Atheists and the purpose of life

[takao]

i think for many people it's difficult to understand how one can not be spiritual or not have the urge to search for their "meaning of life"

personally i was raised in a catholic background (heck in my extended family i have 1 priest and 2 nuns) and yet i never really understood the appeal despite getting dragged through all the hoops until i was a teenager

literature with "soul searching" thematics were always huge borefest for me as well


how do i even recognize spirituality ?

[elistan]

Originally Posted by skottichan

As a lesbian unable to bear children. Looks like i failed the purpose of life.

Take solace in the fact that your trillions of gut flora, which are as much a part of you as your own cells with mostly the same DNA, are undergoing constant mitosis. The amount of procreation there is staggering.

[skottichan]

Originally Posted by elistan

Take solace in the fact that your trillions of gut flora, which are as much a part of you as your own cells with mostly the same DNA, are undergoing constant mitosis. The amount of procreation there is staggering.

Thanks for killing my self-flagulation with SCIENCE!.

Seriously though, that's part of why life (both being alive, as well as all things in nature) is so damn fascinating.

As to the topic at hand, I think four Brits, a Welshman, and an American handled it best;

Well, it's nothing very special. Try to be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations. And, finally, here are some completely gratuitous pictures of penises to annoy the censors and to hopefully spark some sort of controversy, which it seems is the only way these days to get the jaded, video-sated public off their ****ing arses and back in the sodding cinema. Family entertainment? Bollocks. What they want is filth: people doing things to each other with chainsaws during tupperware parties, babysitters being stabbed with knitting needles by gay presidential candidates, vigilante groups strangling chickens, armed bands of theatre critics exterminating mutant goats. Where's the fun in pictures? Oh, well, there we are. Here's the theme music. Goodnight.

[rdowns]

Originally Posted by obeygiant

The purpose of life is procreation.

So anyone without kids life has no purpose?

[leenak]

Originally Posted by iJohnHenry

Warped drive is already a reality.

That's what "we" are trying to overcome.

Why aren't we busy conquering planets then?

[MacNut]

Originally Posted by rdowns

So anyone without kids life has no purpose?

Without a new generation life has no purpose. Who would pick up the pieces of our mistakes.

[Sydde]

Originally Posted by obeygiant

Gee thanks! Although, if you're addressing me ...

Not sure why you would think I was addressing you in particular.

Otherwise just ponder the porpoise of life.

Oh come on now, this is a Mac-centric site, you should know the difference by now. It is dolphins, please fail to mix the two up in future

[ericrwalker]

Originally Posted by MacNut

Without a new generation life has no purpose. Who would pick up the pieces of our mistakes.

I have a kid, but I have to disagree with that.

I see the point, and yes children are the future. Yet, you don't need to have children to make a better now or a better future. What you do with your resources could make the future or even the present better.

Mother Teresa served a hell of a purpose, yet she had no children. (that I am aware of, being a nun and all)

[leenak]

Originally Posted by MacNut

Without a new generation life has no purpose. Who would pick up the pieces of our mistakes.

Even the last person breathing on earth will have a purpose in one way or another. I don't think we'll go on forever, something will eventually kill us off, then would you say that all the previous generations had no purpose? Life is what you make of it.

[MacNut]

Originally Posted by ericrwalker

I have a kid, but I have to disagree with that.

I see the point, and yes children are the future. Yet, you don't need to have children to make a better now or a better future. What you do with your resources could make the future or even the present better.

Mother Teresa served a hell of a purpose, yet she had no children. (that I am aware of, being a nun and all)

Originally Posted by leenak

Even the last person breathing on earth will have a purpose in one way or another. I don't think we'll go on forever, something will eventually kill us off, then would you say that all the previous generations had no purpose? Life is what you make of it.

I am not saying that everyone will have or even want to have children, but if there was a cut off tomorrow and no more procreation happened what would we look like in 50 years? Mother Teresa helped starving children. At some point when everyone gets up in age they need younger generations to pick up the slack.

[leenak]

Originally Posted by MacNut

I am not saying that everyone will have or even want to have children, but if there was a cut off tomorrow and no more procreation happened what would we look like in 50 years? Mother Teresa helped starving children. At some point when everyone gets up in age they need younger generations to pick up the slack.

We'd die out and the world would go on without us. Probably for the better.

[MacNut]

Originally Posted by leenak

We'd die out and the world would go on without us. Probably for the better.

Probably true, we as humans have done more to destroy the planet. Near the end of our existence would be depressing those last 10 years tho.

[twietee]

Originally Posted by leenak

We'd die out and the world would go on without us. Probably for the better.

But what entity would be left to judge, since planet earth doesn't care? Og?

For myself, I like the idea of Spinoza.

[leenak]

Originally Posted by MacNut

Probably true, we as humans have done more to destroy the planet. Near the end of our existence would be depressing those last 10 years tho.

Quite a few cultures have already seen the last of their people die out. I'm sure it was depressing for them.

[obeygiant]

Originally Posted by skottichan

As a lesbian unable to bear children. Looks like i failed the purpose of life.

Unable to bear children because you're a lesbian or unable to bear children AND a lesbian? Because there are many gay couples out there with children.

Originally Posted by rdowns

So anyone without kids life has no purpose?

Thats not what I said. A question was asked and I answered it. Life at its most basic, to me, is survival. Survival of the individual or the species, the latter seems more important. It seems every living thing on this planet has that same objective.

[iJohnHenry]

Originally Posted by leenak

Why aren't we busy conquering planets then?

"Warped drive" is my way of saying our society is pretty much a rudderless ship, floundering about the ocean of life.

Besides, taking your interpretation, it might be best to keep our disease quarantined, don't you think?

[skottichan]

Originally Posted by obeygiant

Unable to bear children because you're a lesbian or unable to bear children AND a lesbian? Because there are many gay couples out there with children.

The latter. Had ovarian cancer at 17, it metastasized to the surrounding tissue (the initial tumors were ignored because the doctor declared i was "too young for ovarian cancer"). A few surgeries, chemo and drugs later, I'm unable to bear children. 17 years later, I'm having fun being the aunt to a beautiful 18 month old boy, and the "auntie" to my friends' kids.

[skunk]

Life has mystery, but it has no purpose.

[aerok]

Purpose of life is carpe diem and attempt to leave a mark before you die. It can be through procreation or a great achievement.

[Sydde]

Originally Posted by skunk

Life has mystery, but it has no purpose.

Perhaps our "purpose in life" is to be intrigued by the mystery of life?

[obeygiant]

Originally Posted by skottichan

The latter. Had ovarian cancer at 17, it metastasized to the surrounding tissue (the initial tumors were ignored because the doctor declared i was "too young for ovarian cancer"). A few surgeries, chemo and drugs later, I'm unable to bear children. 17 years later, I'm having fun being the aunt to a beautiful 18 month old boy, and the "auntie" to my friends' kids.

Thats too bad about the cancer. I'm glad you pulled thru and are able to enjoy your sister's 18 month old.


IMHO, the only meaning to life is what we project onto it. Otherwise we're a tiny cosmic accident on a blue dot in the middle of space.

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by obeygiant

The purpose of life is procreation.

That is one biological way to look at it.

Originally Posted by skottichan

As a lesbian unable to bear children. Looks like i failed the purpose of life.

I think it's something more than that. Get enough of us crowded on Earth and we are no better than bacteria...

[MorphingDragon]

Originally Posted by obeygiant

The purpose of life is procreation.

You are a lump of chaotic matter becoming increasingly disorderly flying on a rock though space.

[iStudentUK]

I am a tiny dot on a planet, which is a tiny dot in our galaxy, which is a tiny dot in the universe. I inhabit it for an infinitesimal amount of time. It's the same for each of us. Our impact on the universe is essentially zero. There is no point to life, no purpose, no meaning. People are obsessed with these questions, without stopping to consider whether or not the question makes sense. Hitch Hiker's Guide anyone?!

That said we can assign ourself goals if we want. Mine is to provide for my family, be a good friend, be good to others and have fun. In (hopefully) around 60-70 years when I die that will be it. I'm fine with that.

[63dot]

I think so many who are on the fence with religion (and that's just about everybody sitting in the pews) are ashamed to call themselves what they really are, which is atheist. They may merely consider themselves agnostic but call themselves some sort of theist to the rest of the world.

Pretty much the only theists I trust as real theists are former, dedicated atheists like myself. But when changing over from atheist (big bang, science, no God) to theist (still big bang, science, Higher Power or God depending on context), having a lack of purpose was never an issue.

Being Christian or being atheist, I think my purpose was/is to live life, be nice, and have a task/job to do. I don't think in any way I am going to change the world in any big way. Big questions in life are things I work on personally, like trying to iron out why the world is at war, and currently trying to establish a connection between certain rules in science (TOE). I will never stop being concerned about these things which will not be resolved in my lifetime but research and discussion on big questions/issues are how they get solved in the long run. Sometimes issues which I swore would never see any improvement (ie- Belfast) did see great strides in my lifetime and I was surprised. The issue of world overpopulation is going start to be tackled if we do go another billion and a half, reach a peak no more than 9 billion as planned, and then sharply decrease from there taking into account huge changes in Europe and China in the 20th century. Taking on these big issues is enough purpose for just about anybody, theist or atheist.