The Purpose of Life?
The Purpose of Life
Is the purpose of life what you make it?
Or is the purpose of life
... to procreate selfish genes and memes?
... to selfishly seek pleasure and avoid pain?
... to prevent pain and cause pleasure for everyone?
... to make order out of chaos?
... to experience and explore?
... to be observed?
... to control the world around us?
... to be at one with the world around us?
... to enjoy art and beauty in all its forms?
... to reach out and express ourselves?
... to make the unknown known?
... to serve a higher power?
... to win and avoid losing?
... to transcend our own limits and those of the universe?
... to love and be loved?
... to see that nothing is permanent?
... to become enlightened?
Or perhaps life has no purpose?
What did I miss? What do you guys think?
To die without regrets?
My immediate thought is: What if one has memory loss?
Then: Can purpose be only in the moment?
Finally: Appreciating every moment as it is.
I can't for the life of me find reconciliation between the "power of now" and the "power of plans."
Ultimately it is because I can't find reconciliation between my "soul" and my identity.
Sometimes I imagine myself as Sam Beckett leaping into my own life.
I jump in and have no memory of my past but know that I am here, in this moment, to set right what could go wrong. Sometimes it is our memory of the past that clouds our judgment in the present.
You've probably had at least glimpses of awakening.. If it's not stable yet, I find this guy to be a clear expression.
add some insights into the nature of the proton into the discussion - I'm sure you are familiar with Nassim @clains ;-)
Through nearly 30 years of research in physics and writing multiple papers, Haramein has come to a deep understanding of the underlying mechanics of our universe, using his equations and theory to calculate the most accurate prediction of the charge radius of the proton to date. Bringing in evidence from fundamental physical principles and leading research, he is able to show that we live in a connected universe with an inherent feedback network in the structure of space, which has led to pioneering insights in our interpretation of cosmological, quantum, and biological scale systems.
It must be like this after spiritual reborn(?)
Matthew Henry Commentary
6:25-34 There is scarcely any sin against which our Lord Jesus more warns his disciples, than disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of this life. This often insnares the poor as much as the love of wealth does the rich. But there is a carefulness about temporal things which is a duty, though we must not carry these lawful cares too far. Take no thought for your life. Not about the length of it; but refer it to God to lengthen or shorten it as he pleases; our times are in his hand, and they are in a good hand. Not about the comforts of this life; but leave it to God to make it bitter or sweet as he pleases. Food and raiment God has promised, therefore we may expect them. Take no thought for the morrow, for the time to come. Be not anxious for the future, how you shall live next year, or when you are old, or what you shall leave behind you. As we must not boast of tomorrow, so we must not care for to-morrow, or the events of it. God has given us life, and has given us the body. And what can he not do for us, who did that? If we take care about our souls and for eternity, which are more than the body and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less. Improve this as an encouragement to trust in God. We must reconcile ourselves to our worldly estate, as we do to our stature. We cannot alter the disposals of Providence, therefore we must submit and resign ourselves to them. Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure of thoughtfulness for the world. Seek first the kingdom of God, and make religion your business: say not that this is the way to starve; no, it is the way to be well provided for, even in this world. The conclusion of the whole matter is, that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus, that by daily prayers we may get strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us. Happy are those who take the Lord for their God, and make full proof of it by trusting themselves wholly to his wise disposal. Let thy Spirit convince us of sin in the want of this disposition, and take away the worldliness of our hearts.
Matthew 6:34 Commentaries
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
"No life is without its regrets yet none is without its consolations." -The Madness of King George (1994 film)
It's been said various ways ...
"A life without regrets is hardly worth living."
"A life without regrets is a life not lived."
I heard a comedian say it even better, but I can't remember who it was or how he said it ... but it was funny. I regret that I can't find a link to it. ;)
or just to be "ready" to die... for your friends
I'm going with this:
"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness."
― Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
;)
This bench conversation is pretty good:
The purpose of life is what we choose for it to be.
Personally, I think our purpose is to spread life throughout the universe.
Life is the purpose. When you took hold of the cord of consciousness you began to feel all the vibrations of life and creation. It is up to you to give it meaning. Find your true self and the rest will come to you.
Great suggestions in your post. I suspect we cannot know life's true purpose, though some who have spiritual awakenings may disagree with me. Maybe we're a simulation, maybe we're imperfect, maybe each of us has some different puzzle pieces that add up to something greater. Since we are built not to fully understand, and each of us is given a few good years here, I think we should spend our time trying to maximize our experiences, address challenges rather than run from them, grow into better people, treat others well, and generally try to leave the world better than we found it.
What makes the topic controversial, I think, is that whatever purpose you chose, they will typically stand in conflict to some of the others. So for instance, maximization of experience is not necessarily (most likely isn't) compatible with leaving the world better than we found it. And so it goes for many of the other ideas we may have. It's extremely difficult to be consistent on the level of purposes and the overall meaning of life. And yet, I think it is our duty to allocate at least some of our investigative capacities to unifying our intuitions about these things and align them with the objective truth as far as possible.
From the spiritual teachers I respect the most they say it is almost as if the mystery of existence deepens. So before enlightenment one knows who one is and what to do, but after enlightenment, one knows that this is unknowable, and is able to live fully in that mystery, not on a conceptual level of a phony mystery or puzzle, but just being deeply embedded in the fact of actual existence to the point where the ordinary in its ordinariness appears like an ex nihilo miracle, moment to moment.
Yes, I've probably read and followed some of those same teachers. The more we know, the less we understand!
Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.