Reason for life

@awoelt,

Two possibilities:

1.) Achieving happiness

2.) To hold the universe in your mind's eye. To discover what there is to be discovered, and know what there is to be known.

@Camerama,

Camerama;122643 wrote:

Two possibilities:

1.) Achieving happiness

Marcus Aurelius says that pursuing virtue is more important than pursuing happiness.

@awoelt,

Well, i dont think life needs some reason, i mean basically we just are some lifeform at the edge of some some universe among millions of other universes, we are just lucky to be in the "Goldilocks Zone" with optimal conditions for life, but if you think of how many other planets and universes there are we can barely be the only
planet with highly( or not so highly) evolved life,we arent something special. We simply live, try to make it a happy life.

@awoelt,

Reason for life?

See how many points I can rack up before game over.

I don't care about virtue. If you think it is important, I won't argue but I don't think it is. Happiness is good, but not always necessary. I say most fun possible at the least expense of others. If you aren't having fun, you are doing it all wrong, in my opinion. People tend to look down on people who want to have fun all the time, but that is because they under value having fun.

"You got to be serious, you have to take life seriously."
"Fun is the luxury that you only get to have after you are done being serious with your responsibilities."

I say if that is your philosophy then your life stinks. I know there are a lot of not fun things, but no one says you have to accept them as being not fun if you can make them fun.

@Krumple,

I think of the reason for life as being similar to the reason for a work of art. In itself, it has no purpose. But in it there's the possibility of greatness.

When you see the greatness of a work of art... that's your own grandeur seeing itself in the mirror. Only with love can you see love.

The Lord of the Rings makes that point. Without the evil-one, all the characters would never have known who they really were... what they were capable of. The trial was only the medium by which greatness could become known.

@awoelt,

awoelt;122639 wrote:

In my church we believe the reason we are in this reality for the purpose of testing our divinity for the afterlife.

Why does your God need to test people? Isn't he/she/it/them smart enough to know how people will do before they are tested? The God you worship is obviously not omniscient, or it would already know the results before any testing was carried out. Human designers of things often need to test things to see how they will do, but that is because humans are not omniscient.

awoelt;122639 wrote:

In the absence of G-d or any other "supernatural" concept is there any other reason for living? One may be to preserve your family name. It repeats in the Holy Bible "And he slept with his fathers". In a sense we are keeping ourselves alive by raising a son to have another son and so forth. We never die in a sense. What are some other reasons for living this life?

Reason has little to do with it; you are born, without having previously had any say in the matter. You then, after gaining enough knowledge to have some idea of what is going on, can decide whether or not to go on living, but instinct is strong in people, just like in other animals, so most people do not commit suicide, just like most dogs do not commit suicide.

---------- Post added 01-31-2010 at 12:23 PM ----------

Krumple;123867 wrote:

Reason for life?

See how many points I can rack up before game over.

I don't care about virtue. If you think it is important, I won't argue but I don't think it is. Happiness is good, but not always necessary. I say most fun possible at the least expense of others. If you aren't having fun, you are doing it all wrong, in my opinion. People tend to look down on people who want to have fun all the time, but that is because they under value having fun.

"You got to be serious, you have to take life seriously."
"Fun is the luxury that you only get to have after you are done being serious with your responsibilities."

I say if that is your philosophy then your life stinks. I know there are a lot of not fun things, but no one says you have to accept them as being not fun if you can make them fun.

I think you might like reading some Epicurus:

Epicurus and Epicurean Philosophy

He will tell you that it is virtuous to gain pleasure and avoid pain, while refraining from harming others. You will want to read him for yourself, perhaps starting with the Principle Doctrines:

Epicurus - Principal Doctrines

@no1author,

in the absence of G-d you are correct. but personally we need to have a reason in our minds to stay alive if we are self aware. it is hard to live self aware without a purpose. we don't feel we want to be just another lifeform.

---------- Post added 01-31-2010 at 02:03 PM ----------

you must also have fun at the least expense of yourself. have fun in way in which you can have more fun. this is the purpose of virtue.

---------- Post added 01-31-2010 at 02:08 PM ----------

come on. lets not test christianity here. i just said it is a purpose for life. i think it's true but im not preaching. now what if you do not want to end your life. you have the instinct but what you know it is only instinct. it is useless to follow it without a logical reason

@awoelt,

awoelt;123915 wrote:

come on. lets not test christianity here. i just said it is a purpose for life. i think it's true but im not preaching. now what if you do not want to end your life. you have the instinct but what you know it is only instinct. it is useless to follow it without a logical reason

I think it's great if Christianity brings purpose to a person's life. I'm thinking that Christianity is only a language by which a person expresses the purpose they themselves have given life.

Purpose exists as the opposite of purposelessness. Neither is necessarily good or bad... they're both components of meaning.

@awoelt,

awoelt;122639 wrote:

In my church we believe the reason we are in this reality for the purpose of testing our divinity for the afterlife. In the absence of G-d or any other "supernatural" concept is there any other reason for living? One may be to preserve your family name. It repeats in the Holy Bible "And he slept with his fathers". In a sense we are keeping ourselves alive by raising a son to have another son and so forth. We never die in a sense. What are some other reasons for living this life?

No one truly lives until all have the opportunity to do so in such a way that all will look forward to tomorrow. Until then, we will have to try and survive the best we can.

William

@mister kitten,

mister kitten;123551 wrote:

Marcus Aurelius says that pursuing virtue is more important than pursuing happiness.

I say that they are twin ideals. In satisfying virtue, you achieve happiness. Happiness is, in my opinion, the satisfaction of morality. It is the product of living life with integrity. When acting contrary to moral or ethical principles, happiness is not possible. All virtue is, is "moral excellence." So, whether you believe in subjective ethics or objective ethics, the concept is consistent; adherence to a moral code brings virtue, and virtue brings happiness. Or, at least it does for me. Nonetheless, I certainly would not disagree with you, or Marcus Aurelius.

@Camerama,

Camerama;122643 wrote:

2.) To hold the universe in your mind's eye. To discover what there is to be discovered, and know what there is to be known.

I don't understand this one. We live to discover and learn? I don't really think I do to be honest.

We want to live on when we're happy. We live because we like life. Even when we don't like life we don't die because a. it will hurt b. we know we might become happier later c. it will make other people unhappy. If I was unhappy, knew I'd never become happy, it wouldn't hurt, and my death won't make anybody else sad, I think I'd commit suicide :eek: What a sad thought!

@awoelt,

awoelt;122639 wrote:

In my church we believe the reason we are in this reality for the purpose of testing our divinity for the afterlife. In the absence of G-d or any other "supernatural" concept is there any other reason for living? One may be to preserve your family name. It repeats in the Holy Bible "And he slept with his fathers". In a sense we are keeping ourselves alive by raising a son to have another son and so forth. We never die in a sense. What are some other reasons for living this life?

Inertia.....................But that's not a reason, but a cause.

@awoelt,

This question is similar to what is the meaning of life which we don't have a concrete answer for. I don't believe that we need any reason to live. The only reason that we should have for living is to want to continue to live.
I also believe that living should in a sense be a good reason to strive for success and achievement. I don't see the point in living if your not going to enjoy and try your best to achieve success and happiness.

@Masquerade,

@Camerama,

Camerama;122643 wrote:

Two possibilities:

1.) Achieving happiness

2.) To hold the universe in your mind's eye. To discover what there is to be discovered, and know what there is to be known.

what happens after we achieve happiness?

---------- Post added 02-28-2010 at 03:22 PM ----------

Shinhyung;125439 wrote:

I don't understand this one. We live to discover and learn? I don't really think I do to be honest.

We want to live on when we're happy. We live because we like life. Even when we don't like life we don't die because a. it will hurt b. we know we might become happier later c. it will make other people unhappy. If I was unhappy, knew I'd never become happy, it wouldn't hurt, and my death won't make anybody else sad, I think I'd commit suicide :eek: What a sad thought!

we live to discover the unknown world around us. to learn something more than ourselves.

@Camerama,

Camerama;124052 wrote:

I say that they are twin ideals. In satisfying virtue, you achieve happiness. Happiness is, in my opinion, the satisfaction of morality. It is the product of living life with integrity. When acting contrary to moral or ethical principles, happiness is not possible. All virtue is, is "moral excellence." So, whether you believe in subjective ethics or objective ethics, the concept is consistent; adherence to a moral code brings virtue, and virtue brings happiness. Or, at least it does for me. Nonetheless, I certainly would not disagree with you, or Marcus Aurelius.

Well said, Camerama! It does seem to me as I get older that the old saying is true: that virtue is its own reward. I'm not claiming to be a saint, but I'm closer than I was, and happier....

---------- Post added 03-01-2010 at 05:11 AM ----------

awoelt;133650 wrote:

what happens after we achieve happiness?

We take 17 years to write a book like Finnegans Wake, or we play guitar like Hendrix, or we just hug folks a lot.....?

---------- Post added 03-01-2010 at 05:12 AM ----------

awoelt;133650 wrote:

we live to discover the unknown world around us. to learn something more than ourselves.

I couldn't agree more. How about this? We expand ourselves as far as experience goes & contract on what is the center of beauty....simultaneous explosion and implosion, just like the Sun.....

---------- Post added 03-01-2010 at 05:13 AM ----------

Pepijn Sweep;128908 wrote:

Glad you're around, Pepijn. & I agree w/ you on TV...and I bet you will find that contentment....

@Reconstructo,

Reconstructo;133981 wrote:

Glad you're around, Pepijn. & I agree w/ you on TV...and I bet you will find that contentment....

All I can say to that is.................ditto. :a-ok:

William

@awoelt,

In my opinion, the reason for life is happiness and fulfilment, and happiness is an autotelism (a reason in itself, that needs no other reasons).
Everything 'why' question you could ask about life either leads to an infinite regress without your autotelism. For example, 'Why do you go to school?
'Because I want to get into university.'
'Why?'
'So i can get a good job.'
'And why do you want a good job?'
'So I'll be happy and fulfilled.'
'And why do you want to be happy and fulfilled?'
'Well I just do.' - this is the autotelism, the reason which needs no reasons.

My advice: Find your autotelism... the thing you do, for which you need no reason, other than the fact that it makes you happy.

@awoelt,

awoelt;122639 wrote:

In my church we believe the reason we are in this reality for the purpose of testing our divinity for the afterlife. In the absence of G-d or any other "supernatural" concept is there any other reason for living? One may be to preserve your family name. It repeats in the Holy Bible "And he slept with his fathers". In a sense we are keeping ourselves alive by raising a son to have another son and so forth. We never die in a sense. What are some other reasons for living this life?

Eating good food, drinking good wine, exercising, having sex, philosophizing, reading good text, playing video games, and getting massages.

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