Purpose of life

**Posts:** 367 · by **Hamming** » Sun Dec 15, 2019 4:27 pm

I saw there is this topic but is locked, so creating new one.

Sometimes there thoughts came - what is the purpose to work hard if you will dies in about 50 years anyway. And all this work will be for nothing/for others.

I think the purpose is to enjoy life. Even this is not useful, but at least it feels good when you do things you like.

When I enjoy my life, my friends, parents say I am wasting time, hurting my eyes. They think I should be doing something useful like sports, learning, working, getting a girl. Of course there is benefit from those things, but while doing them, I dont feel like happiest. My happiest moments are when I am doing uselless things - watching videos, playing games. Like when there is holiday from job, I can watch youtube and eat food whole week and it still feels like not enough, I wish I had more time to live this lifestyle. After some time I believe watching video would get boring but then I could choose another thing to do what I want.

Sometimes happyness feels also when you reach some hard goal, for example making getting girl the most beutiful I have had to kiss me or even go in bed with me when I did not expect such girl would do this with me. But thats lot of hard work and pleasure not super long lasting after reaching that goal. Then starts relationship annoyance. But there is big pleasure at first when you reached that goal.

What do you think is purpose of life?

**Posts:** 9885 · by **Candid** » Sun Dec 15, 2019 5:07 pm

Evolution

**Posts:** 12131 · by **Richard@DecisionSkills** » Sun Dec 15, 2019 5:51 pm

Hamming, evolutionary pressures drive our purpose. We have evolved to survive and procreate.

What are the pillars of a community Hamming? What are the things that drive our behaviors?

Hospitals, religion, porn, conquest? A bit tongue in cheek, but if you look at where the money goes it is clear evidence of purpose.

***

Okay, let's for a moment accept the premise that around 200,000 years ago our species came into existence, splitting off from another species. Since that time the purpose of life has been and continues to be the same. Survive, procreate, thrive.

It isn't that much different than any other species Hamming. It's just that we are unique in our capacity to ask the question. We are unique in our ability to experience psychological discomfort as we question the very purpose of our existence.

Now there are two possible answers:

-1- Our purpose is the same as every other species that has ever existed or;
-2- We are unique and have some purpose that other species do not have.

I lean towards answer -1-, but I think it is fun to contemplate -2-. And if -2- is true, then I like to think a purpose unique to our species is to get off this planet. And in doing so we take a few million other species with us. It is the mythical ark as commander Noah launches into a neighboring galaxy.

Again, I lean towards -1- as I enjoy the hilarious implications of -2-.

Anyway...in the context of your personal life...your personal purpose Hamming...you get to choose. You can define your own purpose. Evolutionary pressures will help, but at the end of the day you get to decide.

**Posts:** 367 · by **Hamming** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:09 pm

What are the pillars of a community Hamming? What are the things that drive our behaviors?

pleasure drives our behaviour I think.

**Posts:** 12131 · by **Richard@DecisionSkills** » Mon Dec 16, 2019 9:24 pm

Hamming wrote:
What are the pillars of a community Hamming? What are the things that drive our behaviors?

pleasure drives our behaviour I think.

Yes Hamming, pleasure and pain are drivers...drivers are not purpose.

Your question is about purpose.

Look at the major pillars that are created as a result of the pleasure/pain dynamic. Hospitals, churches, fields of wheat.

The purpose of life is very easy to see if we just open our eyes and see how pleasure/pain drive us towards very similar behaviors across cultures and across time.

The purpose of life thousands of years ago is the same as the purpose of life today. The mother of thousands of years ago had a purpose in raising, protecting, and nurturing a child. The mother of today shares that same purpose. A farmer had purpose in providing food for the community. A shaman had purpose in using herbs to heal the sick.

What's your purpose Hamming? You get to choose.

**Posts:** 9885 · by **Candid** » Tue Dec 17, 2019 7:53 am

Hamming wrote:pleasure drives our behaviour I think.

You missed the bigger part. In a world that can deliver pleasure or pain, avoidance of pain will always take precedence. When pain or the threat of pain is removed, then and only then will we automatically begin the pursuit of pleasure.

These two things, the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain, operate throughout the animal and vegetable worlds.

Humans alone can conceive of a purpose. The higher apes are right behind us, but according to the ethologists who've lived and worked with them for decades, not one of them has yet sighed: "What's the point of it all?" They live with neither religion nor inhibition. They understand delayed gratification on a small scale, but they don't go out to work to earn money to save in a bank to use when they get too old to do it any more or to leave to their children.

**Posts:** 367 · by **Hamming** » Tue Dec 17, 2019 8:20 pm

What's your purpose Hamming?

My purpose I guess is to live happy life, live long and be in good health till I die so I could enjoy life.

Also I wish bad people would be put where their place is. But thats too big goal, plus risky. But I am trying to support sometimes fighting against bad people by word wars on the internet, sending small part of taxes to the military, attended protest when Nemcov was killed in Russia.

**Posts:** 12131 · by **Richard@DecisionSkills** » Tue Dec 17, 2019 9:03 pm

Hamming wrote:My purpose I guess is to live happy life, live long and be in good health till I die so I could enjoy life.

These are goals not purpose. To be happy, live long and in good health are goals. And they are goals that pretty much everyone...at least most people hold. Most people prefer to be happy and healthy.

Also I wish bad people would be put where their place is. But thats too big goal, plus risky. But I am trying to support sometimes fighting against bad people by word wars on the internet, sending small part of taxes to the military, attended protest when Nemcov was killed in Russia.

So justice is one purpose. You don’t pursue that purpose regularly for various reasons.

What do you do for a living Hamming? How do you earn money? How would you like to earn money?

**Posts:** 9885 · by **Candid** » Wed Dec 18, 2019 4:57 pm

Hamming wrote:Also I wish bad people would be put where their place is.

I'll tell you this for nothing: focus on what's wrong with the world and you'll find the supply is endless. Focus on what's right, and the same applies.

Purpose of life

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