The Life Thread

[thekid]

Warning: Not for the existential faint of heart

Was feeling a little philosophical today. I've come across some great discussions here about many different aspects of life, ranging from short term to long term financial goals, family, work, etc. So, I figured, why not take a step back and discuss it from a global perspective.

Life, what's it about?

Any overriding general common purpose to all? If so, what do you think it is?

Any tailor made overriding individual purpose to each? If so, what do you think it is?

No overriding purpose maybe. If so, does it matter that there isn't? Can we custom make it? What's your view on what it should be.

No need to address any of this directly or in detail and, please, lets not turn this into a religious discussion (albeit it's only normal that your beliefs will influence your perception).

I just feel, and fear, that we often simply follow the crowd and not necessarily define this for ourselves.

In this regards, and with the benefit of life experience many here have, first things first. What's it about?

[tinapbeana]

What's it about?

leave the world a better place than you found it.

nuff said

[Fern]

Well it probaby woudl be hard for a lot of people to discuss the meaning or purpose of life without getting into their belief in God, but since i'm agnostic, that's not an issue.

That being said, the best i can come up with is that life would be bleak and meaningless without the ability to love and be loved in return.

[thekid]

Not sure many find this particularly interesting. It might fall in the domain of the too vague to be practical, but nonetheless I would feel that getting a grasp of why we live the way we do (or of what we should strive towards) is quite central. Whether or not we can pin point it is a whole other story.

Personally, I don't think there is any (capital P)urpose at all. I have found this quite hard to come to terms with, particularly since a lot of my wirering was made growing up in a highly religious family and with a high ideal sense of civic purpose.

Nonetheless, I think the next step is to realize that it doesn't really matter. As human beings, I think we simply strive to being "happy". Happiness, I believe, comes from living a life which (i) is in conformity with our personal value system and (ii) allows us to have a feeling of "contributing" to the furthering of endeavours which are aligned with such values (in this sense, we are much more human "doings" than human "beings").

The hard part is twofold. First, getting to know ourselves well to really discover our value system. This takes time and experience and is seldom accomplished while we are very young (often times, people never explicitly get a conscious grasp of this). Finding this is full of trials and errors and actually takes quite a bit of guts. Second, the universe is not made to cater to you. You may know yourself well, but a whole bunch of circumstances, obstacles, competing objectives will always prevent you from fully living in conformity with and in the endeavour of your personal value system. First and foremost is financial issues. Finances, of course, put limits on us. I believe this is the sole important purpose of money.......it buys you freedom and flexibility. Looking for happiness through consumption will always be a dead-end. It is not an end in of itself. However, our society seems mostly geared towards this. It's mainly an ego thing. Falling into this is, I think, life's most dangerous pitfall. Of course, a whole range of other obstacles, other than money, exist. Family circumstances, spousal relations, health, personal capacity, etc.

Basically, I just feel that life is actually much more simple than we usually perceive it to be. It doesn't take much, at face value.

Basically, it boils down to maintaining a high level of personal integrity in how we live and what we do and to try to not get distracted by all the other messages thrown at us. Being social animals, doing your own thing (in as much as your circumstances allow) is an incredibly hard thing to do.

Why is this pertinent to this board? I dunno, but finances being so central to what we strive for, I think it's useful to step back once in a while and try to reset ourself with a view to the bigger picture. Also, in matters such as these it's great to have feedback and discussions with a wide breath of people from different backgrounds, beliefs and experiences and this site seems to have quite a few interesting people.

[jIM_Ohio]

The meaning of life is beer. If you did not find the meaning at bottom of the current bottle you are drinking, open another and look there.

The rest of life is about playing sports and drinking a beer with your friends, or making money so you can play more sports to drink more beer.

seriously, I don't know why, but the most important thing to me is my wife, my friends and me. The important thing is to put each first for around 1/3 of each day, and life is good and will treat you good in return.

[Ima saver]

I agree with Jim, except the meaning of life is fudge! chocolate fudge. And being happy with my wonderful husband, good health and sweet puppy. Who could ask for anything more. Oh yes, chocolate fudge, no nuts!

[jIM_Ohio]

I've had fudge before. It doesn't cool me off after playing soccer, but it does get my wife in a good mood, so I am torn.

[Ima saver]

Ok, I will compromise, how about rum? (cause I don't like beer, but my husband does)

[jIM_Ohio]

I have found that many a lead singers have discovered a portion of the meaning of life.

A few:

"I have found the right key baby, but the wrong key hole"
"You have to lose to know how to win"
"Let the music do the talking"
"I've got to take me a permanent vacation"
"Hey, look, I'll pay you for it"
"I've been living like there's no tommorrow and I'll I've got I had to steal"
"What you see is what you get, and you ain't seen nothin yet"

had to edit, forgot our wedding song

"I could not ask for more"

[creditcardfree]

To expand the universe through positive energy which includes...love, happiness and the occasional beer, fudge or rum!! Good thread...but a bit to deep for me today!!

[Gruntina]

It seems like we all have the free will to choose what purpose we have in an unfair life. Not necessarily plan on how things happen or our environment but building our character and influences we give to others is up to us. It comes to whether we follow the rules or not.

There is no control over what is happening to us except how we respond to things.

I think living life is 99% attitude!

The bigger purpose of why there is life – I just say I do not know everything nor understand everything, therefore, everything is not meant to be understood.

My feelings are that we are not merely robots roaming across the world but I do not understand why some of us have more options than others. i.e. third world countries vs countries like England, USA and so on.

[Bookie]

"Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song,
A medley of extemporanea;
And love is a thing that can never go wrong;
And I am Marie of Romania."

Dorothy Parker,

[PRICEPLUS]

It is what it is!

[Broken Arrow]

I'm on a crossroad of sorts, and have been doing some soul searching as well.

I have a practical responsibility to the welfare of my children.

I also have own personal desires as well. I'm not asking much, just... love and happiness, that's all.

Beyond that, I also concede that I may never realize what The Answer is.

The only thing I would add is that I wonder if we are also asking the right question? Perhaps, like a cup of coffee, life is not something that we're suppose figure out. Rather, maybe we're suppose to enjoy it, one sip at a time.

Of course, life is not without its bitter pitfalls, but then, that's why we need to be the best adventurers we can be. So that we can do our best to cope with the pitfalls that we encounter.

So, maybe we don't need to know The Answer. Perhaps we shouldn't even try to. But if not the answer, then what is the question? I think the real question is, "Am I a better person today than yesterday?" Because, if I am, then I believe that a little bit of happiness and joy, and by some extent, love and peace, will come along with it.

Or, perhaps that in itself is the answer? To be the best adventurer we can be so that we can journey well in this great adventure we call life?

At least, that's my late night rambling for today.

[PrincessPerky]

Oh but we know the answer...42....(duglas adams, book, if you don't get it, nevermind)

Truthfully.....I dunno, does it matter? I mean I want to be the best me I can be..and thankfully I have a long time to work on it, cause I am far from it!) Kinda like BA said

But so far as a purpose for all..it would seem silly to make people so varried and different but to give them the same purpose.....