What is our purpose?

Question

It has bothered me constantly. When I think about humanity and it's purpose, it always goes back to life in general. Originally, I though we were just put on Earth to live. I want to know what everyone else thinks.

Answer 1

Is there a value to human existence? Why do you human beings exist? Is our existence, our life, nothing but a random event? Do cows have a value or a purpose in life. Why not? What's underlying in your question is 'why do humans exist?"

Human beings obviously exist because they manifest themselves to other human beings: Among other attributes, human beings have mass and appearance that can be measured and observed, both by subjective, physiological means and by objective, scientific standards: Human beings exist.

Is our existence, our life, nothing but a random event, the leaf
blowing in the wind, the ripple in the stream? If we suggest that there is a meaning or value superimposed on human life, what is the mysterious power that imbues our life with such a purpose or value? If this obscure power does exist, how does it manifest itself? If this obscure power does not manifest itself to humans in any objective form, it does not exist as far as humans are concerned. Therefore, it cannot convey a preordained or predestined value to our life.

Biology defines human beings as animals. Do other animals have a meaning or value attached to their life? If only human life has meaning, what is it that sets humans apart from other animals? The great apes are the first cousins of humans. Is there a value attached to their life? Does a cow, a pig or a monkey have a value ascribed to its life, except to serve as food for humans?

In the perpetual struggle for survival, all living organisms are
constantly engaged in a battle for limited resources. Lower life forms have little control over their inherently hostile environment. Only man has evolved rational thought processes. Among animals, only man can utilize his rational mind to achieve a higher degree of survival and security in an inherently insecure world.

Answer 2

The purpose of humanity is the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to propogate, to spread. Humans evolved because life has filled every niche on this planet many times over. Humanity's purpose, then, is to spread Life to the other planets and beyond. No other species has that capacity and if humanity fails at that it fails of it's purpose. In which case we will cease and Nature will evolve a new species to take our place and fulfill that primary purpose.

YOUR purpose, however, as an individual consciousness, is very different. You have always been and always will be. Your part in this existence is just one adventure in an eternity of experience. So your individual purpose here is whatever YOU decide it is.

The importance of life is simple. For where life is there is greater possibility for conscious experience. Greater variety, more possibilities.

Answer 3

I think that everyone of us has a purpose in life. We are not wondering around, we have to do something meaninful for us. For some poeple is success, for others is money, for some of us is love. Our purpose is revealed during the course of our life, and there is no way to really know what we are supposed to. We can only hold on to life and try to find the meaning of it, because it is different for everyone. Sometimes the answer just comes when we least expect it.

Answer 4

To live in harmony and respect with the earth before we ruin it and our chance for a future. To show respect and understanding to all living things, including ourselves and other people. To take only what we need to survive, and not to breed greed and hate. To live in relative peace.

Life is a beautiful thing. I believe that divinity is withing each of us and everything that surrounds us. We all share the same divine energy, and so we are all connected. We must learn this and realize that to hate another living thing is to hate a part of ourselves.

Our purpose is to leave this world a better place than we found it.

Answer 5

you are given a vessel (a human body) and put on this planet Earth to learn something about yourself.

i believe that the essence of each being doesn't die, it just keeps changing and growing but that in order to grow, it has to gain new experiences and learning through a human body and through a human life.

so what is our purpose? each one has a unique one but the general idea is to improve our understanding of the deepest eternal things through everyday life and at the same time each person growth, that adds up to the evolution of human earth species as a whole.

Answer 6

I'm here to get points.

Forget about what is the purpose of humanity. Think about what is the point of snails for example. The answer is the same but it's easier to evisage from outside.

Answer 7

we are alive in order to understand,or aleast to try to understand we must learn all we can from the past, listen to all sides of every opinion, we must attempt to attain wisdom, we must pass to our children a sense of awe and wonder and learn it all again as we help our children grow.we must keep an open and enquiring mind and whenever we feel certain we are right we must examine our forthrightness and begin again, we must be patient with ourselves and try not to judge and never be afraid to ask rememembering it is better to be a fool for five minuites and ask than never to ask and be a fool forever.
we are all right and yet we are all wrong, never stop learning never stop teaching but never preach or be preached to.
philosophy is literally the love of knowledge and long may it continue, but this can only happen if we live life and let others do the same....

Answer 8

i think it is to always seek what is good, positive, healthy, and just plain AWESOME in our lives. to be better than we ever thought possible about ourselves. to love, care and help ourselves and others as much as we can...there are always going to be failures in life, but those who keep searching, learning, and growing, become successful no matter what they do. temporary fun and excitement, such as sex, drugs, and feeling "happy" doing bad things, is not the same as seeking what is truly Wonderful, Positive, and Good. sometimes u have to sacrifice, and u realize that is Better feeling than u ever knew!

for example, if i had to starve in order to know my child was happy and healthy, i would Gladly do it. even if my life is not that dramatic, knowing that i would do that makes me love my daughter even more, *and* love my life enough to help myself Never to get into that situation, *so that* i could watch her grow up healthy and happy. does that make sense? u end up doing what IS good and right, for both u and ur daughter, instead of giving in to selfish whims and temporary fixes. :)

love is one of the most wonderful things on earth.. however, what u DO with that love, will make the world go round. u can love someone, but be too lazy to do what is good for them. or not seek out knowledge to do what is right. in that sense, love is not enough..... u have to use that to do something positive, and then it will do marvelous things. if u let love become suffering, then it will cease to be positive in ur life.

**btw, i'm not saying sex is bad! or drugs! but i think becoming an addict, or using people for meaningless sex, is just that.. meaningless. and hurtful. and not positive or conducive to true happiness and health. :)

Answer 9

purpose of life is to live life with the commandments of the one who send us here.

"Did you think that We had created you in play, and that you would not be returned unto Us?" The noble Qur'an, 23:115.

Answer 10

i agree with u..its not like we were put on earth because there was a mission to accomplish. we r just here to live and to make this world comfortable to our needs, and i guess to interact with others. and since we r not going to be here forever we might as well enjoy our time on earth