Difficult question...

[Athriller]

Psycho Mantis said that when he dove into people's minds all he saw was their ambition to pass on their seed, perhaps everybody's ambition is to have a little bit of poontang at least once.

 

My idea is that we're here to leave our mark on the world, by doing something creative and useful. John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain, Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly and Jeff Buckley left their mark with music that has inspired thousands of musicians. People like Einstein and Marie Curie changed how people think via Science, and Ancient Greek philosophers like Galen, Homer and Archimedes, they changed the way people think, Galen's work was used by many centuries after his death. Even footballers leave their mark simply by being an inspiration to children. How many footballers did the 1966 World Cup winners inspire to become footballers.

 

I think this because the world is a few million years old and we're only on it for around 100 years. So we have to leave our mark on earth and be remembered for a fair few centuries, we will be forgotten at some point, but nobody wants to be forgotten six months after their death!

 

 

Hmm, I still fail to see the purpose here. I can see and understand why people want to leave their mark, but I don't see how that's a purpose in anyway. Being remembered doesn't exactly achieve much.

[Roostophe]

Hmm, I still fail to see the purpose here. I can see and understand why people want to leave their mark, but I don't see how that's a purpose in anyway.

 

Well, it's my purpose anyway, it's what I want to do.

[Athriller]

Well, it's my purpose anyway, it's what I want to do.

 

Yeah, that's fair enough. Kinda glad that was said as well, since I think we need to be clear on whether we're talking about the same kind of 'meaning' - Invented meaning or 'true' meaning.

 

But I also have to raise a point. When you're dead, you will no longer have an ego. So leaving your mark on Earth will go in vain, will it not? Not trying to tear you pieces here or anything, mind, just an interesting discussion and all that.

[DCK]

I'm with Villan. Though there's no true purpose for humanity as a whole, you can find your individual purpose - making a difference for the world. It doesn't matter whether you on your own will remember it (you won't if you lose your ego) but whether the rest of the world remembers you.

[Athriller]

It doesn't matter whether you on your own will remember it (you won't if you lose your ego) but whether the rest of the world remembers you.

 

But then was is the point? The world remembering you is purely for self satisfaction, there really is no other reason for it. You want to be remembered so you can say 'I made a difference', 'I am one of history's greatest men' , 'People will alays remember he who was I' etc. When there is no I to satisfy anymore, surely it has all gone to waste?

 

Take for example, the quote by Aaron McGruder:

 

When I pass, speak freely of my shortcomings and my flaws. Learn from them, for I'll have no ego to injure.

 

If you simply twist it around, you can get:

 

When I pass, there is no need to speak freely of my achievements. Learn from them, for I'll have no ego left to praise.

[Roostophe]

I'm with Villan. Though there's no true purpose for humanity as a whole, you can find your individual purpose - making a difference for the world. It doesn't matter whether you on your own will remember it (you won't if you lose your ego) but whether the rest of the world remembers you.

 

Bloody hell, somebody agrees with me

[DCK]

It isn't purely for myself. Life is about helping others. You can set yourself a target in life to make such a difference that you can help people after your death. It's not self satisfaction, it's helpful. You don't do it to please yourself but others.

 

You're welcome Villy :wink:

[Hero-of-Time]

I think I get what DCK is saying. If you achieve something great it may inspire others to also try and achieve something. Is that what you mean? If not just ignore me I will be in the Handheld forums....

[Athriller]

It isn't purely for myself. Life is about helping others. You can set yourself a target in life to make such a difference that you can help people after your death. It's not self satisfaction, it's helpful. You don't do it to please yourself but others.

 

 

I don't agree with that. A lot of it is selfish desires. You give money to charity to help people, but also to satisfy and feel better about yourself. To say, 'I'm a good man'. I think altruism is a romantic idea, but there is a great level of selfishness behind every action.

 

How would you being remembered help others?

[Katie]

I don't think there is any profound purpose for humans, just to learn, evolve and become the best species we can.

 

If you apply the same question to an animal it's just as hard to find a reason. Other than to be part of the food chain what is the purpose of animals? What is the point of the food chain in the first place? Why is there a universe at all?

[Athriller]

Hitler is very much remembered. Has he made a lot of lives better?

 

I still fail to see how you/I being remembered benefits anyone.

 

I think I get what DCK is saying. If you achieve something great it may inspire others to also try and achieve something. Is that what you mean? If not just ignore me I will be in the Handheld forums....

 

So in other words, it's your achievements not you?

 

If that's the case, you discover the cure for cancer. It saves millions of lives. But when you die, someone else says they discovered it and they get all the credit. Is that ok?

[dabookerman]

Im with atif on this, we are told there is a god, we are told there is a purpose in life and so forth, my views are pretty simple, life is short, thats a fact, and one must live it how ever they see fit. Altho i believe curiousty plays a huge role in life, as every human is curious about something, whether its as trvial as whats in the box, or what else is in the universe.

[DCK]

I don't agree with that. A lot of it is selfish desires. You give money to charity to help people, but also to satisfy and feel better about yourself. To say, 'I'm a good man'. I think altruism is a romantic idea, but there is a great level of selfishness behind every action.

 

How would you being remembered help others?

Do you think that people like Socrates, Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton and many others had a motivation like that behind their contribution to humanity? I'm remembered?. No, I don't think so. They didn't do it for their ego, they did it for their work and passion.

[Athriller]

Do you think that people like Socrates, Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac Newton and many others had a motivation like that behind their contribution to humanity? I'm remembered?. No, I don't think so. They didn't do it for their ego, they did it for their work and passion.

 

So you're saying they all great minds didn't want to be remembered, but the point of life is to be remembered by others. What? And I'm fairly sure they did want to be remembered, it's why they stuck their names on every masterpiece they made. Except for Socrates of course, but Plato did it for him after his death.

 

 

Allow me to put this forward again:

 

If that's the case, you discover the cure for cancer. It saves millions of lives. But when you die, someone else says they discovered it and they get all the credit. Is that ok?

__________________

[Hero-of-Time]

In that case if I do ever find the cure for Cancer I will keep it a secret until I can get a press conference

 

Just trying to ease the tension in this topic.

[Athriller]

In that case if I do ever find the cure for Cancer I will keep it a secret until I can get a press conference

 

Just trying to ease the tension in this topic.

 

Hehe, I don't think there's tension. Well not from me anyway. But if you're going to keep it a secret, you're working out of selfish desires there mate .

[Guest Ford Prefect]

 

My idea is that we're here to leave our mark on the world, Kurt Cobain

 

 

kurt left his mark on the world alright, rather a colourful mark too.........

[Hero-of-Time]

Hehe, I don't think there's tension. Well not from me anyway. But if you're going to keep it a secret, you're working out of selfish desires there mate .

 

True. Then again I said my piece on why we are here in the first place but I do enjoy reading everyone elses theories.

[gaggle64]

It seems very likely to me that life, the human race, and the potentially infinite cosmos that surrounds us along with everything contained within, is the result of the most unimaginable cosmic accident. If there really is a God, he dropped a test tube somewhere.

 

No man is ever born with any kind of purpose in life. Some may be given a purpose at an early age by others, some may form some kind of objective based on their life events, many will never know what exctly to do with themselves. Life is only what you make of it.

[Haver]

Any intelligent, rational human being knows that the answer to that question, realistically, scientifically, is somewhat grim so I'd rather be unrealistic and unscientific and encourage everyone to be an irrationably selfless, good-natured sort of person.

 

I like how Gladstone puts it.

 

Never forget that the purpose for which a man lives is the improvement of the man himself, so that he may go out of this world having, in his great sphere or his small one, done some little good for his fellow creatures and labored a little to diminish the sin and sorrow that are in the world.

[Katie]

Yes that quote sums up my thoughts on the subject.

[Mr_Odwin]

But if there is nothing to go to after life what is the point of making life better for others? You should just live for pleasure and yourself. And if you don't, why are you potentially putting other peoples' happiness before your own? If you get pleasure/happiness from helping others then why is that?

[Konfucius]

I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.

 

If you look at what the human race does, this could really be it's purpose.

 

Other than that maybe we are something like the Sims combined with Command and Conquer.

 

I gave up looking for a meaning in life but I also believe you should leave your mark for future generations.

 

But maybe we have to look as it in a bigger scale. Like what is the purpose of the Universe. So many uninhabited planets, "useless" suns etc. but maybe we need all these things that life could develope on Earth to the point where we are now. And maybe at some point of developement of the human race we as a whole have a purpose to fulfill and then our planet is destroyed to built an interstellar freeway.

[Katie]

You make life better for others so we can develop and continue as a species not neccesarily because that is our purpose but because we want to. You get pleasure from helping others because it gives them pleasure, the same as you feel good about giving to charity.

 

People need friendship & love to be happy and being selfish for your own needs isn't the way to get that.

[Mr_Odwin]

But why feel good about giving to charity when the problems are far away and most likely won't affect you? I just find it strange to say there is no higher purpose and then to find happiness by putting others before yourself.