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Do we have a purpose in life?

I've been reading a book called Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life. It's an interesting book that looks at Okinawa, the place where there are more centenarians than anywhere else.

On the north side of the island, a town called Ogimi boasts the highest life expectancy in the world. So, they researched what sets these people apart. Of course, they eat well, have a good social network, regularly drink green tea... but another factor remained called Ikigai. That is having a purpose in life. In Japanese culture, work is considered a very important part of life- and finding the right work that matches skills and interests is Ikigai.

To them, you do not make your purpose in life. You find it. So, do you think Ikigai exists? A purpose in life, that each person has, and is meant to discover?

silvereyes 8 Dec 26
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68 comments (26 - 50)

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1

Nope. Purpose is what you make, it's not preordained. The universe could give two shits if any of us died in the womb, at age 5 or right now.

1

Do you serve a purpose in life or purposely serve?!

1

A few years ago I asked one of my kids what do you think the meaning of life is and he said he thought that the meaning of life is to experience it.

1

I think we make our lives have purpose.

1

I think every person had a spirit essence so they may also have individual purposes based on that.

It seems likely that the purpose of my life could be ...

  1. To self realize

  2. To evolve my spirit

  3. To help other spirits become better

  4. To learn a specific thing which proves my merit

1

I, personally, think that to make the most of your life, enjoy it when, where and however you can, be a decent, caring and compassionate member of the Community/Society, stand firm on who you are and what you think and feel, defend those who seem unable to defend themselves if and when required especially children and the elderly. But above all else be True to yourself.

1

“There's got to be more to life than just living," Foyle said to the robot.

"Then find it for yourself, sir. Don't ask the world to stop moving because you have doubts."

"Why can't we all move forward together?"

"Because you're all different. You're not lemmings. Some must lead, and hope that the rest will follow."

"Who leads?"

"The men who must...driven men, compelled men."

"Freak men."

"You're all freaks, sir. But you always have been freaks. Life is a freak. That's its hope and glory."

"Thank you very much."

"My pleasure, sir."

"You've saved the day."

"Always a lovely day somewhere, sir," the robot beamed. Then it fizzed, jangled, and collapsed.”
? Alfred Bester, The Stars My Destination

1

I don't believe there is a purpose. But there are conditions that make a person better for a certain job or career.

It is not magical, it is logical. You take a hundred people, most of them would be different, you would find the perfect person for a specific job or rather, you'll find out what these people are good at.

1

Yes, to serve somebody, even keeping your mouth shut when your religious mother wants you to go to a Rosary. Serve. People who don't serve anyone or anything are usually not worth a damn.

Seems to be two kinds of folks, go to the dog park, some pick up the dog mess and go on, others leave it, too icky for them to pick up. Your mom or whatever is sick, sometimes you have to clean vomit, pooh, etc. A lot of people cannot and will not, hire it done or just not do it at all. leave it for someone else. Recon Donald Trump ever changed a diaper? He brags he didn't.

1

No, we don't.

But, if you're into Japanese culture (and origami) have a look at this. Give you something to do which works,

@silvereyes But were you accurate? Did you ever send a paper plane to some retard saying "Come get into my knickers" when you were aiming it somewhere else?

1

My dogs know my purpose in life.

1

Death and taxes.

1

Ants are ten times humans weight mass on earth. Why can't humans instinctually work together like ants . All animals love.

Humans are capable of taking work and love ethics and making them into a better planet for all earthlings. Yet, they allow just a few elite to hypnotised the people's brains and backbones into a synthetic world.

I can not change the world, it will change itself. I can change myself, if that makes a few happier, my purpose will expand and so do I with a purpose greater than an ant. By
gathering more Joy's in life rather than toys in the end, you win. Their are many other better ways of thinking. Better than our present destructive synthetics greedy bastards.

1

My purpose would be to be the best, kindest person I can be. Help others when and how I can. Be a better mother to my girls.

1

It implies that there is something above what we have dictating what we should do to feel happy. It's a comforting thought but it's just not that simple. Happiness isn't a state of being, it's a feeling we chase. Find something that you enjoy doing, do it until you hate it, then find something else.

1

Only in a very generic personal sense. My purpose is that which I create for myself. I think we discover things in life and pick and choose from those things that we want to include in our feeling of purpose. So depending on how you view it, we could say purpose finds us but I think it's more accurate to say we discover those things we value and that becomes a part of our purpose.

1

Unfortunately, most people do not have a sound purpose in life. Most people do not even like their work. The greatest waste if time in life. That is when Religion and Nationaism creeps into our lives like body snatchers.

On the upside people are basically good and will find a better way than our existing abuse, right now. Just after world war 3.

1

I know what is gratifying to me. What position, place in society fits my skills and therefore satisfies me? Do I make that? Or do I find it? ("Find a need and fulfill it!" ) I don't know.

1

Of course, I could say that the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose. The great motivators out there will have their say no doubt as to what constitutes a purpose in life. It can simply be reduced to what interests and pared down from there.
To the best of my knowledge I am living on a little backwater planet that revolves at approximately 1,000MPH in an outer spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. It is said that the galaxies are flying apart at 270 miles per second and there is no discernible direction in all of this....LOL

1

Taking it one step further, why does any life exist? What's the importance of life? Why does life long for itself? What's the purpose? Are we all here to accomplish something? Learn something? It's all magnificent, but baffling E O Wilson remarkef if all humans were to Die Tomorrow the Earth would revert back to a state of abundance. If all insects were to die tomorrow the entire Ecology of the planet would collapse into chaos

I'm an optimist too. If human's vanished , went extinct tomorrow. The sky and water would be more blue. The plants would be greener. More specie's of animals would come back.

@silvereyes that may be true, but what's the point of it All? I don't have any kind of answer.

It is a dog eat dog world now.
If our collective purpose is not the earth first, what then? Because we are each bio -organism first. I can only regret what I don't do for it in the future. We are not truly free, just thinking about self.

This natural environmental is very vital to human"s survival and health. For health is everything, a purpose we must all agree on or suffer or die.

1

Purpose is the only thing what you give to your life... Otherwise your life is a result of someone's love or lust whichever you feel. You had absolutely no control over your birth.

1

The meaning (purpose) of life isTO LIVE. There's an excellent 'proverb' in Terry Lane's little book 'God, The Interveiw' which deals with this thought nicely.

1

Thank you for the reading suggestions, sounds really interesting.

1

Beyond biological imperatives, no.
But we create and indulge in purposes we create for ourselves....even if there is no grand purpose. Your wants, needs, desires, abilities, drive, and a whole other host of factors determine what it is you will personally pursue as purpose.

1

It depends in what venue, Ecologically humans serve no purpose, on the contrary a disservice. If you call propagating our own destructive species a purpose, that's a different story

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