What is the purpose of life? Please just answer the question as briefly and precisely as you can, without opening any cans of worms.

Me: To serve God.

To evolve to a higher level.

To enjoy life, to embrace everything and achieve whatever you want, to find love, to explore everything we are and everything we could be.

just to live

To live until I die, since I didn't have no say so in being born.

Thank you for your responses. Now I would like you to qualify your answers:
~Sal~:To evolve to a higher level.
Why? When is the higher level? When is it going to end? Why bother? What will it give us? Only us or society as a whole?

Lokideviluk:To enjoy life, to embrace everything and achieve whatever you want, to find love, to explore everything we are and everything we could be.
Embrace everything? Otherwise it's really clear.

sputnik:just to live
To live? Why? What for? Expand...

M&Mdelite:To live until I die, since I didn't have no say so in being born.
There is suicide, will that work? If no, then why not and expand on your answer? If yes, why are you still here?

I would never commit suicide, so I'm still here because I haven't died yet. Simple!!

[/Q~Sal~:To evolve to a higher level.
Why? When is the higher level? When is it going to end? Why bother? What will it give us? Only us or society as a whole?


Why...for the sheer joy of learning and growing. Because the universe is full of beauty and awe and we are a part of it. Because the more we grow and understand the more complete we are. And the more complete and balanced that we are, the more we have to give to others. To learn and explore the potential of who and what we are. To understand the gift of "us" and the wonder of the way God has made us and the world that we live in.

Understanding gives us balance and harmony and integrity. Every thought that we have, every move that we make is energy that goes out into the universe be it positive or negative. It matters that we become right with ourselves.

my children.


(to carry on the legacy of my ancestors through teaching my children their heritage, knowledge, traditions and ceremonies.)

Originally posted by STOpandthink

sputnik:just to live
To live? Why? What for? Expand...


maybe there is no why or what for. maybe there is no purpose, and we've been searching so long for something that doesn't exist. would it really be so bad if there wasn't any meaning to life?

but how should i know? really.

If there is no meaning then everything is...well, meaningless. I might as well just get it over with (ie suicide). Something has to drive us to remain in this world, something to live for.

M&Mdelite: Why wouldn't you commite suicide? You sound like you don't like that you were just put into this world.
Creetwins: (Hypothetically)What if your children die? Would there be any reason?
Thank you, ~Sal~, your responce is very complete now.

Stop, I really like living. I enjoy my family, job and most everything around me. I hate the way our country is heading but not enough to be depressed. I believe only depressed people commit suicide. I am religious and commiting suicide is a sure way of going to hell (so to speak). :)

damn, all the good ones are taken! For me, life is the creamy filling between the 2 'non-existance' cookies of the cosmic oreo.

M&Mdelite: Oh, now we are getting somewhere. So what is more important: family/job/everything, or religion. Do you just leave for happiness?
Evil Homer: Lol! That's a nice metaphor. And like in another post, you didn't answer the question. Why do you live? Why is this life better than non-existence? What is the "drive"?

Originally posted by ~Sal~
To understand the gift of "us" and the wonder of the way God has made us and the world that we live in.


Everytime i read that i hate GOD a little bit more.

Originally posted by Stopandthink
Embrace everything? Otherwise it's really clear.

Yeh excuse that, because that would assume id embrace religion which isnt happening ever.

It's really hard to say. How do you define purpose? Does it involve a willingness to participate?

For example, can you say that the purpose of livestocks is to serve as our food? If the answer is "yes", then this definition of "purpose" does not really include what the "self" wants, and a lot of times does not involve a willingness to participate or even awareness on the subject's part.

On the other hand, if we broaden the definition and allow the "self" to choose, the answers are more intuitive. Mainly most people's "purpose" is going to involve something that makes them happy.

For me my purpose of life would be the continuous quest for happiness. It is not a "goal". It is a fact of life based on my observation. I realize that when we make choices, we come to our conclusions by choosing what makes us happier. Consciously or unconsciously, this is what we are programmed to do, hence our purpose.

It must be noted that I used the word "continuous." The purpose is never to seek an ultimate, consumate happiness (although people in certain religions seeking heaven will have that purpose), but to continuously make the happier of many choices on a daily basis. I am speaking of human nature. The most fundamental purpose.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
What is the purpose of life?

I have lived and enjoyed I have also created with the help of my wife. The purpose is to be the life force you are.

Dio Seijuro, you are A.I., aren't you? :) Just kidding. It's just after some evaluation of life without God I realized that happiness is about the only thing worth reaching out for. (thankfully for me there is God)
Mad dog: expand. Life force? Why be it? Why try to do anything? What is the goal? To reach the limit? What limit? Why?

Originally posted by STOpandthink
M&Mdelite: Oh, now we are getting somewhere. So what is more important: family/job/everything, or religion. Do you just leave for happiness?
Evil Homer: Lol! That's a nice metaphor. And like in another post, you didn't answer the question. Why do you live? Why is this life better than non-existence? What is the "drive"?

hmm, im not sure to which post you are refering to, but i'll try to answer the best i can. There is no real reason to live, it's just something that happens, and is something you do. I'm not so sure that life is better than non-existance, maybe everything is just a constant phasing in and out of existance and non existance. Again, i don't see any drive, just an inevitability.

oh, and btw, i like the cookie part better on oreos (chocoholic)

So if there is no drive, then why bother? Wouldn't it be simplet to just get over with?
And may be the Matrix has you...oooo...

Originally posted by Evil Homer
hmm, im not sure to which post you are refering to, but i'll try to answer the best i can. There is no real reason to live, it's just something that happens, and is something you do. I'm not so sure that life is better than non-existance, maybe everything is just a constant phasing in and out of existance and non existance. Again, i don't see any drive, just an inevitability.

oh, and btw, i like the cookie part better on oreos (chocoholic)

Well said. In the scale of things cosmological, life has no purpose and no need to exist. The earth is an unimportant pebble and we (all life) are a scummy little mold growing upon it.

Theists, it seems, confuse their own personal hopes and desires with an imagined cosmological purpose. Projection is a fundamental part of sustaining religious belief IMO.

Originally posted by Blob
Well said. In the scale of things cosmological, life has no purpose and no need to exist. The earth is an unimportant pebble and we (all life) are a scummy little mold growing upon it.

Theists, it seems, confuse their own personal hopes and desires with an imagined cosmological purpose. Projection is a fundamental part of sustaining religious belief IMO.

I think someone thinking "We are a tiny pointless spec in the universe" is just as bad as someone thinking "We are the epicenter of the universe, and our GOD has created it all for us". They are like two opposite extremes and should both be avoided.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
So if there is no drive, then why bother? Wouldn't it be simplet to just get over with?

Your desire for the most reassuring scenario to be the true one is quite understandable. The atheist viewpoint entails certain stark perceptions that are arguably repugnant, such as a lack of 'drive' or purpose to it all. Others might be final death; humanity's utter loneliness; knowledge that you will never see loved ones who pass away ever again and so on.

However, were we to engage in a fruitless battle of "your philosphy is darker than mine" I would point ot the following abysmally depressing consequence of a divine creator 'driving' the uiniverse: All suffering and terrors become part of some intended plan. A frightening proposition.

I also found this:
Originally posted by STOpandthink in another thread
I want to die as soon as possible, because then I don't have to be here, unfortunately, God said no suicide, so I have to stick around.

It seems you mention suicide as preferable to both god and godlessness. I hope your comments are merely figurative and that all is well with you. Even though this life is scary and apparently pointless it's actually not too hard to come to terms with it, and still be a generally happy and optimistic person. Don't let it get you down.

:)

Originally posted by Lokideviluk
I think someone thinking "We are a tiny pointless spec in the universe" is just as bad as someone thinking "We are the epicenter of the universe, and our GOD has created it all for us". They are like two opposite extremes and should both be avoided.

I would draw your attention to "in the scale of things cosmological".

At the terristrial level it would indeed be foolish to say life has no purpose. I would cite pleasure, relationships, achievement, satisfaction, lessening suffering and so on as evidence that to live and be alive is full of 'purpose'. I attend to these things, not the fact that I am mold on a pebble, the overwhelming majority of the time.

Originally posted by STOpandthink

Mad dog: expand. Life force? Why be it? Why try to do anything? What is the goal? To reach the limit? What limit? Why?

I did not have a choice of being alive but I am so I will try to enjoy my life. Why do we have to have a goal maybe we just are? A saying comes to mind, it is better to have lived and loved then to have never lived and loved at all. I am alive why not look for answers about life? Why do we look for answer about death while we are living, death will come soon enough.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
So if there is no drive, then why bother? Wouldn't it be simplet to just get over with?


just because there may not be a PURPOSE to it, doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable. besides, if it's the only one we've got, there's no sense in wasting it.

Originally posted by Blob
I would draw your attention to "in the scale of things cosmological".

At the terristrial level it would indeed be foolish to say life has no purpose. I would cite pleasure, relationships, achievement, satisfaction, lessening suffering and so on as evidence that to live and be alive is full of 'purpose'. I attend to these things, not the fact that I am mold on a pebble, the overwhelming majority of the time.

Phhhheeeeeew... by your other post I expected to find you hanging from a tree limb.....:p

Originally posted by ~Sal~
Phhhheeeeeew... by your other post I expected to find you hanging from a tree limb.....:p

lol. Sorry to scare you!

What is the purpose of life? Please just answer the question as briefly and precisely as you can, without opening any cans of worms.


then you said:
Creetwins: (Hypothetically)What if your children die? Would there be any reason?

Is it safe to say the can is already open?

The purpose of life is sex.........just look you can see it everywhere.

To answer your "what if", I would have more.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
What is the purpose of life?

For me it is to help others and want to see people's lives change for the better.

Blob:It seems you mention suicide as preferable to both god and godlessness. I hope your comments are merely figurative and that all is well with you. Even though this life is scary and apparently pointless it's actually not too hard to come to terms with it, and still be a generally happy and optimistic person. Don't let it get you down.
Don't worry. Luckly for you God said 'no suicide', so I will stick around. But I do with to die so I can go to heaven faster....waiting....to...die... :) I am weird, but I love my life and I think it's as perfect as it can be. Can you say that?

the J Man: Why care about others? So the might do good for you? May be it's the pleasure for yourself that you want? Expand...

creetwins, OH NO! You opened the can!!! Just kidding. :) But explain your position anyways: sex? So you mean we live to have pleasure? Only that? What about those who don't have sex? And do answer the "dying children" question, I want to know.

By the way, thanks guys. You are doing a great job! I can see that all we care about is sex, love, happiness, and pleasure. Party!

Don't worry. Luckly for you God said 'no suicide', so I will stick around.
Good. I assumed you were being merely figurative and am glad to hear that.

I love my life and I think it's as perfect as it can be. Can you say that?
No, I certainly cannot. Only a theist* or a North Korean** would say such a silly thing.


*THEISTS: I know most of you would not be so silly as to say this and am not generalising.

**North Korea is a dreasdful regime in which citizens must display unwavering happiness and love to their Dear Leader, Kim Il Jung.


I can see that all we care about is sex, love, happiness, and pleasure. Party!
What is wrong with those things? If it was a comprehensive list then yes it would be a very shallow, hedonistic lifestyle. But no one has actually said "that is ALL I care about". You are making that up and it is a thorough misrepresentation.

I see theism suits you well.

That was a joke. I just picked some (obviously not all) answers to satirize our purpose in life. Relax.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
That was a joke. I just picked some (obviously not all) answers to satirize our purpose in life. Relax.

lol. I did go at you like a rabid terrier, didn't I?

Thanks for taking no offense. Next time I'm going to respond to you I will indeed er... STOpandTHINK!

See you around.

The purpose of life is joy.

Thanks, Blob.
Ed Blank: Expand. Joy? What is joy? Joy for what? Why? How? Please, please, tell me more.

Originally posted by Ed Blank
The purpose of life is joy.

I like that. I don't even think most people know what it is any more.

Stop, i'd probably have to say that there is no definitive answer to your question. Everybody has their own views about life, its meaning, its purpose. That why question will only torment you because it goes on infinately.

hmm. I guess life really is what you make of it!

I know there is no definite answer, Homer. I wasn't even looking for one. I just wanted people to think about it and I think it did some good, especially to Loki.

Do you believe in Father Christmas StopandThink? See where im going with this, A man does some good by walking round giving presents out and give it time and all the sudden he lives in an unfindable house where he works with his elves and every year he flys around the world delivering presents but the key is you can never see him, even if you stay up all night.

When i was very young a kid at my school told me Santa wasnt real and gave his explanation why, i came home and told my dad who quickly contradicted the kids argument and restored my faith in Santa. It was of course my love for Santa and my complete reverence in him that made me believe it.

Then as i grew older my dad (i think to avoid me looking a twat in front of my freinds) sat me down and explained it all to me and my sister ( a year younger), Now my sister was devastated and ran off crying, me on the other hand had found myself talking with others and had a very skeptical view on it after more and more kids started to disbelieve and so My dad telling me had merely reassured it.

StopandThink, Just like i woke up to the obvious reality that Santa wasnt real, I woke up to the fact that God (in the guise of the bible representation) isnt real either. The Dinosaurs alone is enough of an argument but there are countless more, unfortunatly you'll never understand them.

Originally posted by Lokideviluk
I woke up to the fact that God (in the guise of the bible representation) isnt real either.
I'm sorry, what? "Fact"? You have incontrovertible evidence that God does not exist?

Yep it was in the bottom of a Frosties packet, it surprised me as well but none the less, it was there.

But the evidence that the bible representation of God didnt exist is actually the Bible. 7 Literal days of creation, 900 year old men? Look at the way i worded that specifically for that reason.

Loki, Santa was made up by men, God, on the other hand, was not made up, but created everything else. See the difference? You are guilty of a logical fallacy--false analogy.
Also, I think we established that the 7 days were not literal, but simply 7 periods. Also, what is so impossible about 900 year old men? You doubt the power of God? Or may be the power of good clean fresh outside air? (joking on the last one)
There are some tribes today who live to 100+ easily, although it is far from 900, I believe there are possible scientific reasoning for that. I am not an expert, so I won't try and claim anything about that.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
Loki, Santa was made up by men, God, on the other hand, was not made up, but created everything else.

So says you, my point being that Santa was most likely (and i believe this has been proven) a real person whom in his village did good deeds by taking presents round to the children and over the years things got blown up and out of proportion like Jesus.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
See the difference? You are guilty of a logical fallacy--false analogy.

Once again only to you, since God doesnt exist and so they are in fact one and the same thing (the santa we all know), 2 fairytale figment characters who instill happiness and good blessings upon all.


Originally posted by STOpandthink
Also, I think we established that the 7 days were not literal, but simply 7 periods.

Nope, Im not agreeing its 7 periods either, not to mention that other religious folk on this forum are sticking to it being literal. So one of you is wrong... or more likely... both.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
Also, what is so impossible about 900 year old men? You doubt the power of God? Or may be the power of good clean fresh outside air? (joking on the last one)

What is impossible about 900 year old men? The same thing as Men flying, men being able to hold their breath for hours on end etc, none of it exists or has evidence in any form proving it exists and since the bible no longer counts as evidence since the OT cant be taken literally it goes and dissproves itself.

Originally posted by STOpandthink
There are some tribes today who live to 100+ easily, although it is far from 900, I believe there are possible scientific reasoning for that. I am not an expert, so I won't try and claim anything about that.

So only 800 years to go then.

I really really want to believe that there is a god or an after life but i have to say reading the arguments made for and against it does seem as though god and the bible is a load of rubbish. It might just be you lot are making a mess of arguing for it or mabye loki is arguing well against it but either way he really is making the whole faith system sound like one big lie!!!

Its kind of a hate filled obsesseion to prove it wrong, but in that is my undoing since im clearly not that scholared in the varying aspects of the Bible, Im unable to bring quotes forth instantly and theres still alot left unexplained.

My biggest question to them though Steve, was how is it possible to 'Save' (using their termonology) someone like me who has found such deep resentment for the Bible & God. They cant say "Just open your eyes/heart to him" because like ive mentioned before that would be like trying to tell myself Santa Claus is real, my brain just isnt going to accept it. I have not witnessed one single act of unexplainable phenomena which i guess explains my extreme skepticism.

(Apologies for the various spelling mistakes)

LOKI:
So says you, my point being that Santa was most likely (and i believe this has been proven) a real person...
And the proof is where?
Once again only to you...
And millions other people.
English_Pride:
he really is making the whole faith system sound like one big lie
The louder you yell, the more people will hear you, the more people will think you are right. Be careful in your judgment, brother.

Loki, even Paul was changed into an apostle of Christ. Believe me, God has His ways.

Life itself does not have a purpose. However one can give their existance a purpose.

SANTA CLAUS

Sheesh guys.........http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/christmas/santa.html (http://)

Echo2, what is the difference between the life and existence?
Gee, thanks Sal. You are right Loki, Santa Claus is a blown-out-of-proportion real guy. Though it doesn't mean Christ is.

Living organisms are made up of one or more cells, can grow and develop, reproduce, respond to stimuli, and have a metabolism. This list of characteristics was made by scientists after carefully considering what would be included, and excluded, by these characteristics. Using this list, viruses are not defined as living organisms, bacteria is. I have had many long discussions with family and friends about whether fire falls into this catagory. It is a long standing argument in the faux scientific community. (The answer is no).

Existance can be anything. Rocks exist, but they are not alive because they do not grow, reproduce, respond to stimuli or have a metabolism.

In the form that I used the term "existance" I was referring to what I do with my life. I probubly should have said "I can give my life a purpose by what I do with it, but it has no ultimate purpose beyond existance and death.

Originally posted by ~Sal~
SANTA CLAUS

Sheesh guys.........Santa is REAL! (http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/christmas/santa.html)

Sal sometimes i just want to kiss you.

But yeh StopandThink this is my point about Christ and im sorry, saying "Well i dont care it still isnt Christ" isnt good enough.

Thank you, Echo. That's a sound answer.
Loki, what else do you want me to say? "Santa Claus doesn't exist; therefore, Jesus doesn't exist"? That's foolishness. It's like saying: "Well, the doctors thought shoving worms up your a** will make you healthy. Obviously they were wrong, so I won't believe them now, when they tell me to exercise and brush my teeth."
People make an elephant out of a fly in some cases, I don't argue with that (ex. Santa), but you can't project it onto all cases (like Jesus).