Purpose

[Didymos Thomas]

I would have thought that it is people who have purposes, and that they can give some purpose to their life. But what purpose they a person gives is up to the particular person. There is no reason (that I can see) to think that there is some particular purpose that everyone should give to his life. Or even, indeed that there must be just one purpose, or, indeed that there must be any purpose at all (although I would suppose that it would be a good thing for a person have some purpose).

A "purpose" we assign ourselves does not sound much like a purpose. Seems closer to a goal, but whatever we decide to call it, I think you're right on.

[No0ne]

Originally Posted by trulyhis

"The purpose of life is fulfilled by realisation and pursuit of problems that you meant to solve"


Want to hear from you, if this really sum up life, fully understand it, then answer!!

Yes. that point of view and perception of the purpose of life, is corrrect within the way's how you see it, but other's within the world do not share such point of view of the matter, and there for it would only sum it up for you, it would not applie to every person, nor dose it state the effect's that can or cant happen to all people/person within any given life time.

So... since people dont all feel realisation, would be to word to discribe there action's within there live's, nor would they think the pursuit of problems are the only thing's in life that they wish to solve.

Mainly people know what they want and desire in life, they dont need to realize such thing's. the only thing's they would realize in life would be that the thing's that they thought where not problem's where really problem's, and that what they were seeking and desired in life really wasnt what they wanted, therefore they would feel the act of realisation, within the correct manner.

And you cannot(but you can because you have and i would prefer that you would) say what would forfill someone's life that is not your's, that would be a false perception and un-correct judgment of what they desire and seek within there own life. You may say what would forfill your life, because it is your life and you understand it within your own perception of your own point of view of that concept of life.

=-=(Do onto other's as want done onto your self)=-=
You would not want someone els saying what your purpose of life is forfilled by, you would want your self to say what it is. This is why people would have problem's with your statment, and what you say there purpose of life is forfillled by. (Must see and walk in there shoe's and eye's before you define there mind, and it kinda ryme's)

So your concept would never applie to all people correctly to there point of view, they would allways fight it and say it is an incorrect statement.

But if you know what wont work, its ezyer to find what will work for everyone.

The word life sum's up what life is. But it dose not quench the thirst and lust for a better answer. Hence create your own that work's for your self, just dont think it would work for everyone or define life completly, because it would only do so within your point of view and perception of such, for it would not in those that dont see it from your point of view and perception of such.

[LogosMike]

Your question seems to be asking if there is an objective purpose to life, i.e., not my life or your life, but to life more generally construed. Of course we can project our own sense of purpose to our lives (to be a doctor, policeman, etc.), but I think the more interesting question has to do with the question of a predetermined purpose or reason for human life. This is obviously another way of asking the age old question: what's the meaning of life?? A trite topic, one that I will definitively answer in the following sentences (note sarcasm).

My own view is that there is no objective meaning or purpose. We are here completely by chance. Seeking a greater purpose in life is a hopeless struggle to deny this fact. We are born, we live, we die. The earth will continue to spin after we are gone and our lives will be forgotten in time. Depressing? Not necessarily.

[Khethil]

Originally Posted by No0ne

But if you know what wont work, its ezyer to find what will work for everyone.

I'd disagree wholeheartedly. Not only is it not easier, it can't. Furthermore, in my judgment it should never even be tried.

The greatest thing we can do, as rational self-aware beings, is to define our own purpose in life. Since you and I both have lives, we're free to define just what that "purpose" should be - separate from each other. This isn't relativistic morality, it's respect for the autonomy of the individual. In any case, to suggest that all "life" has a "purpose" is, in my humble opinion, unfounded and indefensible.

To assert there is a single purpose (i.e., Reason or Function) for all life is unsupportable - To try and define a purpose for everyone collectively isn't plausible (although many religions have not only tried this but have enforced their decrees through a sort of emotional terrorism often referred to as eternal damnation). "Purpose" suggests a defined role or function-to-perform which was the motive for the creation of "some thing". Humans don't have this objectively.

We are lost until we find (or make) our own way - our own purpose.

Humanity has a propensity to arrogance; an arrogance that says, "There must be some reason for all this! I can't be here by accident!". Why not? All things change, evolve, devolve, break down, mutate, combine, adapt, coalesce, dissolve, develop, decay... what's so hard to believe that over millions of years there emerges an intellect which realizes itself and is aware of its own existence. Humility seems so lacking... aggrandizement runs amuck.. I am Jack's Dream of being a Comic Book Hero

[step314]

I'd say that what we perceive as our purpose ought to be determined by ourselves, and that it changes as our understandings of ourselves and of external reality change. But the whole notion of "purpose" connotes too much of purposiveness or goal-setting for the notion to be something I consider of central importance. I don't need to be purposive to do, and like a Taoist, I don't want to be purpose driven in that sense unless I am fighting some addiction that makes me distrustful of sailing along as my emotions guide me. By examining my natural tendencies and by trying to understand them and find patterns in them, I abstract into a best guess of what I want, and this understanding of my want gives me a new tendency, an abstracted tendency, to seek what I understand to want. I suppose that guess could be called my purpose, but it's a very fluid thing, my understanding of myself continually changing with new thoughts and new observations of my (not abstracted) tendencies in experiences I had not had before.

[Arjen]

Trulyhis, responding to your opening post:

If indeed "purposes" would exist, what would be the ultimate purpose? -The purpose to allow all purposes to be fullfilled. If indeed such a thing would be our purpose, would that not entail "disturbing" (or onfluencing if you will) as least as possible with anything outside yourself? In that sense one would allow things to come to pass without one's own influence.

How does one "not influence"? -By acting without "goal" in mind so that the action itself simply "is" itself. In that sense the "purpose" would be not to have a purpose. That is a paradox of divine making I think.

[Holiday20310401]

I heard in church once a common sang to live life like it is your last day and to learn like there is no tomorrow. Thats a good purpose to life in my opinion.

[Didymos Thomas]

Arjen - You're going eastern on us.

I heard in church once a common sang to live life like it is your last day and to learn like there is no tomorrow. Thats a good purpose to life in my opinion.

That's good advice. I'd spend some time thinking about the right way of going about following this advice, though. Especially that first part.

[Holiday20310401]

What, you mean hearing it in church or live life like it is your last day

[Didymos Thomas]

'Living life like it's your last day', but the same is true for 'learn like there is no tomorrow'. We should really think about what it means to do these things. Consider what they translate to in more practical terms.