Religion
Related: About this forumDo you feel your life has a meaning or purpose? If so, what is it?
Thanks to ZombieHorde for the idea for this thread.
To kick things off, the purpose I have adopted for my life over the last few years is to increase the amount of consciousness in what I perceive as an already-conscious universe. Along with increased consciousness comes empathy and a sense of universal connectedness. There are moments when I feel Life itself looking out through my eyes.
Journeyman
(15,041 posts)and happiness is a product of your creations.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,869 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)theaocp
(4,245 posts)I wish it was my M.O. I'm just too nice.
napoleon_in_rags
(3,991 posts)(first note: GOD your OP is beautiful)
second: I think at the beginning there has to be an awareness of our own imperfections, this is what those proudly doing evil in the name of their own confusion lack. Second there is the seeking, that striving to become closer to truth, to remedy the situation. We are all imperfect here, but its that striving, that yearning for perfection which brings perfection to a life, however it appears on the outside.
EvolveOrConvolve
(6,452 posts)Why are we so conceited to think we need meaning or purpose? We're pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of the universe (aside: there's no evidence that the universe is a conscious entity - none - zero - zilch - nada), and to think of ourselves as otherwise is just delusion.
handmade34
(22,758 posts)I tell everybody this story... I went to seminary and the important thing I learned was that Jesus said "Life is a bitch, and we need to help each other"
...needless to say, I lost a job opportunity when I repeated that at the interview!
Simply... yes, my purpose, our purpose, is to take care of each other, and the earth, which is our lifeblood.
roguevalley
(40,656 posts)I have sciatic nerve pain right now and it has diminished a bit. It makes it clear to me who needs me and who I help every day. I want to be good, I want to be helpful. I want to take care of those who love and need me. I want to help this world be better. That is what the point of my life is now. I think it will also be a matter of age what a person says. I'm old. I can imagine younger people have other insights into what they need. Age helps clear the cobwebs and makes things that don't matter disappear. I love this thread.
darkstar3
(8,763 posts)We don't do the same for other living organisms, by and large, and yet we do it for ourselves. I find it yet another example of the anthropocentrism of our culture, not to mention the great fear of the unknown.
digonswine
(1,485 posts)I try to be a better person every day. Handle my anger appropriately, be a positive influence on those around me, show my wife the love she deserves, not be a dink and not complain too much.
I sincerely believe that human life is meaningless. Except for fellow humans.
MichiganVote
(21,086 posts)rrneck
(17,671 posts)Help others.
Harm no one or stand by and allow another to do so.
That is its purpose. Its meaning is found in the effortless movement between form and content. When the world and my awareness of it move together and each gives to the other its reason for being.
That's about as close as I can get right now.
Loudly
(2,436 posts)VWolf
(3,944 posts)Is to post on DU as often as possible.
dmallind
(10,437 posts)A meaning greater than, transcendant to, or separate from humanity? Nope. How would I understand such a meaning? How do people who believe in such things understand them? Seems to me every attempt to do so becomes a new-agey woo-woo word salad long on poetic mysticism and short on valid arguments showing how such a conclusion could be arrived at. If there is a meaning greater than my "pay-grade" as an animal how would I understand it any more than even the most intelligent sheeep dog can understand the pricing contracts for the wool taken from the sheep he corrals? At least the sheep dog has the advantage of a master who actually communicates his desires and gives feedback on the dog's limited role with unmistakeable clarity; the universe, big C Consciousness, karma, any number of gods, Atman et al. all seem to be singularly lacking in this direction.
But that does not mean we cannot derive and follow our own meaning and purpose, either beneficial or malignant when universalized. The most common and default purpose seems to be to have as much self-direction as possible while also maximizing material comforts and the ability to consume goods and services at individual discretion and minimizing harm to others. From an ethical egoist or even universalized utilitarian perspective there's nothing wrong with that. A smallish number of people seem to have a primary or strong secondary purpose to be as capable and expert as possible at a single or very limited number of activities, from playing the violin to running quickly to understanding all possible details of the Napoleonic wars. Good luck to them too. Decent enough purpose. An even smaller number seem to have the purpose of helping less fortunate humans, even to the cost of their own default purpose. Most of us applaud these folks, and for a reason - a fine selfless purpose. Even smaller numbers obssess over one particular aspect of the most common purpose, seeking sex or money or power or drugs or luxury above all else even to the harm of self or others. We tend to be a bit leery of such obsessions and monomania, unless they are religious in scope, and then we either applaud or condemn or ignore based on our own religious opinion. An even smaller number specifically choose to lack any purpose, and we look upon such people as either alien or "fellow travellers" if we are of the same ilk.
Me personally? Like about 95% of humanity, I'd be lying if I didin't say I was mostly the first with a little bit of the second. Like 99.99%+ of humanity, my life will have very little lasting effect outside my own experiences and those of a tiny number of others, ending as to the former at my death and the latter shortly after. Dreams of having a huge impact on a huge number are common indeed. The reality is mind-bogglingly unusual, and I'm just fine with that - just like most people are whether they admit it or not. The purpose of my life in one word? Itself. 'Tis enough.
ZombieHorde
(29,047 posts)then the purpose of my life would be happiness.