What's the point of your existence?

[jeff black]

Do you ever wonder why you are alive and interacting with people?

Do you ever find yourself pondering during a quiet moment at the office? Thinking, " I wonder why I am here. What is the reason for my being in existence?"

I was thinking about this earlier today and came to this conclusion. I am here to make a difference in someone's life. I don't know if it is a child, a teenager, or an adult... but I have decided that is my purpose.

People always say things like, "You are just here to piss me off" or "I think you were put here so I could love you." I'm just curious to see if anyone else has ever thought of this.

Maybe the thread will work, maybe it will flop. Who knows?

 

[B_big dirigible]

I am here to make a difference in someone's life
...
People always say things like, "You are just here to piss me off"

Sounds like a difference to me. Mission accomplished!

 

[IntoxicatingToxin]

I think about it all the time... to the point where I almost have out of body-type experiences and it freaks me out so I stop thinking about it. It's almost other-worldly. I know at this point that tons of people probably think I'm crazy, and that's okay. Not only do I think of why I'm here, but I think of how I got here. I think back to the beginning of the universe. I wonder how the universe started. I wonder how God, who is nothing and everything at the same time, could create the universe, and why he would create it. And if he created everything, then who created God? How did he come to be? How big is the universe? How incredibly small are we in all of this? How little do we really mean, seeing how incredibly expansive the universe is? Does the universe end? How can it literally go on for eternity? What's out there, beyond what we can see with hubble telescopes and whatnot? After thinking these thoughts for a good several minutes is when I start to get that weird out of body-type thing. It's fucked up. I think I know my purpose in this life. And it's to work with troubled kids so they don't grow up to be troubled adults. I'm one of those people who cries every time they hear about something bad happening to a child. I was watching the news a few weeks ago and read about some 2 or 3 year old girl who was shot accidentally in a drive by, and that she was in the hospital in a coma, and her brain was inactive. I cried for like, 20 minutes or so, and I'm starting to cry again just thinking about her. She ended up dying. It fucking kills me. These kids are our future, and look at what we're doing to them? What gives us the right? But back to the original topic. I'm one of those people who honestly believes in a deeper meaning in everything that happens in my life. I greet everyone with a smile and a hello, and I respect everyone. I think that every single person I meet in my life was there for a reason. Everyone from my closest family members to the clerk at the grocery store. I believe in my intuition... my sixth sense. I believe in karma and fate. I believe in doing what feels right, no matter whether anyone else thinks it's right or not. I believe in living in the now and not in the past or in the future. I believe in unconditional love. I believe that I learn things every single day. And not just factual things, like 1+1=2. But deeper things, things that will impact the rest of my life. I believe that everyone does the best they can with what they have. I believe that everyone does what they think is right, despite how wrong society says it is (i.e., Hitler). *sigh* This post ended up being a lot longer than I initially intended, and I apologize for that. Hope I didn't ramble too much.

 

[Mr. Snakey]

Sounds like a difference to me. Mission accomplished!

Yes! A question that answer's itself

 

[homelessmandril]

I am here for the sole purpose of preserving my parents' legacy as lower-middle class professional people of course!

Or maybe that's just being cynical. I can't really see any 'purpose' for existence, no more than I can see a 'purpose' for the colour beige - it just happens to exist. Of course one can set oneself manifold goals in life, but like Jeff Black says in the end the only value that is common to just about everyone is the desirability of self-sacrifice for the good of others. So do that I guess. You'll never get everyone to agree that fame, money, power etc are worthwhile pursuits, but unless you're Alistair Crowley or someone else comparably diabolical you'll have to agree that charity is the supreme virtue. Which I suppose makes it THE point of our existences (though I guess we all have others as well).

 

[JustAsking]

I do not believe that there is a specific individualized plan for each of us that gives our life meaning.

However, I do believe that we are all blessed by God's grace to be here and that each of are his beloved creation (yes, albeit through the natural processes of the universe which are also his creation).

I also believe that he would have sent his son to die for any one of us if we were the only person on earth.

I believe (as the Bible says) that the universe is somewhat broken such that it contains the capacity for evil (where I define evil as anything that contributes to misery and suffering). The brokenness seems to be an unavoidable consequence of the universe (in other words, shit happens).

I believe and trust God's promise that his creative action in the universe is moving it towards the time when it is not broken.

As we are also part of creation, we too are mostly broken and are naturally capable of contributing to misery and suffering. We are conscupient and we cannot help it.

I believe that God is in full recognition that we are bound to our broken nature and therefore has only forgiveness and grace for each one of us no matter how nasty we are. Since no one is not broken he would either have to detest all of us or love us dearly. He answered that question by breaking into history and submitting himself to the brokenness of the world (and its inhabitants), so I guess that is our answer.

I believe that a major purpose of ours is to allow ourselves to be forgiven so we can be free to fulfill our purpose as his broken agents in a broken world. That purpose being to channel God's unconditionall grace in such a way that we are each a blessing to the world.

I believe that what keeps us most from doing that very well is our inability to allow ourselves to be forgiven.

So when I get up every morning I try to remember that I am totally and completely forgiven for anything I have done, are doing or will do. Because of this I realize that in terms of obligation to God, there is nothing I need to do to fulfill my "purpose", except to recognize that God's love has an innate obligation of the kind always comes with love.

The purpose of our existence is to love.

 

[JustAsking]

On another note, after reading TattooMamaMeg's last post in this thread, I believe she has an amazing ability to experience the numinous and a wonderful ability to express it. With that, she could either be a great mystic, a great scientist, a great writer about either, or all three.

Meg, I totally get what you were saying in the first part of that post. That feeling about the universe is where we get the words awe and awesome in their original sense, which is to experience something so profoundly bigger than we are that we are both drawn to it and frightened by it at the same time. It is what drove me to become a scientist and then drove me to also become religious after that.

Ever since I was about 8 years old, all I have to do is stop and just ponder the question "what is the universe in?", and I am taken to that same place you were describing almost immediately. If you ponder that for a moment you realize that it is really scary to think about it. Is the universe in nothing, for example? The question almost seems to have no meaning. Just try to imagine it.

 

[Pecker]

I believe that I was sent here to find my way back again.

 

[witch]

I really don't think about it...... I'm here, I'm happy I'm here, all the rest is just details

 

[Falcon9]

I am here to make the best of it, including taxes.

 

[Ethyl]

I'm creating the reasons for my existence right now.

 

[B_Think_Kink]

I am here to learn as much as I can about life. To help people on my way through.

 

[B_josiah852]

I am here to take from my past experiences both good and bad, learn from them, and then do whatever good I can for anyone I can.

 

[burns1de]

To witness the End Times.

 

[monstro]

I know to the core of my soul that I was put here to dance.

 

[B_Hickboy]

Simple. I'm here to glorify God.
I do that be serving others.
In my spare time, I fart around. I read, play guitars, paint pictures, cook tasty meals, hang out with my friends, drink beer, and fuck a lot.

Seem pointless? Then there's no need for you to become me. No need at all.

 

[viking1]

I am here to work, pay taxes, and be miserable. At least, that must be why, that's all I seem to do, anyway.

 

[Principessa]

No wonder we get along so well, we think so much alike! We must be identical cousins like on the Patty Duke Show. :smile:

These kids are our future, and look at what we're doing to them? What gives us the right? But back to the original topic. I'm one of those people who honestly believes in a deeper meaning in everything that happens in my life. I greet everyone with a smile and a hello, and I respect everyone. I think that every single person I meet in my life was there for a reason. Everyone from my closest family members to the clerk at the grocery store. I believe in my intuition... my sixth sense. I believe in karma and fate. I believe in doing what feels right, no matter whether anyone else thinks it's right or not. I believe in living in the now and not in the past or in the future. I believe in unconditional love. I believe that I learn things every single day. And not just factual things, like 1+1=2. But deeper things, things that will impact the rest of my life. I believe that everyone does the best they can with what they have.

 

[B_big dirigible]

I'm creating the reasons for my existence right now.

All right, lady, just keep your hands out where we can see them.

 

[IntoxicatingToxin]

On another note, after reading TattooMamaMeg's last post in this thread, I believe she has an amazing ability to experience the numinous and a wonderful ability to express it. With that, she could either be a great mystic, a great scientist, a great writer about either, or all three.

Meg, I totally get what you were saying in the first part of that post. That feeling about the universe is where we get the words awe and awesome in their original sense, which is to experience something so profoundly bigger than we are that we are both drawn to it and frightened by it at the same time. It is what drove me to become a scientist and then drove me to also become religious after that.

Ever since I was about 8 years old, all I have to do is stop and just ponder the question "what is the universe in?", and I am taken to that same place you were describing almost immediately. If you ponder that for a moment you realize that it is really scary to think about it. Is the universe in nothing, for example? The question almost seems to have no meaning. Just try to imagine it.

I'm so glad I'm not the only person who has experienced this!