is not worth pondering. I came back to conclude it now that my view of life has drastically changed since that tripping hole. So I approach the hole with caution, taking it easy so I do not fall victim to it again.

I've mentioned it before slightly in the forum, but I just wanted to extend. I'm curious if anyone thinks this could count as an actual intrinsic purpose of existence.


'The meaning of life' can mean multiple things; the reason why we are here, the reason why someone should live the fullest, the goal to strive for from living, etc.

Have you ever considered it might rather be the mark you make in existence? What if your purpose is whatever nature uses you for? Currently, the purpose of my skin is currently to protect me, but after death the skin will develop an entirely new meaning because the old meaning is no longer relevant. The skin may serve the purpose of food for hungry bacteria, animals, Ozzy Obsbourne, etc.

Do you know what I mean? The meaning of life can be found in simply observing your actions; what mark you make in the world around you is your meaning.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Willamena]

Make as many threads as you like.

I don't think Ozzy really eats human flesh.

My mommy once said, rightly, that the meaning of life is "to be." She didn't even know John Lennon. Go figure.

 

[s2a]

I asked that once in a thread too, here:

http://www.religiousforums.com/foru...s/31385-so-just-what-your-reason-purpose.html

It garnered about 100 total replies.

Good luck with this...

 

[1137]

I don't think it's a purpose, I just think it's what happens.

 

[Sunstone]

Meaning is a poor substitute for living that is most often sought after when we don't feel truly alive.

 

[DawudTalut]

...................

Anyway, I've been thinking about the meaning of life again lately. I feel that I left that thought unsolved, tripped in a whole of seeing life as completely random, meaningless, and the belief that the question is not worth pondering. I came back to conclude it now that my view of life has drastically changed since that tripping hole. So I approach the hole with caution, taking it easy so I do not fall victim to it again.

I've mentioned it before slightly in the forum, but I just wanted to extend. I'm curious if anyone thinks this could count as an actual intrinsic purpose of existence.


'The meaning of life' can mean multiple things; the reason why we are here, the reason why someone should live the fullest, the goal to strive for from living, etc.

Have you ever considered it might rather be the mark you make in existence? What if your purpose is whatever nature uses you for? Currently, the purpose of my skin is currently to protect me, but after death the skin will develop an entirely new meaning because the old meaning is no longer relevant. The skin may serve the purpose of food for hungry bacteria, animals, Ozzy Obsbourne, etc.

Do you know what I mean? The meaning of life can be found in simply observing your actions; what mark you make in the world around you is your meaning.

What are your thoughts on this?

Peace be on you.
Purpose of life is to recognize God and to live according to teaching of God and to pay rights to Him and His creation. After the physical death, soul continues to live, according to life lived earlier physically. Life revolve around love of God.

The aspects of purpose of life are explained by Ahmadiyya Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), in the light of Holy Quran @ https://www.alislam.org/library/books/Philosophy-of-Teachings-of-Islam.pdf

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Life is what you make of it. I think the purpose of life is to experience and to grow.

 

[Amechania]

Love yourself. Love others. Love what you experience. If your life is nothing but misery, embrace the misery and squeeze the life out of it. There probably is no purpose to life other than to love, endure, and die without regret.

 

[BSM1]

IMHO there is no meaning to life. There is no rhyme, reason, or plan. There just is. But, like the 'Curly' character in City Slickers you have to find that one thing in life that makes the 'is' livable.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

i'll say it, a lot of you probably want to say it too I have started a ton of threads in a row lately. Sorry about that if it bothers you, I'll try to keep it down!

Anyway, I've been thinking about the meaning of life again lately. I feel that I left that thought unsolved, tripped in a whole of seeing life as completely random, meaningless, and the belief that the question is not worth pondering. I came back to conclude it now that my view of life has drastically changed since that tripping hole. So I approach the hole with caution, taking it easy so I do not fall victim to it again.

I've mentioned it before slightly in the forum, but I just wanted to extend. I'm curious if anyone thinks this could count as an actual intrinsic purpose of existence.


'The meaning of life' can mean multiple things; the reason why we are here, the reason why someone should live the fullest, the goal to strive for from living, etc.

Have you ever considered it might rather be the mark you make in existence? What if your purpose is whatever nature uses you for? Currently, the purpose of my skin is currently to protect me, but after death the skin will develop an entirely new meaning because the old meaning is no longer relevant. The skin may serve the purpose of food for hungry bacteria, animals, Ozzy Obsbourne, etc.

Do you know what I mean? The meaning of life can be found in simply observing your actions; what mark you make in the world around you is your meaning.

What are your thoughts on this?

Start more threads! I don't believe there is an intrinsic purpose of life, as far as intrinsic to our 'self' or consciousness. The purpose of higher organisms is of course related to replication of genes, as you allude to.

When you speak to 'meaning' of life you presume a purpose, a design, in a sense. Most point to this and see a creator above them. Why? The idea meaning and purpose is so profoundly a part of our consciousness, why is it that we look externally to find it.

In purely materialistic language, the purpose of reality may be seen to be to struggle against the entropic gradient. To form order out of chaos, organization out of randomness, to build something endures against the forces of nature. Your skin, e.g. is such.

But as we evolve a subjective self, we become like advanced computers, full of bugs and routines that may or may not still fulfill a 'purpose,' but have additional unforeseen effects.

The search for the meaning of life is one such bug. Not that it is necessarily meaningless, but we have to put it in context of it's origin.

Subjective.

Have you allowed LIFE to ask YOU; "What is the purpose of YOU?" And have you contemplated your response to life's question?

If I can borrow from and add to Willamena; the purpose of life is "to be...YOURSELF!" Therefore the question is WHO ARE YOU?

 

[Thief]

Your body has five senses wired to your head.
Obviously...you are here to learn all that you can before you die.

There is no mystery.
You're built to become a spirit.
The chemical mechanism will fail.
The spirit could also fail.

But maybe you won't.

 

[FunctionalAtheist]

Your body has five senses wired to your head.
Obviously...you are here to learn all that you can before you die.

There is no mystery.
You're built to become a spirit.
The chemical mechanism will fail.
The spirit could also fail.

But maybe you won't.

The mystery is how there can be such a disconnect between your premise and your conclusion.

 

[1137]

Your body has five senses wired to your head.
Obviously...you are here to learn all that you can before you die.

There is no mystery.
You're built to become a spirit.
The chemical mechanism will fail.
The spirit could also fail.

But maybe you won't.

This doesn't seem at all "obvious".

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The closest thing to a purpose that all life shares is to survive long enough to reproduce and pass along its genetic material.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

The closest thing to a purpose that all life shares is to survive long enough to reproduce and pass along its genetic material.

And beyond life, the entity shifts it purposes as it changes into a different entity itself, usually remaining in a similar or same form. The living body's purpose in life is intrinsically whatever effect it has on the world around it, and the corpse's purpose is food for bugs.

 

[thau]

Ultimately, that sounds very dour to me, even more so for those who drew the short stick in health or comfort.

If there is no God then all that is left is fear and cynicism…

"You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual, because, in spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not the faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing." —Walker Percy (1916-1990), American Catholic author

 

[Kathryn]

IMHO there is no meaning to life. There is no rhyme, reason, or plan. There just is. But, like the 'Curly' character in City Slickers you have to find that one thing in life that makes the 'is' livable.

This sounds downright depressing. Is it to you?

 

[The Sum of Awe]

This sounds downright depressing. Is it to you?

I don't think it matters how it feels, this does not mean it is wrong or that it shouldn't be considered.

It also depends on how you look at it; to some it might be, knowing things they go through is not for anything. To some it might not be, it gives people the opportunity to apply meaning to their life themselves.

 

[Looncall]

Ultimately, that sounds very dour to me, even more so for those who drew the short stick in health or comfort.

If there is no God then all that is left is fear and cynicism…

"You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual, because, in spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not the faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing." —Walker Percy (1916-1990), American Catholic author

Do you prefer a rose-tinted fantasy to seeing things as they are?

 

[Thief]

This doesn't seem at all "obvious".

Take a look in the mirror.