What is the True Purpose of Life?

[AiR]

Do we truly take time to ponder about one of the most important questions about life: What is the true purpose of life?

Is most of humanity busy living, enjoying, seeking happiness, or are they actually introspecting and trying to find out the meaning of life? What is the true purpose of life? Why are we here? Who brought us here? What is the purpose of coming here? What should we do before we end this journey?

People go to a supermarket to buy stuff. It is very common. They may actually go to buy bread, but when they enter the supermarket, all the displayed new merchandise overwhelms them. They buy their chocolates, beer, wine and fruits. But at the end of the shopping trip, when they leave and reach home, alas! They have forgotten to buy bread. It happens! It happens very often because we get distracted.

How can we truly find the meaning of life if we don’t take time to ponder, contemplate, and introspect? Some people say that the purpose of life is to be happy – very easily answered – but is it so easy to be happy? People may have all the wealth and all the pleasures in the world, but they are still miserable and unhappy. Do they take time to think and find out what truly makes them happy? Do you think seeking happiness and finding the true purpose of life are two different goals? Or are they one? Is it that when we seek happiness and get happiness, we have achieved the true goal of life, or is it when we find out the true goal of life that we get all the happiness in the world, in fact, do we “become” happiness?

It is a very interesting thought to ponder on: What is the true purpose of life? It requires one to sit silently and think – not browse or read – just go deep within think… And the answers will surely come!

AiR

[Greta]

We arrive in life with no (sensible) guidebook, just fairly clueless and (hopefully) well-meaning family and a society whose views range between the poles of literal-minded fundamentalism and unbending logical positivism. There is no way of being sure about the ultimate nature of reality, so we bumble through as best we can.

Given how little our generation understands, one useful purpose for our lives would be acting as a productive link between past and future generations, not squandering the work of our descendants (eg. as happened during the dark ages) but passing knowledge and understanding on.

People often assume that we live in humanity's endgame because the environment is on the verge of killing huge numbers of poor people. However, there's perhaps another billion years of evolution ahead on Earth. So it's possible that we are still so basic that, if life was a computer game we'd still be on level zero or maybe heading towards the first level. Just another few dozen levels to go ... :)

[attofishpi]

The only purpose of life is providing another with the ability to experience life - via your offspring.

[henry quirk]

Generally, life is about moving heat around.

More narrowly, life is about makin' more life.

Narrowest of all, your life is about whatever the hell you can successfully make it be about

[mysterio448]

I address this topic in a thread of mine, found here: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=19009

[Hobbes' Choice]

The only purpose of life is providing another with the ability to experience life - via your offspring.

says who?

[HexHammer]

What is the True Purpose of Life?

Not to ask stupid questions like you do.

[attofishpi]

The only purpose of life is providing another with the ability to experience life - via your offspring.

says who?

Um. Me.

[Gary Childress]

The only purpose of life is providing another with the ability to experience life - via your offspring.

says who?

Um. Me.

I don't have any offspring and often (though not always) feel like my life has no meaningful purpose. However, my understanding is that there are other people out there who do not have offspring who feel like their lives are full of meaningful purpose. Sometimes I feel full of meaningful purpose, depending upon my mood. One of my favorite philosophical quotes comes from Albert Camus:

I have never seen anyone die for the ontological argument. Galileo, who held a scientific truth of great importance, abjured it with the greatest ease as soon as it endangered his life. In a certain sense, he did right. That truth was not worth the stake. Whether the earth or the sun revolves around the other is a matter of profound indifference. To tell the truth, it is a futile question. On the other hand, I see many people die because they judge that life is not worth living. I see others paradoxically getting killed for the ideas or illusions that give them a reason for living (what is called a reason for living is also an excellent reason for dying). I therefore conclude that the meaning of life is the most urgent of questions.

[Hobbes' Choice]

The only purpose of life is providing another with the ability to experience life - via your offspring.

says who?

Um. Me.

PLONK!

[sthitapragya]

I have said this before. Even if you send someone to the supermarket, you tell them the purpose of the trip. (Go and get some eggs). If life had a purpose, you would know it, otherwise, whoever sent you really really really screwed up. If, however, you were sent to first find out what your purpose in life was and then fulfill it, then whoever sent you was really really really screwed up.

[Dalek Prime]

The only purpose of life is providing another with the ability to experience life - via your offspring.

So nobody gets to experience life then. We're too busy providing the experience for someone else.

(Kudos to me for not bringing antinatalism into the fray.)