Why are we here?

[Soph0571]

A philosophical question for a Sunday afternoon! Why are we here? What is our purpose?
Collectively as mankind and as individuals what it the meaning behind us being on Planet Earth? What compels us to do what we do? What gives us hope to continue when all around us awful things are happening? What is the point? Why do we struggle so hard to stay here?
What does being alive mean to you?

[akraven]

1. Someone knows.

I don't.

[democratisphere]

7. Sad but compelling image.

Thanks for posting.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. God does exist. The thing, though, is that God is not an...

all-wise, superior being.

God is a trickster, and created us for his amusement. Eventually, word got out and the planet became an arena, putting on great shows for his friends.

I imagine that when wars break out, there is a huge betting pool. Satan would be the biggest bookie.

[Voltaire2]

11. See for example The Iliad.

[handmade34]

3. okay...

Jesus' (and other messiah's) message to the masses was "Life is a bitch and we are here to help each other" unfortunately con men have manipulated the masses and soured that message

[safeinOhio]

4. No hurry

You have a whole life time to figure it out.

[Cartoonist]

5. No reason

Why does there have to be one?
Certain actions we do are just our instinct for self preservation. Other actions are for self gratification. Just because you can think of a question doesn't mean there has to be an answer.

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

[marylandblue]

15. 42.

[democratisphere]

6. Why are we here? Great question.

What can be said about the human species that is not only collectively hell bent on it's own self destruction, but the destruction of every other species and living thing on Earth; a self-imposed mass extinction. Human greed is largely responsible for where we are today. Human self preservation is the thing that drives us to go on. If there is a God or Great Spirit, there is also a Satan or Antichrist who currently resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. We have no one to blame but ourselves for HIM et al being there; it is symptomatic of our failed species. Time and evolution will go on and we can only hope for better in geological time.

[MineralMan]

8. Reproductive Biology. That's why I'm here.

It was not a choice I made. Since I'm here, though, I have found things to do. The things I do might be very different from the things others do. The reasons for doing them also might vary.

We are all here because of evolution and reproductive biology. While here, we can think up reasons to behave in certain ways.

In my opinion, there is no "greater goal." We are simply here, and live here. There's no real reason for it, as far as I'm concerned.

[mr_lebowski]

12. Agreed. I find it interesting how hard some folks (not a knock!) find the concept of there being NO

'purpose' or 'reason' for humanity's existence, or a given human being's existence (beyond, as you say, simply being one generation, preceded by millions before it) ... to accept as a possibility. And in fact, the most likely probability.

In my estimation, we're just here, because we are ... the laws of physics and chemistry allow for 'life', and there's 100's of BILLIONS of planets in the universe, and the universe is 13B+ years old, and given this total 'surface area' of time and space, OCCASIONALLY higher/intelligent life forms evolve on one of those 100's of Billions of planets, and we just happen to be living on one of those planets, now, at the time when it's happening. Luck of the draw, as it were.

I think it's frankly HIGHLY unlikely there's any 'purpose' or 'reason' behind it, I think it's just a product of physics and chemistry.

I also consider the notion that we're ALSO so lucky (beyond just getting to 'live', in this otherwise almost entirely cold, dead universe) as for there to be some kind of magical and unknown/undetectable means by which 'our consciousness continues after we die' ... to be absolutely fantastical thinking.

I'd bet every single penny I've ever earned in my life that when we die, we just die, and that's it. It's virtually unfathomable to me that everyone on Earth above a certain level of education ... doesn't recognize that ... at this point in time.

Just the fact that 'we', and all the living beings on this Earth exist, is WAY more than enough 'miracle' to satisfy my sense of wonder.

I don't also insist on a 'purpose' AND 'an afterlife' ... that's asking for WAAAAAAY too much from this universe, IMHO.

[MineralMan]

13. Well, it's simpler to just believe that we are here for a reason than

to work out the randomness of it all, I guess. If there's no universal reason for existence, then many people can't think of anything to do, I guess.

Over the generations, humans have figured out what works for getting along with others and ideas like reciprocity, which gives everyone a reason to treat others well. I mean treating others as you'd like to be treated just makes simple logical sense. There's no need for some overriding creator to come up with that, or any of the other basic social ethics.

But, some don't want to be bothered with hard things like logical thinking, and prefer to have the rules cast in stone, or carved in stone, by some entity. So, we came up with gods and religions to handle all that and to give us simple explanations for complicated things.

It's all unnecessary. Society and culture can teach all that stuff without any rules supposedly imposed by some invisible entity. We learn by reasoning, experience, and history, and can pass what has been learned on to others. Simple.

The "God shortcut" isn't really a shortcut at all. It just complicates a simple thing.

[Major Nikon]

17. ...

[MineralMan]

20. LOL!

[NeoGreen]

9. We decide why we are here...

...we're all 'god'.

That 'reason', that 'purpose', may and does change with time.

[Voltaire2]

10. Why do you think there has to be a purpose?

[uriel1972]

14. No purpose except that we give ourselves...

no guarantee good will win, either.

[Major Nikon]

16. ...

[guillaumeb]

18. Where are you?

An equally important question.

[MineralMan]

19. Somewhere with an internet connection.

That narrows it down sufficiently.

[guillaumeb]

23. You are not the "you" to whom I addressed the question.

[MineralMan]

24. So? I replied to the question anyhow.

To communicate privately with another DUer, you can use DU Mail. In the discussion area, anyone can reply to any post. Clearly, I was not talking about where I, an individual, am. Instead, I made a general comment about where anyone posting here certainly is.

[marylandblue]

25. Are you the same person who wrote "this software has reached an unexpected error?"

[struggle4progress]

21. Speaking for myself, I just haven't figured out how to be somewhere else

[edhopper]

22. why is it

[c-rational]

26. The inner purpose of all human beings is to awaken. Awaakening being the shift in

consciousness in which thinking and awareness separate. Awareness being the conscious connection with univeresal intelligence. It is presence, consciousness without thought. Instead of being lost in our thinking, when you are awake you recognize yourself as the awareness beind it. See Edkhardt Tolle. Also the fallacy of I think,therefore I am as espoused by Descartes. The thinker and the I am are not the same and Sartre saw this. The consciousness that says I am is not the consciousness that thinks. When you are aware you are thinking, that awareness is not part of thinking. If there were nothing but thinking in you you would not even know you are thinking. Again see Eckhardt Tolle's A New Earth...Awakening to Your Liffe's Purpose. In summary, Awaken.