Purpose in life

[Fatmop]

Is there a purpose in life? How is this purpose defined? By an external source, such as God, or by natural forces like society and consciousness, or both?

Moving on from that, (assuming your answer to question #1 was 'yes') what is the purpose of life?

 

[Faint]

Yes; the purpose of life is one's own happiness and pleasure. I figured this out before I labeled myself "hedonist", and long before reading Aristotle. I would say this purpose is defined naturally, based on innate human feeling (and maybe instinct). If you break down any human action you will see that people have only two reasons for doing anything--the avoidance of pain or the gain of pleasure. Even altruism is subject to this--people do apparently "selfless" acts because of the feelings they get for themselves. It pleases them to help another, and if they didn't help, they might feel the pain of guilt.

 

[Darkdale]

Is there a purpose in life? How is this purpose defined? By an external source, such as God, or by natural forces like society and consciousness, or both?

Moving on from that, (assuming your answer to question #1 was 'yes') what is the purpose of life?

The purpose of life is to survive or continue. Outside of that, you are free to choose what you value and what you do not. Sometimes that includes religion and other times it does not. But there is no great meaning to life. I spent many years trying to figure it out and all I came up with was, I love my family and friends.

 

[Scott1]

Is there a purpose in life? How is this purpose defined? By an external source, such as God, or by natural forces like society and consciousness, or both?

God put us in the world to know, to love, and to serve him, and so to come to paradise.

:jam:

 

[constantine]

to find your own purpose,not that of which someone declares to be your purpose..:areyoucra

 

[Quiddity]

Is there a purpose in life? How is this purpose defined? By an external source, such as God, or by natural forces like society and consciousness, or both?

To have a relationship with God. Everything else is to build on that relationship.

~Victor

 

[jewscout]

we make our own purpose in life

 

[ayani]

lots of things bring meaning into my life...

phone calls, e-mails, walks, teaching, conversation, reading, RF-ing, pretty "post-colonial though in twentith century literature" professors, and that cute syrian girl with the lovely smile who invited me in for tea just the other day.

 

[Kowalski]

Is there a purpose in life? How is this purpose defined? By an external source, such as God, or by natural forces like society and consciousness, or both?

Moving on from that, (assuming your answer to question #1 was 'yes') what is the purpose of life?

The basic purpose of life is to replicate itself, anything over that is merely the froth of society.

cheers

K

 

[TashaN]

Is there a purpose in life? How is this purpose defined? By an external source, such as God, or by natural forces like society and consciousness, or both?

Moving on from that, (assuming your answer to question #1 was 'yes') what is the purpose of life?

you may find the purpose of life in here.

http://www.harunyahya.com/solutions02.php

 

[Fatmop]

Young people, too, suffer from the same purposelessness, and lack the essential factors that give life meaning. The vast majority of teenagers do not even know the leaders of their country, the political decisions they make, the impact of these decisions on national defence, the economy, or the educational and judiciary systems. Utterly oblivious of major events and developments in the world, they constantly fret over trivial and futile issues. That leaves them deprived of the skills to conceive the significance of many events of world history. Their conversations are often limited to computer games, Internet chats, dating, trivial events happening at school, cheating in exams, plans for the weekend, clothes or football games. In magazine surveys which ask teenagers to rank "the greatest goals worth pursuing in life", looking like a famous model or playing the guitar like the guitarist of a famous band come first.

Drifting along, they never think of broadening their horizons. For instance, they do not even think about improving their speaking skills, simply because they have not a single idea of talking to or influencing people. In addition, they do not read. A person having a purpose and a worldview reads to enrich himself as well as to learn about opposing points of view. The purpose in that is to have a better understanding of ideologies likely to challenge one's own ideas and identify their individual weaknesses. Yet, for a person without purpose or an outlook on the world, the existence of certain ideas will surely have no meaning. Moreover, these people are not even aware of current ideas and other people's worldviews. Today in many societies, people have a serious lack of interest in reading books and newspapers while there is a great demand for tabloids, gossip columns in newspapers and magazine programmes on TV. Though the majority of people have a lot of spare time, that they tend to spend their days in front of TV sets watching soap operas and programmes which add nothing to their intellectual faculties, is an evident result of being bereft of purpose and of degeneration.

Speaking as an American teenager, I can tell you that that is a terrible generalization. I, along with many of my peers, am a voracious reader, and am looking to become a lawyer; I realize that broadening my horizons is the primary focus of my college career. Take out that generalization, and the rest of those two paragraphs is pure bull.

Having no purpose in life and being oblivious of other realms of existence is a threat to humanity. However, over and above this, that among people who assume a particular stance in life, the majority advocate views which lack real values and are detrimental towards humanity, poses the real threat. That is because the leaders and advocates of dangerous ideas find masses to hand who are utterly bereft of faculties with which to discern danger, and who thus accept any presupposition without subjecting it to independent scrutiny.

The first sentence equates purposelessness with atheism/agnosticism. Read through the above posts and you will find that atheists and agnostics and often even theists define purposes for their lives. Just because they don't have the same purpose as you doesn't mean they are purposeless and meaningless.

Given these circumstances, in their efforts to attract partisans, anarchists and terrorists, harbouring deep-seated enmity against their country and nation, they encounter no resistance. For instance, in a college cafeteria, where, for this end, they instil their views subversively, an idle teen watches vaguely while young people right next to him are exposed to indoctrination. Never does he realise that these people will soon start to act under the influence of the anarchists' and terrorists' conditioning and become merciless criminals who can readily set their hands on weapons to use against the police, soldiers and innocent people of their own country. Even if he realises this threat, he remains indifferent to the danger. In any case, he hardly has the awareness or a sense of responsibility that would lead him to handle the situation wisely.

And this paragraph was where I stopped reading.
So instead of quoting a website for all your views, how about you explain what YOU think the purpose to life is, The Truth?

 

[wild20]

The is a saying: "There is no better place to be, than in the center of God's will". I firmly believe that God has a purpose for us in life. With out God, there is still a purpose for you. After all, God knows all and has a a will. So yeah, there is a purpose in life!

 

[michel]

Life is a strange game. All my life, I have been waiting for a 'calling' - for some reason, I am sure it will happen one day. I just hope I am young enough to deal with it when it happens.

Sometimes, I think that I have to see my family 'through' before I can do whatever it is that will be required of me...

 

[Fluffy]

Yes; to give oneself up selflessly to the needs of others who deserve it. Or at least to strive to this end.

 

[Green Gaia]

Is there a purpose in life? How is this purpose defined? By an external source, such as God, or by natural forces like society and consciousness, or both?

Moving on from that, (assuming your answer to question #1 was 'yes') what is the purpose of life?

To live. The details are up to you.

 

[TashaN]

Allah told us the purpose of life.

[56] I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.


[57] No Sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me.


[58] For Allah is He Who gives (all) Sustenance, - Lord of Power - steadfast (forever).


[59] For the wrong-doers, their portion is like unto the portion of their fellows (of earlier generations): then let them not ask Me to hasten (that portion)!


[60] Woe, then, to the Unbelievers, on account of that Day of theirs which they have been promised!


Quran (51:56-60)

 

[Fascist Christ]

The basic purpose of life is to replicate itself, anything over that is merely the froth of society.

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Fatmop]

Life is a strange game. All my life, I have been waiting for a 'calling' - for some reason, I am sure it will happen one day. I just hope I am young enough to deal with it when it happens.

Sometimes, I think that I have to see my family 'through' before I can do whatever it is that will be required of me...

How does one see one's family 'through?' Do you mean waiting until your kids grow up? Perhaps your purpose in life directly relates to your children?

 

[Fatmop]

So, The Truth, the purpose of life is to serve Allah?

How? What will you be doing throughout your life to serve Allah?
The same question is posed to Christians who have posted here as well. How will you be serving God throughout your life - and how can you be sure that you're actually serving Him?

 

[dan]

So, The Truth, the purpose of life is to serve Allah?

How? What will you be doing throughout your life to serve Allah?
The same question is posed to Christians who have posted here as well. How will you be serving God throughout your life - and how can you be sure that you're actually serving Him?

I will seek His will in all I do and work to bring glory to Him. I will try to be worthy enough for the Spirit to work through me, that I may become an instrument in His hands in the furthering of His work.

I can be sure that this is the case if I have the Spirit.