How ought one to live?

[Gary Childress]

Does life have a purpose or goal outside of our own beliefs and desires? What is the best way to live? Is it best to live a life of pleasure, duty or worship (to loosely borrow some of Kierkegaard's categories). Or is life just brute survival of the fittest and our highest purpose is to have offspring and perpetuate the species?

For myself, I seem to be most at home following the ways of Epicurus, living a life that is as full of joy and free of pain as possible. But another part of me thinks perhaps it is the Stoics who are the better statesmen and a better guide for people living in what seems to me to be a warrior nation. It's kind of saddening to me in some ways. I feel like I don't fit the mold when it comes to living in the US. I'm not really a person of duty or much of one to "tough things out" when it comes to hardship.

So my question is, what is the best way to live life? Or what is the best kind of life one can have?

[Impenitent]

Does life have a purpose or goal outside of our own beliefs and desires? ...

only if you desire and believe it to be so...

-Imp

[Gary Childress]

Does life have a purpose or goal outside of our own beliefs and desires? ...

only if you desire and believe it to be so...

-Imp

That could be true in more ways than one. I see a lot of people diagnosed with mental illnesses who seem to have lived life carelessly and without regard for various social conventions and it seems to have taken a toll on our minds. I wonder if it is only because such a life is generally frowned upon and if it weren't we'd be fine or if it's because there are biological restraints that force people who stray from certain codified lifestyles to mentally collapse. And either way, it could be seen as completely "in our own minds" and not objectively "out there" as it were.

It's a bit like asking whether sexual orientation is biologically determined or simply a matter of fiat and we can be whatever we want. How "plastic" are social conventions and the human mind I wonder?

I guess the true end is whatever it is that makes us happiest or that makes us feel most fulfilled, perhaps.

[Lacewing]

Does life have a purpose or goal outside of our own beliefs and desires? What is the best way to live? Is it best to live a life of pleasure, duty or worship (to loosely borrow some of Kierkegaard's categories). Or is life just brute survival of the fittest and our highest purpose is to have offspring and perpetuate the species?

For myself, I seem to be most at home following the ways of Epicurus, living a life that is as full of joy and free of pain as possible. But another part of me thinks perhaps it is the Stoics who are the better statesmen and a better guide for people living in what seems to me to be a warrior nation. It's kind of saddening to me in some ways. I feel like I don't fit the mold when it comes to living in the US. I'm not really a person of duty or much of one to "tough things out" when it comes to hardship.

So my question is, what is the best way to live life? Or what is the best kind of life one can have?

I think it's kind of like your own personal painting -- what you desire to create and share, using the tools at hand, from day to day. You don't have to create anything specific. But you can certainly have a theme in mind, and build on that. Then at some point you may decide to paint over that. It will be different for everyone.

There is a lot of pressure from society and other people -- not only in regard to what you should think and do, but also in the hardships and horrors you're bombarded with and must endure. In this regard, life is like playing a game. You can do your best to outwit the cards that are played and dealt, and any players who would try to thwart you. It's an ongoing challenge and opportunity to play better and better... as well as to remember to take the necessary breaks from all of that intoxicating gameplay to rest and clear your mind and heart/soul.

You mentioned living a life that is full of joy -- and I agree. I think the most important thing is to ENJOY this life experience while one has it, in whatever ways are available for that one. Soon enough, it will "blink out" for each of us. So, whatever one can do to continually enhance their ability and their own self-mastery to experience/create/maintain joy amidst all the intoxicating ruckus... then (I think) one will have played an excellent game and painted a beautiful masterpiece while they could.