What is the purpose in my life?

Question

I've viewed other readings for similar questions but mine is personal..
I've lived life with regret. I worry about what other people think about me. I hide behind a mask each day. I'm afraid to open up, afraid of what might come next. I do stupid things and i like to hurt myself when i am unhappy. I have no one to turn to because my trust has been betrayed more then once. I try to be happy when i am sad. I cry alot and i am really emotional. I live each day without a purpose. I have nothing to live for. I dont understand myself but rather try to understand the people around me. I always see myself stuck in a dark hole. What is the purpose in my life?

Answer 1

The philosophical question "What is the meaning of life?" means different things to different people. The vagueness of the query is inherent in the word "meaning", which opens the question to many interpretations, such as: "What is the origin of life?", "What is the nature of life (and of the universe in which we live)?", "What is the significance of life?", "What is valuable in life?", and "What is the purpose of, or in, (one's) life?". These questions have resulted in a wide range of competing answers and arguments, from scientific theories, to philosophical, theological, and spiritual explanations.

These questions are separate from the scientific issue of the boundary between things with life and inanimate objects.
Popular beliefs
"What is the meaning of life?" is a question many people ask themselves at some point during their lives, most in the context "What is the purpose of life?" Here are some of the many potential answers to this perplexing question. The responses are shown to overlap in many ways but may be grouped into the following categories:

Survival and temporal success
...to live every day like it is your last and to do your best at everything that comes before you
...to be always satisfied
...to live, go to school, work, and die
...to participate in natural human evolution, or to contribute to the gene pool of the human race
...to advance technological evolution, or to actively develop the future of intelligent life
...to compete or co-operate with others
...to destroy others who harm you, or to practice nonviolence and nonresistance
...to gain and exercise power
...to leave a legacy, such as a work of art or a book
...to eat
...to prepare for death
...to spend life in the pursuit of happiness, maybe not to obtain it, but to pursue it relentlessly.
...to produce offspring through sexual reproduction (alike to participating in evolution)
...to protect and preserve one's kin, clan, or tribe (akin to participating in evolution)
...to seek freedom, either physically, mentally or financially
...to observe the ultimate fate of humanity to the furthest possible extent
...to seek happiness and flourish, experience pleasure or celebrate
...to survive, including the pursuit of immortality through scientific means
...to attempt to have many sexual conquests (as in Arthur Schopenhauer's will to procreate)
...to find and take over all free space in this "game" called life
...to seek and find beauty
...to kill or be killed
...No point. Since having a point is a condition of living human consciousness. Animals do not need a point to live or exist. It is more of an affliction of consciousness that there are such things as points, a negative side to evolutionary development for lack of better words.

Wisdom and knowledge
...to master and know everything
...to be without questions, or to keep asking questions
...to expand one's perception of the world
...to explore, to expand beyond our frontiers
...to learn from one's own and others' mistakes
...to seek truth, knowledge, understanding, or wisdom
...to understand and be mindful of creation or the cosmos
...to lead the world towards a desired situation
...to satisfy the natural curiosity felt by humans about life

Ethical
...to express compassion
...to follow the "Golden Rule"
...to give and receive love
...to work for justice and freedom
...to live in peace with yourself and each other, and in harmony with our natural environment
...to protect humanity, or more generally the environment
...to serve others, or do good deeds

Religious and spiritual
...to find perfect love and a complete expression of one's humanness in a relationship with God
...to achieve a supernatural connection within the natural context
...to achieve enlightenment and inner peace
...to become like God, or divine
...to glorify God
...to experience personal justice (i.e. to be rewarded for goodness)
...to experience existence from an infinite number of perspectives in order to expand the consciousness of all there is (i.e. to seek objectivity)
...to be a filter of creation between heaven and hell
...to produce useful structure in the universe over and above consumption (see net creativity)
...to reach Heaven in the afterlife
...to seek and acquire virtue, to live a virtuous life
...to turn fear into joy at a constant rate achieving on literal and metaphorical levels: immortality, enlightenment, and atonement
...to understand and follow the "Word of God"
...to discover who you are
...to resolve all problems that one faces, or to ignore them and attempt to fully continue life without them, or to detach oneself from all problems faced

Philosophical
...to give life meaning
...to participate in the chain of events which has led from the creation of the universe until its possible end (either freely chosen or determined, this is a subject widely debated amongst philosophers)
...to know the meaning of life
...to achieve self-actualisation
...all possible meanings have some validity
...life in itself has no meaning, for its purpose is an opportunity to create that meaning, therefore:
...to die
...to simply live until one dies (there is no universal or celestial purpose)
...nature taking its course (the wheel of time keeps on turning)
...whatever you see you see, as in "projection makes perception"
...there is no purpose or meaning whatsoever
...life may actually not exist, or may be illusory )
...to contemplate "the meaning of the end of life"

Other
...to contribute to collective meaning ("we" or "us") without having individual meaning ("I" or "me")
...to find a purpose, a "reason" for living that hopefully raises the quality of one's experience of life, or even life in general
...to participate in the inevitable increase in entropy of the universe
...to make conformists' lives miserable
...to make life as difficult as possible for others (i.e. to compete)
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Answer 2

Neither I nor anyone else can tell you what your purpose is in life. First, we don't know. Second, I think it's a bad assumption to think that we all start off life with a purpose already in place like some pre-destiny.

The only one that can tell you your purpose in life, is YOU. Your life is yours to live, that's the great thing about free will. To say that god or anyone else has a purpose for you is to say that you're an automaton, pre-programmed to live a certain life.

The fact that you don't know your purpose just means that you have not discovered or created it for yourself yet. Give it some time, you'll get it eventually. Yes, it may take a few years. _Many_ young people don't know what they're going to do with their lives yet.

You're obviously going thru an emotional time now, and it may be hard to believe me, but it will pass. If you feel the need to talk about your feelings, many schools have counselors available to talk to. You might also want to try talking to a clergyman if you're religious.

Oh, and stop worrying so much about what others are thinking about you. Live for yourself. So long as you don't do anything self-destructive or harmful to others, there's nothing wrong with looking after your own happiness. Even if you live to be a hundred, life's too short to waste on being unnecessarily sad. But seriously, find some professional help. There's no shame in it, and you just might learn how to be happy again. (Real happiness, not just being happy for others.) Once you find out how to live for yourself again, then discovering or creating your purpose in life will get a whole lot easier, and a whole lot more back under your control.

Answer 3

everything you just said is what makes people human. though not all of us have gone through what you have gone through we think about it nonetheless everyday.
dont live life carrying your regrets. dont look at them that way if you wish to carry them. regrets make the soul heavy and drags you down to be kneeling all your life with your head down. see the good in the bad. regret is just another word for big mistake.
dont worry what people think. people have the tendency to change their minds every second. think about it, do you really care what a 19 year old single mother with 3 kids thinks about you? some people dont have a right to judge and others shouldnt judge in the first place.
everyone has a mask they wear. i have 15. its normal to wear it when your around people. of course once you find someone you dont mind looking at whats behind the mask, then you can drop to your knees and cry to the heavens thanking god you found that person. that person does exist. you just have to find them.
no one knows what comes next. if we did life would be boring and there would be no more accidents. life is an adventure. dont be afraid of what comes next, just be prepared.
i am a nobody at the moment, but i can tell you this, i am very trust worthy. i value trust like i value my own life. i have known people who have been betrayed over and over and still have them find some faith in me. it takes time to get used to it, but not everyone is trying to hurt you.
i am beyond emotional, but i can control it. its all understandable. i have a saying, cry only when you know you can do nothing else. its unavoidable. only then can you cry. you cant live life crying. the world would miss your smile.
nobody is born with a purpose. we find a purpose. whether its to build a future, finding marriage, or just making our parents proud. you have to find a purpose. a purpose wont just fall on your lap.
everyone has something to live for. they just have to find it. you have to have the dedication to want it.
just by asking what is your purpose in life IS A PURPOSE!
now its your purpose to find something to live for.
dont you see?

its not all a waste of time. a dark hole is only dark in the night. im sure if you look up you'll see the sun trying very hard to reach you.
just look up and live.
hope i was of some help. good luck.

Answer 4

Sometimes you can be right at the edge of a break through and can't see it, just keep holding on! I don't mean to be so religious, but so many people are dying and want to live, and you are living and want to die! I've had to ask myself, what's my purpose, but if God Created you and sent you here, then you have a purpose. And it could be just to help people who are discouraged! Don't be down, just live, think about all the GOOD things and not the bad, and the bad things in your live think about what to do to make them better! You will be fine, write me because I'd love to work with you! Be encouraged and you have a purpose, if it's just to be my friend, we can help each other! God Bless you!

Answer 5

You are probably someone rich. No need to fight for anything in life. You get whatever you want when you show your hands.

Try loosing that kinda dignity and pampered lifestyle. You'll have no choice but to do something more meaningful in life. When you are able to achieve something in life, you'll feel more proud and you'll probably strive to do more to achieve that kinda feeling again. Well, that'll probably get you a purpose in life.

For most people within the age of 20 ~ 60, the most important in life is probably making money and then family. Making money is an important purpose in life.

However, for those more than 60, they would be more interested to have closer and happier family. That is a purpose for them to keep them busy till the end of life.

Answer 6

the purpose in your life is to live it, life isn't about indulging, having as many friends as possible, doing anything you want, nor is it about devoting all of your time to one thing. life is truly about doing what has to be done and going with it all while doing what you want. the answer to the question "What is the purpose in [your] life?" is a painfully obvious one i'm afraid: though we may try to persuade you to do many things that may define you as a person the key factor in who you are and what you are and why you are is what you choose to do now that you have seen all of the things you have done before and how they have turned out. it would be great to say all you need is love and just go on with a faux-happy attitude like so many do or to continue the self-abuse but life isn't about that life is about life and survival, and in the end it's either what you've made it or what it's made you.

Answer 7

Without a doubt, I have been in your position before and I have asked the same question before. There are times when life can be rough and you are left in a cold, dark, and cruel world. Only you can find your own purpose. Even though it may be difficult, experience can help you with your journey to finding your purpose in life. Just try going through life and noticing the small details and try to learn more about yourself. I can guarantee that you'll find your purpose and be a more happy individual.

A credible source that may help you is: http://www.actualized.org
There are a ton of videos that can help you through your tough time, and you may even see a quick turn around for your life.

Answer 8

we are actually in the same boat, this mask i wear everyday they dont know what im feeling inside, im serioulsy asking why i need to live, i dont know the reason why but it doesnt mean that if we dont know the reason is that there is no reason, so there must be something out there
i have tried to kill myself 4 times already and it didnt succeed, i still want to do it, but i guess my reason for living is that there is still a next day, tomorrow perhaps i would meet the person that would make me want to live, tomorrow there might be a goal or something i might be passionate about, tomorrow, if there is no longer a tomorrow for me then atleast i am not the one who took my own life and that time has just gone by, i dont know except that this hollow, empty feeling is somehow a knowledge that i recognize and you recognize that you are alive and we still have possibilities

Answer 9

If what you say is true,then why are you telling us if yours is personal? You should be confiding in a Doctor who is specialised in this field.Do you really think some of us on Answers has got all the solutions to your problems?This would be the last place i would open up my soul to strangers.

Answer 10

It sounds like you are psychologically depressed (though not alone or unique in that), so it would be best to work on curing your depression and not worry about your purpose in life at this time. When things are more balanced, it will eventually reveal itself to you.

Answer 11

Try taking all the hell life can through at you and still find happiness. It may be challenging, but it is a worthy purpose.