What Is Your Life's Purpose? Why Are You Here?

[ablprop]

Yes, Truthseeker, that is puzzling to me. I've had many people tell me that they believe in God, a higher power, or what have you, because they can't bear the idea that there's no purpose or meaning to life. They need that imposed purpose to keep them going. I find it surprising that people with essentially the same "hardware" can have such different views of the world. In a sense, the creation of my own purpose really is my purpose.

[ablprop]

I value the connections I have with other people, and the world around me, much more. I like sharing ideas, but I'm reluctant to get dogmatic about any of 'em.

This, Amicale, is quite beautiful, and it's why I don't much like the word "atheist." I can't prove there's no god, any more than I can't prove there's no invisible dragon in your garage. Also, just because I'm happy in a world with no evidence for the supernatural (kinda by definition!) doesn't mean that I'm an atheist by dogmatic choice, in the sense that I'm a Beatles fan, a bike rider, and a Democrat by choice. I'm an atheist because, as far as I can see, that's the way the world is. If someone presents me with evidence for their god, I'll reconsider. (Though that doesn't mean I'll worship! I'm still me, no matter what else is out there, and I'll decide who and what to respect based on my own ideas.)

[Tank]

Yes, Truthseeker, that is puzzling to me. I've had many people tell me that they believe in God, a higher power, or what have you, because they can't bear the idea that there's no purpose or meaning to life. They need that imposed purpose to keep them going. I find it surprising that people with essentially the same "hardware" can have such different views of the world. In a sense, the creation of my own purpose really is my purpose.

In my experience over the years with ex-theists and never-theists the ex-theists often find giving up an ordained 'purpose' one of the most difficult things to do. They have been indoctrinated/inculcated with a need for a divine purpose. As a never-theist I find the need for a 'purpose' above and beyond that which one makes for oneself puzzling.

[DeterminedJuliet]

Yes, Truthseeker, that is puzzling to me. I've had many people tell me that they believe in God, a higher power, or what have you, because they can't bear the idea that there's no purpose or meaning to life. They need that imposed purpose to keep them going. I find it surprising that people with essentially the same "hardware" can have such different views of the world. In a sense, the creation of my own purpose really is my purpose.

In my experience over the years with ex-theists and never-theists the ex-theists often find giving up an ordained 'purpose' one of the most difficult things to do. They have been indoctrinated/inculcated with a need for a divine purpose. As a never-theist I find the need for a 'purpose' above and beyond that which one makes for oneself puzzling.

As an ex-theist, I agree with this. I find that some people who aren't even all that religious still hang on to this idea. It drives me crazy when people say "everything happens for a reason". I mean, yes, everything DOES happen "for a reason", but you might as well say "everything happens because it happens". The "for a reason" bit, implies purpose or divine providence, or some kind of benevolent force.

[Anne D.]

Yes, Truthseeker, that is puzzling to me. I've had many people tell me that they believe in God, a higher power, or what have you, because they can't bear the idea that there's no purpose or meaning to life. They need that imposed purpose to keep them going. I find it surprising that people with essentially the same "hardware" can have such different views of the world. In a sense, the creation of my own purpose really is my purpose.

In my experience over the years with ex-theists and never-theists the ex-theists often find giving up an ordained 'purpose' one of the most difficult things to do. They have been indoctrinated/inculcated with a need for a divine purpose. As a never-theist I find the need for a 'purpose' above and beyond that which one makes for oneself puzzling.

To me, it's pretty clear from the the word "your" in the thread title and the original post that this (bolded: the purpose that one makes for oneself) is what the thread is asking about. To me, it's a legitimate question for any person, theist or atheist.

What is it that gets one out of bed in the morning? What keeps one going from day to day?

Also, if you hold two strong values that give purpose/meaning to your life, how do you decide which trumps the other in your daily interactions? Example that people struggle with quite regularly: If you place a value on 1) community/friendship and kindness to others and also place a value on 2) honesty/not suffering fools gladly, how do you balance those two values in your daily interactions? I would imagine those with a very strong sense of purpose that they've worked out for themselves have an easier time deciding which trumps the other in their daily interactions. I'm quite envious of that.

[Amicale]

I value the connections I have with other people, and the world around me, much more. I like sharing ideas, but I'm reluctant to get dogmatic about any of 'em.

This, Amicale, is quite beautiful, and it's why I don't much like the word "atheist." I can't prove there's no god, any more than I can't prove there's no invisible dragon in your garage. Also, just because I'm happy in a world with no evidence for the supernatural (kinda by definition!) doesn't mean that I'm an atheist by dogmatic choice, in the sense that I'm a Beatles fan, a bike rider, and a Democrat by choice. I'm an atheist because, as far as I can see, that's the way the world is. If someone presents me with evidence for their god, I'll reconsider. (Though that doesn't mean I'll worship! I'm still me, no matter what else is out there, and I'll decide who and what to respect based on my own ideas.)

Yes, this is where I'm at, too. I am an atheist because as far as I can see, that's the way the world is. If anything came up that convinced me otherwise, I'd be happy to at least consider it. Being atheist wasn't much of a 'choice' for me, as the alternative (trying to force myself to believe in a God when I no longer could) just wasn't an equally viable choice. I consider the choices I make to be ones I value for their worth, such as who I love, what my passions are, what I care about, etc.

By the way, I'm glad to meet a fellow Beatles fan and bike rider!