The purpose of life

[ForTheLoveOfAll]

Life is meaningless untill you give it meaning. There is no grand purpose unless we make a grand purpose. There is no goal that we must work towards unless we make a goal to work towards.
However, certain things do stand to common reason. We should be kind to others, try our best not to destroy the planet we're lucky enough to be floating around on, and take good care of ourselves.
I tend to agree, personally, with an Eastern philosophy that says the purpose of life is to Love and to be Loved. Everything that lives in a way is wanting to Love and be Loved. The ant searches for one grain of sugar, loves it when he finds it, and it loves him back with nourishment. Most every person has some kind of desire, and when they attain it, participate in whatever it may be, they are Loving it, and it Loves them back.

So MY purpose is to Love and to be Loved, but only because it's the one that I've given myself.

[AverageJoe]

The purpose of life is simple.

Avoid dying for as long as you can.

If that's your purpose, that's fine, but I want my purpose in life to be a little more...fulfilling.

Avoiding dying, or staying alive (it amounts to the same thing) is extremely fulfilling.

When you know that death is the end, then you can appreciate your life, and realise how unique it is. Every day I think about how good it is to be alive, because I am alive and conscious of it. I can do things I enjoy and help people as I want, because I'm alive. I'd say that is fulfilling.

What do you do that is so much more...fulfilling? Worship a made up sky fairy? It's a waste of your time my friend, you could be eating an ice cream instead.

[LegendarySandwich]

Avoiding dying, or staying alive (it amounts to the same thing)

It is the same thing, just worded differently.

is extremely fulfilling.

Not if you don't do anything with your life.

When you know that death is the end, then you can appreciate your life, and realise how unique it is. Every day I think about how good it is to be alive, because I am alive and conscious of it. I can do things I enjoy and help people as I want, because I'm alive. I'd say that is fulfilling.

That's great, but the way you said it made it sound like survival is the only thing that matters to you, nothing else.

What do you do that is so much more...fulfilling?

Try to have fun and do good things, while also trying to stay alive.

Worship a made up sky fairy? It's a waste of your time my friend, you could be eating an ice cream instead.

I'm an atheist.

[AverageJoe]

Excellent, so what were we arguing about?

By the way, I'd like to pull you up on your comment "Not if you don't do anything with your life" - what exactly qualifies as "doing something with your life"?

Surely our definitions of doing something with your life will be different to each other. As will our definitions of personal fulfillment.

You said to me "I'd rather do something more...fulfilling" but that would be based on your idea of fulfillment, not mine.

[LegendarySandwich]

Excellent, so what were we arguing about?

I don't know, you tell me.

By the way, I'd like to pull you up on your comment "Not if you don't do anything with your life" - what exactly qualifies as "doing something with your life"?

Doing things that give you fulfillment.

Surely our definitions of doing something with your life will be different to each other. As will our definitions of personal fulfillment.

You said to me "I'd rather do something more...fulfilling" but that would be based on your idea of fulfillment, not mine.

I realize that.

[hackenslash]

Be born, learn, reproduce, teach, die. That is all. The nearest any of us will ever come to immortality is that we teach what we have learned, and that will be passed on.

[Ultima22689]

Be born, learn, reproduce, teach, die. That is all. The nearest any of us will ever come to immortality is that we teach what we have learned, and that will be passed on.

I'm inclined to disagree with this statement. -_-

Well part of it anyway.

[Asmodean]

Be born, learn, reproduce, teach, die. That is all. The nearest any of us will ever come to immortality is that we teach what we have learned, and that will be passed on.

I'm inclined to disagree with this statement. -_-

Well part of it anyway.

Yup. One could also make a HUGE statue of oneself and get the future generations to look after and polish it.   (Statue can also be understood metaphorically. You live on through the achievements credited to you, if they are great enough.)

[The Magic Pudding]

Yup. One could also make a HUGE statue of oneself and get the future generations to look after and polish it.   (Statue can also be understood metaphorically. You live on through the achievements credited to you, if they are great enough.)

My definition of life requires finken and feeling, no freaken statues going to do that for me.

[NaturaLCalamity]

The purpose of life itself, in general, is to reproduce. Species have been for millions and millions of years, and it's why we're here today. And since we're here, the purpose of your own life, or at least for myself, is to live a meaningful life, filled with adventure, knowledge and love. Do what you enjoy doing, eat what you love eating, and love those around you.

[Asmodean]

My definition of life requires finken and feeling, no freaken statues going to do that for me.

Uhm... Incorporate AI into it..? With your memories on the HDD?