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- Thailand
I don't come here often but here goes...
Purpose & being.
Truly one of the oldest and longest generally unanswered questions ever pondered by mankind. Is there an answer to "what is my purpose?"
We're all born without a designated purpose in life and the only certainty is death. Many find a 'purpose' in faith/religion, a career, family and other such major aspects of life. Does this suggest that our purposes or reason for being is self manufactured through the influence of our environment? What does that mean for those who have not come upon their purpose through conventional environmental influence?
Example; One dedicates one's life to a partner/ offspring/ religion/ career. None of these purposes are guaranteed to become the focus of a person's life from birth.
They are just distractions from the fact that the real purpose of being is unknown and in so become dismissible as the reason for being or 'purpose' of ones life despite how fiercely many would argue against this.
I have tried myself to focus the purpose of my life towards my partner but the same question remains. What purpose does this serve? The continuation of species through breeding, the contentment of a relationship, satisfaction of selflessness?
Could the sole function of my being be to continue my family line, or on a grander scale, to continue the existence of mankind, and then, for what end? Does the continuation of mankind, exponentially, give my personal existence a meaning? If mankind continues to exist for an infinite time does any one person's existence have meaning?
A life dedication to a career can be observed in the same manor.
Even the most important of works for the benefit of an individual or for mankind as a whole may do nothing more than to, in the best sense, continue the existence of mankind, looping back to the previous questions regarding a purpose as a breeder.
Mankind's purpose in an infinite time and space can be no more than to breed and continue its existence if death is the only certainty of the individual. Therefore all other 'purposes' are distraction as mentioned earlier so can breeding be argued to be Mankind's, and therefore the individual's too, prime purpose for being? How can this be the case if even if mankind expands throughout the universe and continues for an infinite time (if such a concept should exist) the end result is still to continue the species with no viable end in sight.
If a person decides on a purpose for being in religion/ a partner/ a career, does that make this choice 'purpose' a true purpose given that continuation of species seems to be the only, definite, logical, if fruitless, point of a person's existence? Once again, if the continuation of species if a fruitless effort, then we're back to square one, what is our purpose for being?
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I'm sure this opener could ramble on for a books worth of content but there's only so much my brain will take before I need to get drunk and forget I ever on this subject
I'm hoping to inspire some thought and some intelligent conversation, I'm far from wanting to be an intelligent person myself so I'm sure all of you have answers of your own.
On a side note, anyone posting '42' as a comment deserves a kick in the nuts.
I'm unaware if this topic has been covered before, from what I gathered it hasn't so...there it is.
Purpose & being.
Truly one of the oldest and longest generally unanswered questions ever pondered by mankind. Is there an answer to "what is my purpose?"
We're all born without a designated purpose in life and the only certainty is death. Many find a 'purpose' in faith/religion, a career, family and other such major aspects of life. Does this suggest that our purposes or reason for being is self manufactured through the influence of our environment? What does that mean for those who have not come upon their purpose through conventional environmental influence?
Example; One dedicates one's life to a partner/ offspring/ religion/ career. None of these purposes are guaranteed to become the focus of a person's life from birth.
They are just distractions from the fact that the real purpose of being is unknown and in so become dismissible as the reason for being or 'purpose' of ones life despite how fiercely many would argue against this.
I have tried myself to focus the purpose of my life towards my partner but the same question remains. What purpose does this serve? The continuation of species through breeding, the contentment of a relationship, satisfaction of selflessness?
Could the sole function of my being be to continue my family line, or on a grander scale, to continue the existence of mankind, and then, for what end? Does the continuation of mankind, exponentially, give my personal existence a meaning? If mankind continues to exist for an infinite time does any one person's existence have meaning?
A life dedication to a career can be observed in the same manor.
Even the most important of works for the benefit of an individual or for mankind as a whole may do nothing more than to, in the best sense, continue the existence of mankind, looping back to the previous questions regarding a purpose as a breeder.
Mankind's purpose in an infinite time and space can be no more than to breed and continue its existence if death is the only certainty of the individual. Therefore all other 'purposes' are distraction as mentioned earlier so can breeding be argued to be Mankind's, and therefore the individual's too, prime purpose for being? How can this be the case if even if mankind expands throughout the universe and continues for an infinite time (if such a concept should exist) the end result is still to continue the species with no viable end in sight.
If a person decides on a purpose for being in religion/ a partner/ a career, does that make this choice 'purpose' a true purpose given that continuation of species seems to be the only, definite, logical, if fruitless, point of a person's existence? Once again, if the continuation of species if a fruitless effort, then we're back to square one, what is our purpose for being?
---------------
I'm sure this opener could ramble on for a books worth of content but there's only so much my brain will take before I need to get drunk and forget I ever on this subject
I'm hoping to inspire some thought and some intelligent conversation, I'm far from wanting to be an intelligent person myself so I'm sure all of you have answers of your own.
On a side note, anyone posting '42' as a comment deserves a kick in the nuts.
I'm unaware if this topic has been covered before, from what I gathered it hasn't so...there it is.
