What is the purpose of life?

[Ratty]

Poll question: What is the purpose of life?

I just discovered the poll function recently. Heh. Fellow DUers, please indulge me. I'm actually curious about what people think about this one. For secular humanists who feel there IS no purpose of life, then what what purpose have you made your own? Not necessarily what is most important but what is the purpose? Mine is number one on the list. It seems as good a reason for living as any other.

[GOPisEvil]

1. Other: try to leave the world better than you found it. n/t

[Ratty]

2. That's a good one

I added it!

[jono]

5. I change my vote - that one's better. (nt)

[Ratty]

10. Hey, how can you do that? nt

[bambo53]

3. To eat, drink, procreate, and have a little fun

Nothing more

[VermontDem2004]

4. No purpose

Live and Die and that's it. Whatever you do in between that is up too unless you get framed for murder or whatever else happens that fucks up your life.

[StopTheMorans]

6. here's my thoughts

find a greater sense of community; embrace it. Take joy in creation, at whatever level it comes to you (for me it's music and writing). Carpe the ol' diem, make a positive impact on as many people as you can, and hopefully leave this place a little better than you found it. My two corny cents:)

[MadAsHell]

7. Leave the world a better place than you found it ...

If you can't do at least that much, then you are no better than a resource consuming crap-factory!!!

[Dr Satan]

8. hedonism

is the purpose of life. No attachments, No regrets, pleasure and pain is all good.

[Stupdworld]

9. 1.accumulate power through secretive means, and invade foreign countries

with oil and A-rabs

2. ?

3. Big profit!

[Bossy Monkey]

11. What on earth makes you think secular humanists think there's no purpose

to life?

[Ratty]

12. I don't believe there's a purpose

As someone else put it, we're born and then we die. There's no more purpose than that. Life is just life. How can you say there's any kind of higher purpose without believing in higher powers?

[Bossy Monkey]

13. Pretty easily, not being a nihilist

which may be the word you're looking for

[Nikia]

14. All of the above

Is this why I am always stressed out just by what is going on in my mind?

[Fenris]

15. The purpose of life is whatever you say it is

Is there a priori purpose to life? No. We create purpose.

In which case, mine would be love.

[VermontDem2004]

18. best post on this thread

You create want you want of life and then go. Life or the world itself does not create a purpose for you.

[Beer Snob-50]

16. Since I have Children,

the purpose of my life is to not screw them up too too much.

[HEyHEY]

17. You missed make money and buy a sportscar

Yeehaa!

[Ratty]

25. There wasn't enough room

I did think of that. To some people that really is the point of life. It's kind of in the same category as to acquire knowledge and wisdom, and, perhaps, a subcategory of bettering oneself.

But seeing as how this isn't free republic I was guessing it would be rarely picked.

Also wish instead of "Other" I'd added "There IS no point to life!!!" for those of a contrary nature.

[youngred]

19. all of the above

IMHO.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. Isn't it a little redundant to have both

"Work towards a Republican-free world" and "Leave the world better than you found it"?

:D

[Clete]

21. I am beginning to think after passing the fifty year

mark of my life, that it's to amuse the gods. We are the playthings of some cosmic beings who are having some fun.

[Gringo]

22. All of the above

Whatever feels right at your particular stage of life (assuming you have a consciense)

[JanMichael]

23. There is no One Intrinsic "Purpose".

As you mentioned we make our own up in this existence.

Mine? It depends on the day and Situation.

[Ratty]

24. While leaving the world a better place ...

... is good and admirable, I think I'm just a bit too selfish to honestly claim it as my purpose. When I wake up in the morning, I never think about what I can do to make the world better. I guess, being honest, when I wake up my goal is to be happy and when I look at life in general my purpose in it is to be happy.

The major part of being happy is fulfillment and, since I'm a good person as opposed to an evil person, doing good for others, helping others, learning to love others, all fulfills me and makes me happy. So those things are a means to me and not an end.

So I thought about what life meant to me and what my purpose in it should be and finally decided, after several months of pondering, that being happy probably fit the bill the best. Our purpose in life is to be happy and truly learning what happiness is and what it requires is a part of the journey.

[Robb]

26. Right now

...it's to not finish this entire f*cking can of nuts.

In a minute, it'll be to cook dinner.

Later on, it'll be to wash the dishes.

Chopping wood and carrying water, in other words.

[Ratty]

28. Admirable

There is truly something to be said for not overextending oneself. I would not mock the simplicity of a day-to-day existence.

[Robb]

31. As Lao Tzu said...

Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness, have few desires.

I think Yoda ruminated on this as well, I'd have to check. ;)

[Piperay]

27. No purpose...

You're born, you die and inbetween there is awhole of shit. :-(

Sorry but my mood this week sucks and right now that is the way I see it. :argh:

[qwertyMike]

29. To reproduce

Biologically and genetically that is our sole 'purpose'.
But we humans are so vain . . . .

[Deja Q]

30. Two

Nature's purpose: To have things breed and continue on.

Humankind's purpose: To invent new things while destroying others in the process.

[populistmom]

32. I picked Learn to love your fellow man and hence yourself because...

I think that's what life is all about as humans, connections; relationships with others. Serving a more noble and higher purpose is something to strive for, but what really motivates most of us, what really makes us feel good (or lousy at times) is those connections in life, whether our families of origin, friends, children, spouses, significant others, etc. I think as a species, it's built into us for survival- those relationships, those needs for a connection.

Sarah