what do we live for?

I don't know if there is a thread about the same thing already, I didn't check...)))) but i am very curious what you guys think. so here are my questions:

Do you believe that everyone was born with a set task, some kind of a mission or plan and we all have to do our duties before we leave this earth (I mean die)? If you tend to think this way, have you already understood and realized what your mission was? Will you share it?

And if you think it’s all rubbish, what you think then you’re living for?

 

I believe we all have a task although i haven't found out what mine is yet.

 

I think the set task thing is rubbish. We live so we live. We're animals, just like all the other creatures on earth. We live to live. We just have a love of stupid material things that sets us a bit apart from most animals (most not all). We're a part of the world, just like a rabbit, monkey, flea, starfish. No 'set task', that's just human's wishful thinking. Trying to make out they're more important than anything else in the universe. Like the fact that we are alive and living isn't important enough? We're here to continue our species. We, individuals, have no more set task than a cat.


That is not to say that we can't do great things or choose to pursue something and "make" it our task. All I'm saying is nothing is predetermined.

 

I agree. Our only "set task" I guess is to reproduce to keep the human race going.

 

I live to be just another body among the billions of other bodies interacting and being stupid on this planet. Pretty much. And then we die after a while.

 

very eloquently put, young buc'

:smt003

 

I agree with Sin Mari that we are realistically another group of animals on this planet here to live, survive, and thrive. We need to remove the ego from the situation and put it in perspective like Brotha Ajax has, we are just another body among billions of bodies.

Fortunately not everyone just wants to feed and breed so we have opportunities to do what we love with our lives, feel a sense of fulfillment (satisfy the ego) and maybe die looking back at a life well lived without having contributed too much to the destruction of our own homes (the earth - i.e. doing stupid things on the planet) and each other.

 

Same thing as everyone else - self gratification.

 

Humans tend to seek for a sense in anything and everything.Also when it comes to life. I don't know whether there is a task for me or not.I just do what I can to not make too many people mad and be somewhat happy

 

I absolutely believe everybody was born with a set task or mission. I know this is especially true for myself. I've known it since i was a little kid. I always had a feeling that my life would be different than most, and i had a really special purpose to fulfill for God.

There is one church that, whenever i'm in there, the preacher looks directly at me, and gives me a message from God, even though there is a room full of people. This has happened to me not once, but twice. The first time i thought it was kind of odd that the preacher would single me out of a crowd like that, but when it happened the second time i was just shocked. It was just confirmation for me, what i already knew....that i had a mission from God that i'm supposed to fulfill on this earth. It's up to me to either accept that mission, or reject it.

 

I live for the glorification of the Lord and God, Jesus Christ. by His mercy and grace

 

I live for experience and try to immerse myself in as much of it as possible for the desire to know and gain perspective on my humanity and that of others.

There is no purpose for me hidden in the cosmos, I must make my own.

 

Good post! :smt023

 

Then why are we all slaving away at jobs? LOL!!

I'd rather be walking the Earth and experiencing its different environments than working 40+ hours a week just to put food on the table.

Why have we constructed such a complex state of life if we don't have some sort of purpose? If we're here strictly to breed than what the fuck am I doing at work??? Why am I making a car payment? Why do I have to save money to take a measly little vacation??

Why aren't we all living in our own versions of paradise then??

I don't know. I think there HAS to be something more than just to breed.

 

This is my self gratification.

In addition, I would like to look back on my life, when I am an old woman, and have a deep sense of peace, happiness and satisfaction in my heart. Preferably with a cup of tea in my hand, and a view over some valley, mountains or other naturally beautiful area.

This just makes me realise that I need to get out of here and have another holiday.

 

I don't disagree with you, Bookie...But, I think there are two points here. 1 is that we are biologically animals. As Bill Bryson so succinctly put it - "life can't help but be". So, our biological imperative is to continue. That is the collective purpose of our species in this world. It appears, however, that humans have evolved/been created (pick your verb) with the addition of consciousness and intelligence. And, in that regard, we all make our own purpose according to our own desires, values and culture.

Perhaps we are all living in our own version of paradise? Perhaps most people are unable to see it for what it really is?

I challenge you to visualise your paradise, find it, then live there for a while....then come back to us and tell us if that is still paradise.

Humans are dreamers. We believe in ideal scenarios which we continue to chase. It's a shadow - it can never be caught. Dreaming is what pushes us forward, what makes us unhappy and what whittles the years away.

I believe that, more important to paradise, is developing the ability to be happy with anything and everything, to see opportunity and then aim towards realising that.

Experience is something you can't help but have, so making that your purpose means life is very full indeed. And, as such, I am continually surprised and reminded that what on the surface appears to be a tedious/boring/miserable task can result in new perspectives, unexpected outcomes and greater understanding.

"life is what happens when you're making plans"

Now, I think I have gone off on a tangent, as per usual so hopefully that all made some type of relevant sense!

 

But Books, we're not all slaving away at jobs. I love(d) my jobs and never felt like I had to be there, I wanted to. I worked sometimes 90+ hours a week and still love my job. I am back at school for the next several years because I want to be better at my job. It's not a divinely ordained task in my mind, but something for which I have a deep passion. Probably if we all still ran around naked barely upright, I'd still do this kind of work within my tribe.

My life has been nothing like you've described for the last 10 or more years. I choose a profession that allows me to travel (paid for by the company), I took two weeks off a month when I was fulltime if I wanted to do so which I rarely did.

So why isn't everyone living their own version of paradise? I really have no idea because I believe that it is achievable - after all I'm doing it and so are millions of others.

I agree, there is something more than breeding - after all I haven't bred yet and I am very fulfilled so yes, there's LOTS more.

 

This is very simple. It's because most people don't know what their paradise is. And if you don't know what something is, you can't chase it. Even for those who do know, understanding how to achieve it is extremely difficult, and then implementation is near impossible.

I would add that most people are paralysed by fear. As I said in my previous post. The unattainable dream is what keeps us going. What happens when you get it? It is easier for people to fall short of their dream, but pretend they tried than to actually reach it and find out they were wrong. Better the devil you know.

That's my brief, half thought-out opinion on the matter.

 

You've hit the nail on the head.

 

This is what I'm going to do.

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