Depression Forums
General => The Lounge => Topic started by: Amanda_George on March 30, 2016, 06:01:46 PM
-
Why am I/are you alive? What is the purpose of our (as humankind) existence?
-
I favour something like this.
Another way of looking at the problem is to take a more holistic view of the universe and everything that it contains. Everything is made of the same original elementary forces that coalesced from the big bang singularity, whether it be a photon, a star, a lump of rock or a human being. It is only the combination, the mix of things, that makes things different from one another. When we peer millions of light years into the depths of space, we still see the same things, further back in time of course, as we find in our own galaxy and here on Earth. We, the human race, are as much a part of the universe as a spiral galaxy or black hole, and made of the same stuff. Is it then fanciful to suggest that we, as sentient beings examining the universe, represent the universe examining itself? because in a manner of speaking it is. We are not 'different' to the universe, we are very much an integral part of the universe as a whole, we may be only a very small part, but we are a part of it, we do not exist in isolation. So next time you look up at a dark sky and see those distant twinkling stars just remember that it was in those fiery furnaces that the first steps were taking in building up the atoms that eventually led to you. We are made of star dust, we are part of the universe.
-
I like the Westminster answer: "Humankind's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."
I think that we can only have purpose in relation to our Creator but maybe that purpose is greater than we can understand as finite beings.
-
Thank you Fergus! What about people who aren't Christian though? What is their purpose? What about the individuals that have a different religion? :chin:
-
well, there are many religions who have their own version of God,
or at least their interpretation of the Bible.
Add to this the crackpot cults who think the cults leader is the second comming,
and then one day they all decide to off them selves.
-
Good points, thank you Stewart! What about religions that don't have an interpretation of the Bible though? Like Paganism and atheists and stuff like that though? :tongue0015:
-
I think that people's purpose is still to enjoy God whether they believe in one or not. Not everyone fulfils their purpose.
People certainly have different views of God and some will be closer to the truth than others but we can still seek to glorify him and to get to know him better.
As for what atheists think their purpose is, I've no idea.
-
Thank you Fergus! What about people, like me, who believe in multiple Gods and Goddesses though? ^-^
-
My view is that although there are many spiritual powers out there, there is one supreme God. The Bible refers to him as "God above all gods". For me it is this supreme God who (amazingly!) allows me and anyone else who wants to, to relate to him and who gives purpose and meaning to life.
What do the gods who you believe in say about meaning, purpose and destiny?
-
It depends which God/dess you believe in... some pagans believe in a particular belief system from eons ago, some believe there is one God/dess, some believe there are many and others who don't believe in a Higher Power at all. It's all accepted in Paganism.
Personally I believe in Mother Nature, Green Man and Gaia. I'm Heathen and I reckon there are wights all over the place and angels really do exist, you just need to be prepared to accept that they don't have wings and halo's ;) ... they look like you and me, they are in the right place at the right time and disappear as quickly as they appeared!
-
they are in the right place at the right time and disappear as quickly as they appeared.....
hmmm they must have been on holiday when Lynne was taken
-
:hug: for you, Stewart. I'm sure the angels were with Lynne and her passing has made you the person you are today! :hug:
-
I'm sure you are right that angels can appear as ordinary people. I don't know where the idea that they had wings comes from!
But, Stewart, I know they aren't always there when we would like them to be. There is no simple answer to that, I wish I had one.
But in terms of purpose of life and eternal destiny, what does your belief in Mother Nature, Green Man and Gaia tell you about that?
-
My belief is that when my time is up here, I'll go to Summerland to rest and recover then I'll be reincarnated until I've learnt all my lessons. After that? I haven't got a clue, but I'm happy with the Summerland and reincarnation bit right now. Why am I here? To love and be loved. Quite simply ;D
-
Mother Nature, good point... many indigionous people (American Indian for example) see nature as somethomg that should be cherished, never take more than you need from the land (or water) look after it and it will look after you.
Out of all the life forms on the planet it is generally homosapians (who are sposed to be the bright ones) that endanger all other life on the planet, Earth (or 'Midgard' as the old Nordic name was) crazy thing is, while big business and politicians could very well kill all life on the planet, this would also kill life in the sea, the planet will still be here, sure it may well be a burnt out cinder iradiated for the next few million years, but it will still be here.
is the end of the Earth coming? .....Ragnarok (again old Nordic) maybe not in our life time, the big question is, will mankind stop bickering about boardes, mineral deposits and other material things before its too late
-
Yup. I'm a keen recycler (I fill up 2 kerbside recycling boxes every week) pass things on that I no longer need on Freegle and put unwanted food in the kerbside box every week too.
You are so right about humans killing off everything and I just wish they realise what they are doing before it's too late!
I hope the next generation are kinder to the world as a whole than the current generations!
-
I always wonder what they do with the food scraps they get....feed the prisoners?
Killing wildlife has a knock on effect, many years back they shoot loads of Eagles in Mexico and ended up with a plague of locus,
like the Eagles were eating some critters, less Eacles = more critters, critters ate critters2 that ate locus, ergo less critters2 and locus proliferated
-
Just a guess, but maybe they put it all together in a huge compost heap for people that want a natural fertiliser for their gardens?
Mother Nature definitely knows what She is doing, it's us humans that are messing things up!
-
be abour right, give the sctaps to the council, and they then SELL it back to the people
-
You are so right, Stewart!