Does life really have purpose?

[yellowdaisy1975]

Does anyone else feel like there is a lack of purpose in life in general? Especially with so much injustice, illness, and hate? Is there a point to it?

[hypercat54]

No. Did you expect it to?

I remember going into work one day and said to a colleague 'Do you know I woke up with a sense of purpose this morning' She looked at me and said 'Oh dear'. I said 'Yes must make sure that doesn't happen again'. We both exchanged a grin. Then we got on with our day.

Does life has to have a purpose? It's all we have so we just live it the best way we can. Hopefully there is enough along the way to make it sometimes enjoyable too.

[Saki-Amamiya in reply to hypercat54]

Haha, I like that brief story ✌️

[sweetiepye]

I think it's up to each of us to find our purpose. I don't think it has to be huge, maybe just to be kind and helpful to everyone you meet. I include animals and the planet in this. If everyone did this , it would be huge wouldn't it.Such an interesting question. Thank you for posting.

[cocoyellow in reply to sweetiepye]

totally agree with you, i know i have a purpose even if is small and that is helping rescuing animals , this actually makes me happy

[hypercat54 in reply to cocoyellow]

Hi I would love to do that and thought about volunteering at a rescue centre to foster animals especially cats. Trouble is it is way out in the country and I don't have transport to get there.

My dream is to have a bungalow nearby and be able to fulfil my ambition as I love animals.

[cocoyellow in reply to hypercat54]

yeah animals always make me feel better, i've been feeding some feral cats and i was so depressed crying in my living room, I had my door open and all of the sudden two baby kittens came in and started playing around, hiding under the table, it made me smile and my entire mood change ☺️

[sweetiepye in reply to hypercat54]

Wouldn't that be wonderful. I would like that too.

[sweetiepye in reply to cocoyellow]

What could be more fulfilling than rescuing animals . Thank you.

[ziggypiggy]

I would recommend reading books by Victor Frankl. He was a Holocaust survivor. The one thing I remember him saying is that on his worst days in the detainment camp when all hope seemed lost, he would wake up and ask himself this question. "Who needs me today?" So simple. But very effective for me to get out of my own head. It doesn't require any great effort or heroic deed. It can just be as simple as sending a thoughtful text or making a phonecall. It can even be yourself that has a need that can be taken care of.

[Hidden in reply to ziggypiggy]

Excellent advice, ZiggyPiggy.

Years ago, I met Eva Mozes Kor. She was also a Holocaust survivor and had written a book.

She autographed it “Forgive and heal.”

That advice has made a tremendous difference in my life.

[gerrerd]

The purpose of life is, to enjoy it !

[Hidden]

It depends on what you mean. Does existence in general have meaning like on the cosmic sense? Probably not. We are but a grain of sand, if we can even call ourselves that, in the infinite universe. If you are asking do people have a purpose then that get's a little more tricky. We tend to conflate meaning with a predestined plan. That does not exist. There is no one set path a person much follow. We are all born with a multitude of talents and abilities each unique and specific to us. So we can find many things that will make us feel more connected to the world around us and to our friends and loved ones. I would argue this feeling of being connected and loving what is in your life is called meaning or purpose. Just because others are unhappy and making others lives miserable does not mean your life has to be that way. It's fine to feel upset by injustice but that doesn't mean you can't live your own life the way you choose to. Now if you are asking does the senseless acts of a few bad people have a purpose well that is simple. No. Sometimes bad things happen. There is no reason. there is no rational. And that doesn't have to have a reason or fit into the grand plan of things. Sometimes it just happens. But again that doesn't take away your ability to find love, joy, and compassion in your life. Work on your life so that you can be happy because that is what you can control.

[Hidden]

To me, it is obvious that there is no purpose to life as a whole. The universe is so vast and life is so small. Even if there was a "purpose" to it all, we wouldn't be able to comprehend it. It wouldn't be accessible from a human's point of view. The word "purpose" doesn't apply at the universal level. Purpose is a human construct.

So we have to make our own purpose, something we can chip away at, enjoy and maybe, if we're lucky, share with others. There's a lot of happiness in that.

[lillyofthevalley37]

As a Christian I do believe God has a purpose for us living this life

God could make us all worship Him if He wanted but God gave us free will so we can find Him in our own way or not

Also the choices we make in this life will have a bearing on our afterlife

[sweetiepye in reply to lillyofthevalley37]

I believe this too.

[Doyg]

No

[SwankyFrankie]

So, I'm an atheist and I recently was looking into ACAA as a way to find an understanding support group but I couldn't get past the theological aspects. Specifically, the belief that there is a greater power that has a purpose for each of us, and for the wider world as a whole. Here's what I came up with:

I am my own highest power. I determine my own purpose and my purpose may change as my needs change.

There is no grand design, no purpose that will justify the terrible things that happen. That's why they are terrible. The "why" of terrible things is not a grand scheme to achieve some ultimate reward. Racism exists because of the greed and fear and hatred of people who determined that to be their purpose. Injustice is an imbalance of power that has been happening since long before man learned to use it for the same.

That is not to say that no good can ever come from these terrible things. All throughout human history you can see the people who have taken their terrible experiences and given themselves a higher purpose because of them. It doesn't justify their suffering, and only they can determine that purpose. Because, again, we are our own highest power, our own ultimate authority.

Dawes said it best: things happen, that's all they ever do.

People act, decide, interpret. We give meaning and purpose. Things just happen.

[Hidden in reply to SwankyFrankie]

I just wanted to validate this post because I feel much the same way. I am an atheist as well and the religious talk just really takes away from any actual help the majority of the time. So I feel your struggle with this.

[SwankyFrankie in reply to Hidden]

It can really throw me when all the advice I get is theological. I've always found religions fascinating and at times a great source to learn from some of humanities wisest ancestors, but I don't think there's anything happening behind the text- God isn't going to provide me an answer. But history does show a lot of people have found answers to some of life's hardest questions while studying religion or praying. I try to remember that, as it is proof to me that the human mind can figure out almost anything. I'll figure this problem out, what ever it is, too, given enough time and support.

I also try to "translate" some of it. Like "I'll pray for you" is just a fancy way of saying "I'll keep thinking about this".

Things like "god has a plan" and "you should pray about it" come off to me as "yeah, idk. Good luck with that", tho. I know they mean well when they say it, but you know what they say about good intentions, eh? (See what I did there? I'm funny.)

[Hidden in reply to SwankyFrankie]

I understand that. It's like instead of addressing the issues they are telling you to pray about it. It's frustrating. It's also just a distractions that will inevitably fail.

I agree religions are fascinating from the mythological point of view. And seeing how different religions formed and evolved in different areas is pretty neat. We are a curious lot ad will do our best to find an answer.

I am not much for trying to make things sound better. I for one just take the whole I'll pray for you as as a way of saying well that sucks but it's not my problem so I am out. IDK I am pretty harsh with that myself but that is just me. Haha that last part made me laugh but is a really good point.

[SwankyFrankie]

Oops

[samack]

There must be an evolutionary purpose for humans as a whole. A hard wired impetus of moving toward our better selves overall. We separately are just a blade of grass. It is our interconnectness that propels us forward as a species. We individually are a result of randomness in the universe. Hence some of us are a result of inequality and injustice and others born under more golden circumstances.

We can choose to make meaning of our lives or not. Its very difficult for some of us. We can leave this world with developing our highest selves and contribute our love, or not. I suffered too much to accept meaningless but admittedly flirt with it. Its tough to see the choice when we suffer.

[samack]

how to explain negative and evil forces, we move towards theology. Who the f can explain this rationally?