The meaning of life?

[Bren]

In wild life (plants, wild animals, micro-organisms, etc.) everything aims for reproducing, doesn't it. Growing up to maturity, eating, fighting for territory, mating, whatever it takes to produce offsping. That's the goal of everything.

But is it the same with humans? Are we here only to reproduce, to have children, to continue the familyline and genes. Is your children the reason that keeps you going, the thing that you're here (in this world) for?

 

[nimzotech]

Very Deep...

Was this a rhetorical question? First thing that comes to mind was Shakespeare's Hamlet:

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action. - Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.

P.S.
Here is a link to a cool BBC video I stumbled upon... Enjoy it
http://www.stumbleupon.com/demo/#ur...u.com/apps/fullscreen_player9/fullscreen.html

 

[aussiejules]

arent we and dolfins the only animals that have s-x for pleasure, this may be why we dont just find a mate a procreat for offspring

 

[mikebike]

I believe we were created in the image of God.... our purpose would be to Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

That encompasses many facets as He is a complex God .... the perfect way we were created was marred by the fall of man (in the Garden) and this entered sin into the mix - which marred the whole picture.

It was Christ who provided the ability to be restored to fellowship with God.

The Family, Marriage, Sex (recreational and procreational), the beautiful world we enjoy are all by design.

----------------------
this is my brief summation on life drawn from my study of the Bible. It takes faith to believe this but not any more faith than it take ti accept some of the unprovable scientific hypothesis.

one small consideration

Consider the complexity of the FZ6 would anyone presume it just happened?
or was it designed??
then take the human body which is far more complex than the FZ6 and ask yourself who designed us????

 

[aussiejules]

I believe we were created in the image of God.... our purpose would be to Glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

That encompasses many facets as He is a complex God .... the perfect way we were created was marred by the fall of man (in the Garden) and this entered sin into the mix - which marred the whole picture.

It was Christ who provided the ability to be restored to fellowship with God.

The Family, Marriage, Sex (recreational and procreational), the beautiful world we enjoy are all by design.

----------------------
this is my brief summation on life drawn from my study of the Bible. It takes faith to believe this but not any more faith than it take ti accept some of the unprovable scientific hypothesis.

one small consideration

Consider the complexity of the FZ6 would anyone presume it just happened?
or was it designed??
then take the human body which is far more complex than the FZ6 and ask yourself who designed us????

but the arguement there then becomes who/what created god (and i know the usual answer he wasz just there) sorry dont want to start a religous arguement just my opinion

 

[Cloggy]

well you know the answer to the ultimate question of "life the universe and everything" already being a Douglas Adams fan :thumbup:

As Brian said in the life of Brian "you've got to work it out for yourself"

Life is not a destination it's a journey (I can't remember who said that one.)


you cannot ask a question like this without looking at your own beliefs,
I believe in spirituality and karma, I believe in good and evil but not in the biblical sense. I am generally a humanist.
Of course making babies is not the reason we exist, there has to be more to life, or is there ?
I know doing things like riding my bike or sailing give me a feeling of, this is what life's all about, but when one of my daughters do something sweet or funny I think the same.

 

[jimcisme]

In wild life (plants, wild animals, micro-organisms, etc.) everything aims for reproducing, doesn't it. Growing up to maturity, eating, fighting for territory, mating, whatever it takes to produce offsping. That's the goal of everything.

But is it the same with humans? Are we here only to reproduce, to have children, to continue the familyline and genes. Is your children the reason that keeps you going, the thing that you're here (in this world) for?

God I hope not , if so I have missed the mark completely. I'm 47 and have no biological children. However, at this point I do have times when I wish I had. I can say this much, Life can still be great even without kids.

I think Pseudo Cloggy has some good points.

 

[jimcisme]

but the arguement there then becomes who/what created god (and i know the usual answer he wasz just there) sorry dont want to start a religous arguement just my opinion

Kind of like numbers, as in: whats the biggest number? You can always add 1 or the smallest? -1

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Rev. 22:13)
I'm not argueing, just saying:
It's hard to answer questions about things you cant comprehend.

 

[grommit]

well you know the answer to the ultimate question of "life the universe and everything" already being a Douglas Adams fan :thumbup:

.....42....

I think as long as you are happy and you treat others with respect and kindness then everything else is a bonus.

 

[DrBart2]

In wild life (plants, wild animals, micro-organisms, etc.) everything aims for reproducing, doesn't it. Growing up to maturity, eating, fighting for territory, mating, whatever it takes to produce offspring. That's the goal of everything.

Just now I started off with a long philosophical evaluation of why man exists. Then I deleted it. The religious aspect and the evolutionary aspect. But, I don't think that is what you are looking for. You already know all that stuff. I don't believe that reproducing is the ultimate goal to life. I believe that we exist to support other life. I know it is an incredibly vague statement, but I believe our meaning is vague. It is so different for each of us. I believe we exist for each other. To support, anger, heal, love, and nurture. Sometimes, through disease or something else, a person turns evil and loses his ability to have a purposeful life. Who knows, maybe it is that persons purpose to be evil. I hope not. I just hope they are "broken" in some way.
Remember, everything you do (even at home, by yourself) affects other life. You don't have to have children to do that. So, if anyone is putting pressure on you to have children, just ignore them! Children are not why we exist! At this time you are part of a group that helps people with their money. The money they have is used to support their life so they can be doctors, teachers, sewage workers, etc... So, what is your purpose in life at this time? Well, you help heal, you help teach, you help other life in general. I would say your life has incredible meaning and importance! If you change jobs or even retire, you continue to help others, although sometimes indirectly. Even a hermit effects others in many ways. We exist to be part of this biomass on earth. Whether it is Gods plan or just nature the results are the same. Even your presences here on this forum has influenced affected all of us!
I hope what I have said makes since to you. Existence is a personal thing that affects the rest of the world.

 

[madmanmaigret]

In wild life (plants, wild animals, micro-organisms, etc.) everything aims for reproducing, doesn't it. Growing up to maturity, eating, fighting for territory, mating, whatever it takes to produce offspring. That's the goal of everything.

Just now I started off with a long philosophical evaluation of why man exists. Then I deleted it. The religious aspect and the evolutionary aspect. But, I don't think that is what you are looking for. You already know all that stuff. I don't believe that reproducing is the ultimate goal to life. I believe that we exist to support other life. I know it is an incredibly vague statement, but I believe our meaning is vague. It is so different for each of us. I believe we exist for each other. To support, anger, heal, love, and nurture. Sometimes, through disease or something else, a person turns evil and loses his ability to have a purposeful life. Who knows, maybe it is that persons purpose to be evil. I hope not. I just hope they are "broken" in some way.
Remember, everything you do (even at home, by yourself) affects other life. You don't have to have children to do that. So, if anyone is putting pressure on you to have children, just ignore them! Children are not why we exist! At this time you are part of a group that helps people with their money. The money they have is used to support their life so they can be doctors, teachers, sewage workers, etc... So, what is your purpose in life at this time? Well, you help heal, you help teach, you help other life in general. I would say your life has incredible meaning and importance! If you change jobs or even retire, you continue to help others, although sometimes indirectly. Even a hermit effects others in many ways. We exist to be part of this biomass on earth. Whether it is Gods plan or just nature the results are the same. Even your presences here on this forum has influenced affected all of us!
I hope what I have said makes since to you. Existence is a personal thing that affects the rest of the world.

very well said! allow me to put some of what you said into my own words (well words i live by anyway)
"for every ying there is a yang. There is a little evil in all that is good and a little good in all that is evil" everything must balance out in the end.
I also feel you must make you own meaning. Of course there are things you cannot control but what you make out of those things defines who you are, hence what your meaning is.

 

[DrBart2]

very well said! allow me to put some of what you said into my own words (well words i live by anyway)
"for every ying there is a yang. There is a little evil in all that is good and a little good in all that is evil" everything must balance out in the end.
I also feel you must make you own meaning. Of course there are things you cannot control but what you make out of those things defines who you are, hence what your meaning is.

Thank you. I agree with your approach and meaning.

 

[nimzotech]

but the arguement there then becomes who/what created god (and i know the usual answer he wasz just there) sorry dont want to start a religous arguement just my opinion

+1 That is the same question I had when I was a little boy going to Sunday (Catholic School). No one seemed to have an answer for me. I wonder why? By the way, I simply do not buy the answer that you can not explain something that is beyond our comprehension. If there is a will, there is a way ;-)

 

[madmanmaigret]

+1 That is the same question I had when I was a little boy going to Sunday (Catholic School). No one seemed to have an answer for me. I wonder why?

Careful there young Jedi, that is thin ice which you walk upon!

 

[nimzotech]

Careful there young Jedi, that is thin ice which you walk upon!

The worst thing that could possibly happen then is the ice breaking and me falling in icy waters... But then again, don't Jedi have special physical, mental, and spiritual abilities?

 

[DrBart2]

When I read Bren's post, it made me think of how much pressure my wife's family and friends put on her to get married and have children. She married me when she was 20, so she was pretty young, but we didn't have any children until she was 30! That drove her family nuts!! They expected her to immediately start having children after getting married. That it was her life duty to do so. Oh well, we did what was best for us at the time.:Flip:
Bren, I hope your posed question didn't come as a result from the pressure that other people have been putting on you. People who think they know what is best for you can really be a pain!!
Also, I don't mean to sound like I am lecturing. My knowledge of the subject is no greater than any of you. I just like to put in my two cents sometimes.

 

[teslas]

Let me provide you with a mind bending twister.

The very definition of God is "All supreme, all powerful, the creator". If somebody or something created God, then by definition he could not be God.

If God was created then he definately had a beginning. With that in mind, anybody that was created cannot be all powerful, because that would mean there was somebody higher then him who created him. Too agree to this would put you in an infinite loop, because there would always be somebody higher who created the later.

Cheers,
teslas

 

[DrBart2]

Let me provide you with a mind bending twister.

The very definition of God is "All supreme, all powerful, the creator". If somebody or something created God, then by definition he could not be God.

If God was created then he definately had a beginning. With that in mind, anybody that was created cannot be all powerful, because that would mean there was somebody higher then him who created him. Too agree to this would put you in an infinite loop, because there would always be somebody higher who created the later.

Cheers,
teslas

Now, if you make us think too hard our brains will melt!!!!! LOL

 

[nimzotech]

Let me provide you with a mind bending twister.

The very definition of God is "All supreme, all powerful, the creator". If somebody or something created God, then by definition he could not be God.

If God was created then he definately had a beginning. With that in mind, anybody that was created cannot be all powerful, because that would mean there was somebody higher then him who created him. Too agree to this would put you in an infinite loop, because there would always be somebody higher who created the later.

Cheers,
teslas

Now, if you make us think too hard our brains will melt!!!!! LOL

Have you guys seen "Zeitgeist" ?

 

[madmanmaigret]

Let me provide you with a mind bending twister.

The very definition of God is "All supreme, all powerful, the creator". If somebody or something created God, then by definition he could not be God.

If God was created then he definately had a beginning. With that in mind, anybody that was created cannot be all powerful, because that would mean there was somebody higher then him who created him. Too agree to this would put you in an infinite loop, because there would always be somebody higher who created the later.

Cheers,
teslas

that is why, my friend, whatever religion you ask this of will always reply he just is.