What's the Purpose of Life?

[mabubba]

Great comments MrPlum. I always fall back to something I learned in a psychology class (not my forte). It is that the path to happiness and determining one's purpose in life is through self-actualization (reference Maslow's hierarchy of needs). Within this framework you can define many of the concepts described in this post.

The purpose OF life is another topic entirely IMO, a more philosophical question.

Regarding Johan's comments, I think that ignorance of material wealth and the luxuries it can provide is an easy way to create a definition of happiness. I am not ignorant of wealth and find that I was influenced by that knowledge in a negative way (envy, lust, etc.). But I have learned to understand to my place in life and see that my knowledge doesn't need to impede my happiness. Ignorance of materialism isn't a necessary or sufficient path to happiness.

[elem]

Interesting thread - I would also consider some aspects of 'Maslow's hierarchy of needs' as one ( even if often critizised ) psycological theory to be taken into account in the pursuit of 'purporse/meaning of life'.

[Khundon1975]

I don't think about "What's the purpose of life" as I don't believe there is a purpose to us being on this rock.

Just walk outside on a dark starry night, look up and that should tell you all you need to know. SM67 had it right, we came from stardust and we will return to stardust.

We are a fluke, nothing more nothing less. I expect within the universe there are more flukes like us, who knows.
If you can PROVE different, then go for it, but don't bring God or any other religious crap into it, if you do, I will pass by your post.


HHfarang wrote

The United States Declaration of Independence succinctly summed up what the majority of people want imho:

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"

That statement said nothing about religion, sexual preference, political party, etc., just what most people want and deserve.
Maybe the reason the Founding fathers did not include any of that crap, was because they had seen just how much trouble those subjects cause, when weak minds prevail

As for happiness, all I need to do is look at my wife, that does it for me.

[MrPlum]

The United States Declaration of Independence succinctly summed up what the majority of people want imho:

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness"

Liberty is what someone else grants you. I prefer freedom.

[caller]

Liberty is what someone else grants you. I prefer freedom.

Freedom being defined as what?

[MrPlum]

Liberty is what someone else grants you. I prefer freedom.

Freedom being defined as what?

'To make choices free from constraints, be they physical (e.g. chains or imprisonment), social (e.g. threat of punishment or censure), or psychological (e.g. compulsions or phobias).'

There are some simple examples... "Hi Darling, okay if I go to the pub?" or to a landowner... "Okay if cross your land?" MrS may strongly assert that he is free of needing 'God's' permission to do anything. The Catholic Church pronounced millions as 'heretics' and murdered them. Their crime? They wanted to be free from Church religious diktat.

Freedom of expression. Freedom to travel. Freedom to choose an alternative cancer cure. Freedom to withdraw one's labour. Freedom from usury and taxation. Freedom from traffic laws. Freedom to protest politically. Freedom from political, financial and social repression or control. (If your wheelie bin isn't in the right place cough up 100 UKP or go to jail). To be free of the threat of state violence. Freedom to properly choose one's leaders. Freedom from media manipulation. Freedom to withdraw my children from school, freedom not to have vaccines. Freedom from the threat of thugs in the street. Freedom to blow a burglar's head off without going to jail. Freedom to have uncontaminated food and a pristine environment. Freedom from corporate influence (billboards, marketing, PR). Freedom not to be irradiated or leered at by security devices at airports. Freedom from being tracked, traced, logged, videoed, micro-chipped.

There are plenty of constraints placed upon our 'freedom', no matter how we may justify them. I'm not going to argue over the ones I've listed. It's entirely subjective and for another topic, which may be worth discussion... "What is freedom?", perhaps.

[Jimbob]

I do like Kris Kristoferson's words from 'Bobby McGee'
Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.
Not that I aspire to be that free