What is the purpose of life? Or, why are we here?

[ursusarctos]

And how do your beliefs about life's purpose shape your life choices?
Everyone welcome. I'm just curious to hear what people have to say, as this is something I am feeling oh-so-unclear about (and have ever since I realized I was going to die some day and entered the angsty teenage phase I thought it would pass, but it hasn't). It would be really interesting to hear others' ideas about this fundamental subject.

[CatsCradle]

I don't have time right now to write anything thoughtful, but thank you for starting this thread! I was tempted a while ago to start a thread "What is Truth" but never got around to it. Look forward to all the comments.

[genifer]

What a good question. I dont have time to go into it either but wanted to sub bc it looks interesting and will probably try to answer what and why I believe later.

[RoshniD]

Hi All,

I think the purpose of life is to live happily (as much as we can), and make others happy (as much as we can).

We are here to show that we can live happily amd make others happy. We are here to prove that God exists.

At least this is what I think :-)

Roshni

[InchByInch]

• To love God with all of our hearts, minds, soul and strength.
  
• To love our neighbor as ourselves.

[earthmama369]

I struggle with this question a lot. In my moments of clarity -- or perhaps optimism -- I feel that we are here to enjoy our time here as best we can, to connect, to be aware, to *live* and love, to embrace the range of human experiences and emotions, and to try to make the world better in some way. That it all weaves together to create a shared experience. In my less-optimistic moments, I'm left floundering and I'm really not sure what the point of it all is or why we have the ability to question so much when there's no proof for any of the answers we come up with.

[doubledutch]

i agree with the general ideas being discussed but i also think the answer for each individual is more specific. that is, i think individual people have a more specific role/purpose/work to be done . . . and i try to be receptive to indications of what that may be for me

[caitlinlea]

I could come back and write a novel about this but my short answer is I don't believe there is an inherent meaning to our existence here but rather it is up to each individual to inject meaning into his or her own life. I do believe in a particular code of ethical conduct - primarily caring for one another and the world we inhabit together and respecting and giving back to the earth that sustains us (something our species is failing miserably at).

It is a wonder to be present here during this sliver of time. I do not believe in any gods, or a creator. Often I am deeply saddened that one brief lifetime in this world is all I may experience......I sometimes hope I'm wrong and that there is some part of our consciousness that lives eternally. The upside is I appreciate every moment I am alive and pursue my passions despite any obstacles I must overcome in the process. I don't take anything for granted and am hyper-aware of my accountability to myself - that my actions and behavior reflect my highest ideals.

I could go on and on......but you get the idea.

[ursusarctos]

So cool to hear all these! Keep them coming!

[Purple Sage]

I believe that everything and everyone emanates from a single Divine Source, and our purpose is to realize this in all that we are and everything we do. It takes many lifetimes to do this, as it is no small task! Each lifetime is part of the path to realizing our true nature, and the lessons we need to learn in our lives vary greatly from person to person. I also believe that this Divine Source, which is our true nature, is all Good and that evil and suffering is the result of a perceived disconnect from the Divine Source. So what I feel is my purpose in life is to live virtuously and learn the lessons I came here in this lifetime to learn. I only hope I'm doing an okay job of it!

[CherryBomb]

We were born of love by God and our purpose is to know, love, and serve Him in this life, and to (hopefully!) be with Him forever in Heaven.

[mamabird83]

I beleive if we do have a purpose on this earth, in this lifetime, it is inherently connected to love. Love is possibly the most powerful emotion. When we are able to give and receive love, it becomes exponentially stronger and impacts the world in waves that in turn create more love, that create more love, that create more love, and on and on etc. So what is the purpose of this love? Maybe to overpower hate, to bring humanity to a higher consciousness, to manifest itself until love is all that remains. And God is love, right?

Another aspect to the meaning of life is creation. All animals, including humans, are driven to perpetuate their species and create more of themselves. Humans do this through love. And love in a way has the same drive: to create more of itself and perpetuate love through all time. If God is love, and love's purpose is the creation of more love; then God is recreating himself through love and when humans love they are creating and strengthening God.

Of couse these suppositions like all others beg more questions...

Under these assumptions, if our purpose is to serve and create God by loving oneanother, then what is God's purpose? Or if you prefer a different terminology: If we are here to perpetuate and strengthen love then what is the purpose of an all powerful love, in a cosmic-universal sense?

[purplepaperclip]

Well, my theory of life is a bit more terse. We are born. We live. We die. And the cycle repeats...

[NishaG]

I believe that we were created to glorify God, and to do his will. I believe we were created as such to live, happy, balanced and meaningful lives. I believe this will take place on earth, because the Lord's Prayer (or The Our Father Prayer) says to pray for 'His will to take place, as in Heaven, also upon the Earth'. For this was the reason Adam and Eve were created. We were never supposed to die at all. God has no reason to bring us to Heaven because I'm sure he already has enough perfect angels.

[lotusdebi]

A friend posted this on Facebook today, and it really resonated with me:

“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature." ~ Joseph Campbell

[ursusarctos]

[CatsCradle]

I've struggled with clinical depression throughout my life and this is always the question that comes to the forefront. I've gone through various phases where I believe that our only purpose is physical (our place in the physical universe); then I've thought that perhaps our purpose is intellectual/spiritual (with our physical purpose playing an ancillary role). The older I get, however, and the more experiences (both good and bad) that I live through, I become more and more convinced that the interconnectedness between the physical/intellectual/spiritual parts of our existence is paramount to our survival and this world's survival. Every decision and act that I make every day effects something or someone, either in the present or in the future. I feel that my purpose is to minimize the negative impact of my own actions, and to maximize the positive impact. The challenge of my life lies in the fact that I don't know all the answers.

Two quotes come to mind that frame my position:

"To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity for reflection." Henri Poincare (French mathematician, physicist and philosopher)

"Don't waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it." Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Teenytoona]

Originally Posted by Purple Sage

I believe that everything and everyone emanates from a single Divine Source, and our purpose is to realize this in all that we are and everything we do. It takes many lifetimes to do this, as it is no small task! Each lifetime is part of the path to realizing our true nature, and the lessons we need to learn in our lives vary greatly from person to person. I also believe that this Divine Source, which is our true nature, is all Good and that evil and suffering is the result of a perceived disconnect from the Divine Source. So what I feel is my purpose in life is to live virtuously and learn the lessons I came here in this lifetime to learn. I only hope I'm doing an okay job of it!

This pretty much says it for me too!

[Oriole]

I think the purpose to life is to better ourselves, and to better the lives of people around us. To me it all connects to love.

I think we are meant to learn certain lessons (mine's patience, that's for sure ), and to support others in learning theirs.

[philomom]

To love and be loved.
To serve others not as lucky as ourselves.
To strive to be the best version of ourselves we can be.