why are we here?

Question

it doesn't make any sense to me at all. why do we stress about everything when in the end it won't even matter. why are we here at all if we're not going to be here forever?

No God bullshit please. There is no God.

Answer 1

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."
Ps. 14:1


It All Starts With God

It’s not about you.
The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.
The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point--ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like, “What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future?”
But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. The Bible says, “It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’s life is in his power”. (Job 12:10 TEV)
Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking within yourself. You’ve probably tried that already. You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal its purpose.
I once got lost in the mountains. When I stopped to ask for directions to the campsite, I was told, “You can’t get there from here. You must start from the other side of the mountain!” In the same way, you cannot arrive at your life’s purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God--and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.
Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization. They want God to be a personal “genie” who serves their self-centered desires. But that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purposes.” The Bible says, “obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.” Romans 8:6 9 The Message (MSG)
I’ve read many books that suggest ways to discover the purpose of my life. All of them could be classified as “self-help” books because they approach the subject from a self-centered viewpoint. Self-help books usually offer the same predictable steps to finding your life’s purpose: Consider your dreams. Figure out what you are good at. Clarify your values. Set some goals. Aim high. Believe you can achieve it. Be disciplined. Never give up.
Of course, these recommendations are all good and often lead to great success. You can usually succeed in reaching a goal if you put your mind to it. But being successful and fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the same issue! You could reach all your personal goals, becoming a raving success by the world’s standard, and still miss the purposes for which God created you. You need more than self-help advice. Jesus Christ once said, “Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self.” Matthew 16:25 The Message (MSG).
This booklet is not abut finding the right career, achieving your dreams, or planning your life. It is not about how to cram more activities into an overloaded schedule. Actually, knowing your purpose will allow you to do less in life--by focusing on what matters most. It is about becoming what God created you to be.
How, then, do you discover the purpose you were created for? You have only two options. Your first option is speculation. This is where most people are. They just guess or speculate or theorize about the purpose of life. When someone says, “I’ve always thought the purpose of life is…,” they’re really saying, “This is the best guess I can come up with.’
For thousands of years brilliant philosophers have discussed and speculated about the meaning of life. Philosophy is an important subject and has its uses, but when it comes to determining the purpose of life, even the wisest philosophers are just guessing.
Dr. Hugh Moorhead, a philosophy professor at Northeastern Illinois University, once wrote to 250 of the best-known philosophers, scientists, writers, and intellectuals in the world and asked each person “What is the meaning of life?” He then published their responses--which were quite discouraging--in a book. Some of these famous thinkers offered their best guesses, some admitted that they just made up a purpose for life, and others were honest enough to say they were clueless. In fact, a number of these intellectuals asked Professor Moorhead to write back and tell them if he discovered the purpose of life! (Hugh S. Moorhead, comp., The Meaning of Life According to Our Century’s Greatest Writers and Thinkers., Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 1988)
Fortunately, there is a better alternative to speculatiion about the meaning and purpose of life. The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator to explain it. The same method works for discovering your life’s purpose. You can find what God, your creator, has revealed about life in his Word, the Bible. Revelation beats speculation any day.

Answer 2

We are here to improve the world in ways great and small.

If you don't believe in the existence of a higher power, then you must believe there is no purpose in our existence, and your question is already answered. To ask the question "why?" is to assume that we were created by something with a reason intended by the creator and we just haven't figured out what the reason is yet.

Take for example the creation of a video game console. The creator had an ultimate purpose for the existence of the game console, and that was to get filthy rich while buyers enjoy awesome graphics. The essense of a game console came before the creation of the game console because it was created with a purpose intended.

You do not believe in a god, and so you assume that we are not created with an essense. But we must have some essense. This essense is ours to create. We are born without meaning, and have an entire lifetime to create this meaning. You get out of life what you put into it. True, in the end we perish and die, and we cease to exist and everything we did in life, to us, means nothing. We no longer have a brain to recall the great life we lived... But consider yourself lucky for being given this chance to live, because this IS your only chance. And you don't die completely right away after death. The memory of you lives on, and also, everything you do affects the world in very different ways. Every one has an effect on Earth to a certain degree, be it large or small, may you affect a million people, or affect one. And eventually, the human race will die too.. Well, we lived our best, we enjoyed existing for a little while, and in the end, it didn't matter. Who cares if it doesn't matter in the end? What matters is now, because now is all you have.

So in conclusion

There is no "why" we are here... We ARE here. Enjoy it while you can.

Answer 3

Well, since you don't believe in God, I won't hand you any of that tripe, though it does clear up the answer instantly. Why is anything here? Why is this the only habitable planet in our solar system? What the Hell happened to Mars?
I suspect we are here to learn. Why, I can't say. But tell me, if it doesn't matter, why do you need an answer so badly?
Are you studying philosophy or just interested? Either way, you will soon discover that it's just thinking in circles. When that gets old, someone makes up a great new platitude and solves one mystery. I think, therefore I am was concocted while the "great philosopher" was crammed in an oven.
To sum up, we don't know the answers, and you don't want to hear from the people who do have a reason (they feel) for being. Philosophy is silly, but entertaining. And if it doesn't matter, why ask?
Philosophy 101. I enjoyed it, thoroughly. Hope it helps.

Answer 4

Buddy, if you keep God out of the picture then truly its a question that can never be answered, because if at the end everybody is to leave the earth then why the hell go through all the stress and try to survive.

The complete system of nature is too complex to have been started or produced by mere coincidence. It is a complete intelligent system which can only be created by an Intelligent being.

Yes scientifically it is difficult to explain God but then again it is also difficult to explain Bermuda, spirit, soul etc to which we all believe. Hence science should not be just the judging factor.

For me life is about following God's system in the best way possible, which will make us better humans and will create better societies. This way I know if i die I would have earned my purpose and will be able to survive in the hereafter. (O yes thats another debate, but I dont think that man is so insignificant to cease to exist. There is a life hereafter which will depend on how much we serve our purpose in this life)

Answer 5

First of all, If my God had the intellect of you wouldn't we all be dead! Or anyone for that matter. You make a world in 7 days big dawg! Well, really 6! But really, think about it,the reason God hasn't come back is because his intellect is a lot greater than ours and wants to give people like you a chance to come to the realization that we didn't create ourselves.Seriously, what kind of random thought from some old guy, that we evolved from apes.Wooooo, If we evolved from apes why aren't we still evolving today? If there is one wish we could have it is that this year would be the year for you to decide who is your maker! Who reigns surpreme, who holds your life in his hands! Scary, isn't it?No, not really, If you trust in Him! Please make it a late Christmas present to God and show Him you know Him as your Saviour! Why not? It doesen't cost anything! Besides, if you lived your life as a faithful Christian, you would be living the best life possible! You would have friends and a awesome God as a friend! Live your life as a Christian!, Besides if you died and there was no God (which there is) than you would have lived the best life possible here on earth. Don't say your not atheist plz! You either no God or you don't! There's No Muhammad! Plz, take Jesus as your Saviour!
Ps: Jesus Loves You

Answer 6

You make a good point, but what is the use in believing that we don't have a reason to be here and live life in a depressing state and not enjoy the time we have here. I mean who cares what happens after I died. And it doesn't matter why we are here. I want to spend my time with my family and do all the things that makes me happy....

Answer 7

As a species, we are here because the conditions on the planet have been conducive to our evolution. The only "purpose" of life is to survive biologically - to reproduce and adapt to the environment, as a species.

Our species may survive a very long time, even if the earth becomes unlivable.

As individuals, our lives can still be meaningful and enjoyable if we work at it. "Follow your bliss" is the best advice for living a good life. Millions of atheists live very happy lives.

Accept that you cannot avoid your mortality; don't bother to stress over that. But you should stress about (strive to overcome) pain and unhappiness for yourself and others while you are alive.

Answer 8

It's not surprising that someone who claims that there is no God would ask this question.
You are living in an existential vacuum and therefore life seems meaningless. It has always been so and I guess shall remain the same for some.
Just intellectually one would have to see that if life were forever, then it would really have no meaning. The very knowledge that we are ALL going to die, including you, adds meaning to our being here.
Look within.

Answer 9

OK no god bullshit. The way you live your life demonstrates to everyone who you think you are. If you think you are a failure and live your life that way, then that's exactly what you will get. You are however completely in control of your life. If you are willing to accept the consequences of your decisions or have them imposed on you by society, you can decide literally anything.

If I am my own master then what kind of life do I want to live? For me the answer is in helping people; I am striving to be the best I can be in doing that. I make mistakes, correct them as best I can, forgive myself and move on, each time getting better at what I am doing.

I don't know what the answer if for you, but I do KNOW you can change your life in an instant if you want to. Therefore:
"DO! or DO NOT! There is no Try!" - Yoda.

Answer 10

We are here because of the amazing abundance of energy focused on and within our planet. The earth is just bursting with energy and therefore, LIFE - to make use of that energy. Earth is very fertile. We're all just sucking up all the good stuff around us - because it's there! Although moderation in the process is best.

Answer 11

Why commit the mistake of trying to make sense out of it in the first place? You're only bound to end up creating a bunch of fictional suppositions (like god, for one). Relax, enjoy life, go outside on nice days, don't get sucked into false beliefs, have sex frequently and preferably with someone you really like being around, get old gracefully, die like the rest of us. Realize that searching for some sort of ultimate justification for life presupposes a universe that requires justifications for its function, which is not the case. Expecting to get a worthwhile answer to this question will only align you for failure.