It is whatever you want it to be.
I've fought depression on many occasions and often would eye my box of razors. Often, it seemed, over that same question. I realize now that half of what I went through was over-dramatic and caused by major hormonal imbalances thanks to an over active thyroid. But, thyroid problem or no, the question was still there.
"Why am here? What's the point?"
I won't say I'm Christian, cause there's so many types, but I am a born again believer; just meaning, I believe Christ died for my sins and arose. While I'm no "bible-beater" or even one of those folks that walk the straight and narrow path, I still believe, very strongly, that God's guiding me to something more. So my religion has held a lot of ground when deciding what the meaning of, not life in general is, but what my life means to me.
I've mulled over this so many times that when I finally found the answer I felt like Homer, from The Simpons in one of his "DOY!" moments.
It was so plain. There is no meaning to life, not a singular meaning, not something that can be wrote on a card and passed out like a flyer. No cure all wisdom. But there is still a meaning to life. I came to this conclusion during one of many bouts of depression.
I lay in bed asking God why the heck was I here? What was the point in making humans or Earth, to begin with? Why bother if you're just going to kill and send those who don't believe in you to Hell to burn? Fear was the meaning of life at that point. I believe in Heaven and hell and something, undefined, in between. I knew I didn't want to burn. But fear wasn't enough, not to enjoy life. Not to eliminate the anxiety and depression with ruled my life.
The answer came unexpectedly. I was in my Dad's Sunday School class and he was asking us what books we would like study next. Normally I would have popped up and said Ezekiel. I've wanted to study it forever. But somehow I couldn't. I swear my jaws wouldn't move! It was scary. The class settled on Jeremiah and I calmed down a bit and decided that maybe there was something in that book I was supposed to hear. I got home and started reading; I didn't want to wait till next week. If it was there I would find it. I did, in the first Chapter in a single verse.
Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou comest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Of course this was His plan for Jeremiah, not me, but it told me he didn't just whip Me out of thin air and plop me here for the sole purpose of watching me fumble through life. It told me, I had existed before and most likely have a job to do, maybe even one I volunteered for. It even explained a dream I had when I was 6. I was lying in the hospital with a fever of 108F for two days straight. I should have died or at least had my brains scrambled good when I came out. However, I woke up just fine, no more off than I was before the illness. But I remembered one dream during that time, and in perfect detail. I dreamed I was watching someone in my church pray for me and an unseen person to my right placed one hand on my shoulder and pointed to the praying man with his other. I knew I was dreaming because I was floating near the ceiling of the church and no one could see me. He told me I couldn't leave yet, they still needed me.
My parents never told me the details of that experience in the hospital; not until a year ago. I knew I was close to dieing. But I never knew about the fever, or the doctors telling my parents not to get their hopes up cause the outlook was grim. When I finally told my Dad about the dream he sat beside me, said nothing, and cried. He's one of those men who never cry, certainly not in front of anyone. It was shocking because my mother reacted the same way.
So, with something to go on, I looked at my talents and interests and settled on something. I love art and all things related; I also have my Lucid Dreams and all related to that. Those are the things that drive me. Without those Life would be pretty boring. My purpose, I concluded, is to never give them up and to learn as much as I can about them. Grow spiritually, if you will, through Art and Dreams. Somehow by working with what I've been given I will accomplish not only that goal set for me by God, but will also be content with life. That is my purpose; that is my meaning of life. It's different for everyone, and though simple, not always as obvious as you think it should be.
!! I wrote a book, sorry, didn't mean to drag it out so much.
very well said manix. Very good interpretation.
I can say that I'm a christian but, as you said, there are too many types too be just one so I don't really have a specific type. I think that as long as you know the same God as the other types of christianity that's all that matters. You're definitely right about God being the the only deciding factor and that there really is now true meaning of life.
I still find it interesting about the idea that the purpose of life is to die. This turns into anxiety, which turns into, fear, which turns into anger, then hatred.
Keep ideas coming. I wanna know what everyone thinks about the purpose of life.
[8D]Leon
Most people here probably believe there is an afterlife or reincarnation. I don't know (and I don't care), it could be, but it could also be false. There is no evidence, and because there is NO evidence, you should live your life the way you like it - you might have only one.
That's "my" purpose. Live your life the way you like it. I mean, it's your reality, after all.
http://sharethissite.com/
Well without getting into a philosophic discussion, i will tell you what my purpose is:
To improve myself in everyway that i can.
To create things that has never been created before.
To make the people happy (the people who loves me without asking for it, parents etc..).
To understand the architecture of the universe in physical means.
The list can go on like this...
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Nice link kiauma. That is a better question. "What is the purpose of your life?" Very good.[:)]
[:D]
I know you all wanna kill me for saying so, but naturally the purpose of life is to give life.
BUT THAT'S NO PERIOD! That is the purpose of human as an animal! Now the question is ARE WE ANIMALS?
If you say that those who have no children are better than those who have, I can't agree with you.
The purpose of life of a human as A CREATURE ABLE TO THINK AND CREATE is to be happy and become wiser and wiser and wiser. To understand things clearlier. TO SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE!
That's what I think. And also, we will never get the whole purpose of ourselves, but we have to try to understand as much as we can..
The purpose of life is not to die. That's noone's purpose. Then we would all just kill ourselves and our purpose would be done.
The meaning Life is complicated, and i can't say i know it all, but here's my take:
God/Goddess, in his infinite Glory and Love, felt lonely being the only Being. In fact, as large as God was, She knew it was necessary to break herself down into consituent parts to KNOW HERSELF. And how does an omniscient presence accomplish that: God willingly allowed parts of himself to forget who She was: in effect, creating us. We are all God, forgotten we are God, going through life in a quest to REMEMBER we are God, and re-experience the joy of knowing it. The process has happened in many universes and in many ways, but i think the bottom line is that We are All God Experiencing Himself.
Meaning implies a means to an end. If there is no end to life, then it's its own end, and thus carries no meaning.
To try and learn lessons that will help move my spirit upward on the path.
I've heard a few ideas but I find the idea on the purpose of life found at the end of Final Fantasy 9 sort of intriguing. It's idea is that the purpose of life is to die. This turns into anxiety, which turns into, fear, which turns into anger, then hatred.
What do you think the purpose of life is?