Why must we have a Purpose?

You don't need to be religious to imply a thing, or an event has/serves a purpose. Which is all the more reason the notion confuses me.

In religion, a deity usually creates something, and it's creation usually serves some sort of purpose. To worship the deity, to feed a specific or better thing that was created, or whatever else.

Outside of religion, however, it seems that when people claim they believe everything has a purpose, or a meaning for existing, its almost a pseudo-religious mentality/view of the universe. These individuals often don't claim to know what purpose anything serves, or that we humans are not capable of understanding that purpose. But, they are certain there is a purpose there for every single thing.

Personally, I don't see why anything needs a purpose at all. Why can't the universe have formed naturally without anything to start it up? Why do we have to place meaning upon its existence? Or anything else for that matter.

To me, it seems as though these individuals hold on to this concept because it's comforting. I can completely understand this. It's a daunting thought that there is no real drive, meaning, or purpose behind our lives other than simply living because that's what coincidentally occurred.

Anyway, that's my rant

as sentient creatures, dont we have the right to decide our respective purposes for ourselves?

i agree with you, its one of those things people say to reassure themselves. like knocking on wood.

a reply to: Ghost147

actually non religious thought is that you make a purpose..

It just means, hey now that we are here let's do something more meaningful than less meaningful.

Do you think that language has a purpose? Or shovels? or Glass?

Organizing our resources and options in better ways is a cool purpose.


My thoughts on the matter are that there is God, but I'm not religious. I'm science minded. It's up to me to decide what to do with a changing universe.


I sometimes think, "oh that happened for a reason." But I don't need it to be more than coincidence that had meaning for me.. It's not a magical idea.

a reply to: Ghost147

As I stated in the other thread you posted earlier, IMO, everything has a purpose. Just because you don't see it, doesn't make it so...but that's how YOU see the world and anything in it, on it, past or present.

I think most feel if it exists, it has a purpose.

But...I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time nor likely the last.

IF there is no God then life serves no purpose. IF there is no purpose then anything goes and nothing we do matters. IF we are just random bits of carbon then why would you even want to live? I know I wouldn't.

a reply to: Ghost147

One thing to do first is to define what YOU mean by the word purpose. Words are slippery critters and wind up meaning different things to different people. It's interesting to watch a disagreement caused totally by the two parties using different definitions without telling each other.

If I had to define the word, it is an intented result that comes from some specific person or thinking entity deciding on for some object. There has to be a giver of the purpose in my definition, and the same thing can have different purposes for different people who want to use it. What is the definition otherwise. I prefer operational definitions, i.e., not in the third person.

originally posted by: Metallicus
IF there is no God then life serves no purpose. IF there is no purpose then anything goes and nothing we do matters. IF we are just random bits of carbon then why would you even want to live? I know I wouldn't.

Lol... talking like a true believer who would start killing people if no god exists to hold them back...



God suppose to give life a purpose? we gave "GOD" a purpose without even knowing what it is(if there is something).

Human being like to give purpose to everything... what cant things be as there are?

Tree does not have a Purpose, its purpose is not to give you oxygen.

The Purpose is a human construct.

a reply to: Ghost147

Most people do need to believe in a higher power be it God, the state or Hegel's geist which is most likely the origin of the pseudo-mysticism that you are detecting among self-declared or otherwise would-be atheists.

a reply to: Ghost147

You are correct, in my opinion.

I've said it before, I say it again, we are not that important as a thing in the entire scheme of things. We have an innate desire to explore. We do this mentally as well as physically. Our EGO is something that drives this, we are important so therefore there must be a reason for us.

But.. like someone placing a substance into a Petri dish and watching the colony of bacteria grow, we are the same. We are on this Petri dish we call planet Earth.

we're a self limiting life form that will appear to have potential, but that will over consume until there is nothing left, and we will perish.

All the prayers to god will simply become part of the void... not a single living entity that exists once we are gone will ever know a single struggle we endured.

We are just here.. no rhyme nor reason. and one day, individually, we will not be here.

originally posted by: TzarChasm
as sentient creatures, dont we have the right to decide our respective purposes for ourselves?

What does that mean or imply?

To say I have the right to believe in god, if that is what you're saying, is to say I have the right to deny myself my rights... you don't get to overrule gods laws, if you're a believer in god. He owns you.

just not sure what you mean..

a reply to: sn0rch

his next sentence..

i agree with you, its one of those things people say to reassure themselves. like knocking on wood.

it's already explained.

The idea of purpose comes from this material world, and our physicall need for things. We have just made it much to easy and are bored. Sports tv God al just gap fillers

There is nothing more aggravating than people that say "everything in life has a purpose". Arrogance and ignorance all wrapped up together. It's usually people who have pretty decent lives save for a few things that utter this phrase. And sadly, and surprisingly, it's even often said by people that aren't really even aligned with a religion. If they thought for a few minutes what they are really saying, then they might take this thought-line a little more seriously. If everything has a purpose, then you are also saying that there is a purpose for the young girl born into a basement, held as prisoner her entire life, raped repeatedly, tortured, then murdered... never seeing the light of day, never even experiencing joy, not once. You say that for the mass executions and torture throughout the ages. You say that for mass death and extinction. You say that for babies that suffer for a few months and then die. You say that for burn victims that will never want to look in a mirror, etc. etc. etc.

There have been so many awful, painful lives that have unjustly existed and you must also claim that they have a purpose. What kind of terrible self-centered person actually believes that this is true. "Oh, it's ok, everything has a purpose". If my life was nothing but torture and someone said this to me I would want to unleash a new hellish purpose upon them.

I will say this, if I even entertained the idea that life has a purpose, then it was planned out by a terribly cruel and heartless being. All known evidence would certainly point to that.

Of course, this phrase is said to make oneself feel better. That somehow the evils of the world have a means to an end. That good will come of it all. But this world is harsh. This life can be terribly harsh. That's just the way it is. Running from that is merely a short run personal gain (by writing it off, in essence) and straight up insulting to people who's lives are in a far worse place.

There's absolutely no evidence that life has purpose (except to survive, if that can be called a purpose). We make our own purpose. Most of us grew up in society, feel empathy, feel good about things and want others to feel the same. To share in the beauty of the world. And we soak it up for all it's worth, feeling joy for the genetic lottery that landed us here, because you never know when it could all turn.

And you people that say that without god anything would be permissible, wouldn't want to live, etc... you are the scariest people out there. Is the golden rule too complicated for you? Does that not feel natural for survival? Cause you really don't need much more than that.

Humans are controlled by drug adicted aliens.

For humans have no purpose.
There is no meaning to us. (Bare with me.)

For humans are the only race in this,
Expanding universe that wonder.

What's are pupose is, when there is none.
It's all a delusion created by their own
Local logic or idea/media.

To wonder is common to humans.
But when you mix the blissful idea.
Of why we are here with the idea
Of other beings knowing you exist just cause.
Either by influence. Or just to. By means.
Unknown.

That's when you think.

Aliens made us to kill us.

We lived to survive. That's our purpose.
Nothing else. To survive in this universe.

a reply to: Ghost147

I know what you mean, there are people who go around saying that everything has a purpose, yet they never explain what they mean. Its like they say it to sound "spiritual".

However, as a Christian, I do honestly believe that everything has a purpose, and I try show that in my Biblical threads. In fact, this temporal life serves two purposes:
1) To separate those who will believe (in Christ) from those who do not.
2) To train those who are sactified by faith for their life after physical death as King-Priests in eternity.

Suffering either serves to discipline or build character.
Prosperity serves to test the integrity of the individual.

There is no in between...neutrality is an illusion.

S&F for your observation.

a reply to: luciddream

The Purpose is a human construct.

If that is all there is then count me out.

After a lifetime spent seeking some semblance of objective or even compelling circumstantial evidence of a purpose or meaning to our existence, I have found that the only meaning our lives hold is that with which we imbue them (however consciously or unconsciously.) Might there be more? Certainly. I'm agnostic about most if not all things. And I do have my own beliefs with which I engage (but with the below caveats.) I haven't found any proof of it, though.

With that said, if you love anyone, care about anyone or anything, and act as though that matters at all beyond just neurons and neurotransmitters in your brain coupled with behavioral tendencies, then you already engage in belief unsupported by proof owing simply to your nature. It is, for the most part, inescapable. It is human nature - for the vast, vast majority of us at least - to create meaning from meaninglessness.

Add to that our inability to confirm anything with 100% objectivity due to subjectivity and incompleteness, and I've simply accepted that there is an unavoidable unknowable-ness to the nature of reality, and any sense of purpose. So I simply choose to believe whatever I want, and allow others to do the same.

Allow people their illusions so long as they aren't harming anyone. None of us are completely free of them, even if we would like to think we are.

Peace.

As a non believer I found my purpose years ago.

Believe it or not it was just a few hours after I indulged in a plight with a psychedelic substance.

In my own way, I discovered that my goal in life was to try to do better for myself and now my family.

You don't have to be a saint, just someone who tries every now and then.

Theres a bunch of people in Colorado that wanted to chime in on this thread but ...

a reply to: Ghost147

I have a special purpose.