2007-07-05 20:02:06 · 18 answers · asked by Believe in yourself 5 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
I wrote elsewhere:
The business of life is to move things around. The purpose of life is to make meaning of the things we have moved.
2007-07-07 09:41:41 · answer #1 · answered by Livie 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
80% of humanity, the religious folks, don't need to ask the meaning of life, the church tells them....the supernatural explanation. But the rest of us can't swallow religious dogma, because there's no evidence. Nobody can prove that there life after death, that people are tortured or rewarded after life or that there's invisible spirits running around.
I've come to two conclusions recently:
1. Life has no meaning
2. Life has a million meanings.
First, there's a certainty that death and annihilation awaits not only you, but the Earth in general. It's an astonomical certainty that our sun will supernova and leave the earth a burnt crisp, not to mention all the other extinction level events around the corner.
Second, the million things that give us meaning are the pleasurable experiences we can conjure up during the short period we are here on the earth, in the form of the relationships we have with our kids and other people, and the 'housekeeping' types of purposes. What i mean by that are the curing disease, ending hunger, improving literacy, reducing crime, preventing war, helping other kinds of things.
So the bottom line is, we only have a temporary meaning to life, to reduce pain and increase pleasure, other than that everything is lost to oblivion.
To be or not to be? "To be" is temporary and "not to be" is inevitable.....
2007-07-06 03:13:39 · answer #2 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, it took man a long time to get to his purpose in life, but the Earth was patient, I mean, all it had to do was go around in circles and wait it out. And then one day man fulfilled his purpose.........he made PLASTIC and the Earth rejoiced, at last it could bathe in the glorious garbage of pure junk...an addiction that made it all worth while. Now you know why man has a purpose......to make Plastic. And the Earth said "it is good".
2007-07-06 05:59:06 · answer #3 · answered by bailingwirewillfixit 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have to set a goal for ourselves and strive to achieve it. That lends some meaning to life. The more unattainable the goal is the more has to be the effort and that effort to achieve in itself makes life purposeful. Since God is the ultimate unattainable, those who strive after God are the ones who find life is full of meaning and purpose..
2007-07-06 06:11:31 · answer #4 · answered by Traveller 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's something we each determine for ourselves, by choice or default. The choice is linked to the meaning we give our lives and largely defines us. For some it's a circular dance around some external script - for some it's a pile of possessions, also determined largely by an unquestioned script - others write their own book. So choose wisely. We only arrive at the end we've chosen - for better or worse.
2007-07-06 03:22:27 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that the purpose of life is to experience as much as is possible and to leave a footprint showing that we were once here.
2007-07-09 08:03:15 · answer #6 · answered by Opester 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
why is it that people are looking for some grand purpose in life? do people not understand that we are born, we live, and then we die. there is no real purpose other than to pro create, and pass on our genes. that's it!
2007-07-06 03:06:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
1. Do Good.
2. Have Fun.
2007-07-06 03:31:25 · answer #8 · answered by Pro bono publico 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To live life to the fullest, make the most out of your time here and to do what makes you happy!
2007-07-06 03:05:00 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our purpose is to make purpose.
2007-07-06 03:04:18 · answer #10 · answered by P G 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋