Reason and Purpose.
Is there reason and purpose for our existence? Would it make life easier if there were?
My wife and I have these discussions all the time. She says there's no reason and purpose and I say that its up to us to find our own reason and purpose.
She seems to think that it would make the suffering we have to endure in our life easier if there were a reason and purpose behind our existence.... and she may be right but I think that that reasoning is built upon a framework of religious conditioning. She thinks that ignorance is bliss and that people who have a belief in a 'reason and purpose' behind our existence have an easier time of it than those that don't.
The main focus of our discussions are 'why' do we suffer? What purpose is there in suffering? And the relationship of these things to existence and happiness.
What purpose is there to life if we have to endure such suffering? What's the point? To me... I just jump outside the box on the question. We exist. We are here and we can't change that... we feel pain.. We suffer... but we also feel joy..and happiness and love, wonder, awe, etc.
We don't experience continuous happiness all the time... just like most of us don't experience continuous suffereing all the time.
I'd like to hear commentary on any of the above and also ask what reason and purpose you folks have found that motivates and helps you deal with this world and this life.
What makes you happy? What brings you peace?
My wife and I have these discussions all the time. She says there's no reason and purpose and I say that its up to us to find our own reason and purpose.
She seems to think that it would make the suffering we have to endure in our life easier if there were a reason and purpose behind our existence.... and she may be right but I think that that reasoning is built upon a framework of religious conditioning. She thinks that ignorance is bliss and that people who have a belief in a 'reason and purpose' behind our existence have an easier time of it than those that don't.
The main focus of our discussions are 'why' do we suffer? What purpose is there in suffering? And the relationship of these things to existence and happiness.
What purpose is there to life if we have to endure such suffering? What's the point? To me... I just jump outside the box on the question. We exist. We are here and we can't change that... we feel pain.. We suffer... but we also feel joy..and happiness and love, wonder, awe, etc.
We don't experience continuous happiness all the time... just like most of us don't experience continuous suffereing all the time.
I'd like to hear commentary on any of the above and also ask what reason and purpose you folks have found that motivates and helps you deal with this world and this life.
What makes you happy? What brings you peace?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cara Coleen on -
That's beautiful, and I can say the same of my Southern Baptist preach grandfather. He's too old to bear knowing I'm not a believer, and there's no way to convince him that's okay. He's such a good man, and one whom I respect more than most men I know; I wish ALL Christians were like him. If they were, I wouldn't have a problem with the religious.
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Permalink Reply by Dave G on -
This description reminds me of my uncle Tom. Uncle Tom was a great guy, and I think that if someone described his purpose to him as 'people', he'd have agreed.
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Permalink Reply by Wesley on -
Thanks CaraColeen and Dave G...
There are those who have found purpose that can inspire others to find their own purpose. Look at George Washington Carver for example.. He didn't just talk about helping folks.. he actually got down to the nitty gritty of doing a lot of shit too!!! It's inspiring.
Thomas Paine was inspiring and he was motivated to do a lot of positive things.... of course he was horribly abused and turned on just because he tried to live up to his principles.
This didn't stop Robert Green Ingersoll from singing his praises to high heaven and trying to reverse a horrible injustice.
I would follow Robert Green Ingersoll around like a puppy if I could go back in time. To speak out like he did, on the topics he did, in the time period he did...is just unreal. He had to have 50 or 60 pound balls of Titanium Steel!
My point is that these people weren't just content to 'live' and let suffering go on unchallenged....but they decided to try and do something about it. And they did and in the process inspired many others to DO SOMETHING.
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