Purpose of Life and self motivation

[a|one]

Hey guys, for a long time I've been feeling kind of dissatisfied with life and was wondering what motivates all of you to go on, what you feel your purpose in life is so to speak.

Though before you begin I should let you all know that im both an athiest and far too young and inexperienced to have children, so if you could think beyond family and god (though I'm sure thats a large part of it for many of you) it would be greatly appreciated.

[Tsujigiri]

A bloody minded desire to inflict my ennui upon as many people as I possibly can.

[Winters_Sorrow]

Well, as a fellow devout(?) atheist, for me it's just that no matter how bad life gets me down I enjoy the little things - smell of fresh bread the company of good friends - even a good book or movie!

Life is sweeter than the alternative
plus, it sounds cheesy but you never know what tomorrow will bring

and like, Tsuji says - if nothing else you can spend your time annoying insufferably happy people!

[Space Monkey]

Originally Posted by Winters_Sorrow

I enjoy the little things - smell of fresh bread the company of good friends - even a good book or movie!

Life is sweeter than the alternative
plus, it sounds cheesy but you never know what tomorrow will bring

This just about sums it up for me too; one shot at life, and I want to experience everything it has to offer. I'm striving for wealth, fame, fun every day and to eventually know on my deathbed that I made the best of this opportunity. Creating perfect memories and all that.
If you wanna hear cheesy, then check this out: my only fear is that I'll get old having missed chances at exploiting this adventure and experience to the max.

[littlemissattitude]

Originally Posted by a|one

Hey guys, for a long time I've been feeling kind of dissatisfied with life and was wondering what motivates all of you to go on, what you feel your purpose in life is so to speak.

Though before you begin I should let you all know that im both an athiest and far too young and inexperienced to have children, so if you could think beyond family and god (though I'm sure thats a large part of it for many of you) it would be greatly appreciated.

What motivates me to go on? That's very simple - I want to see what's going to happen next. I know that most of it will be sad or pathetic or simply absurd but still, I've never lost that child-like need to know what's going to happen next. And, you never know; something really cool might happen.

But - and I'm sorry, but this is going to turn philosophical for a bit - I've got to say that I've never really understood the connection between deity and purpose. I don't know why anyone would assume that there is meaning in the universe just becuase of the existence of a god or gods, and I don't see why there can't be meaning in one's life in the absence of deity. All that theory - that life is meaningless if there is no God - does is assume that we are all the inhabitants of someone else's story, and that he, she, or it (or they) can move us around the game board of life to satisfy their whims.

I won't start in on the whole argument that creationists make that evolutionary theory is evil because it takes all the meaning out of our existence. I've run across this argument many times in my research into belief and belief systems, and it just doens't make any sense to me. I figure that I make my own meaning in life whether there is a higher power (or powers) or not. And I will admit that I suspect that there is something to this God concept, although I am not a religious person in any orthodox sense. I just don't happen to believe that any supreme being or beings have that much to do with whether or not my life, anyone else's life, or the universe have meaning.

And that's as far as I will go with that, in view of the policy of the site not to go too much into religious topics.

[Neon]

I think most of my motivation usually comes down to being a perfectionist. That and the fact I am not satisfied with being second best. It's why I study for hours for each exam, or why I hit the gym 4-5 days a week despite protests from my body. But also I think you should be driven and motivated by things you are interested in. I know I could never devote the amount of time I do in school if I hated my major. As for exercising, everyone should divest a certain amount of effort into their health. If you take a more personal interest in an activity, you will be that much more motivated to pursue and perfect it.

[a|one]

Originally Posted by littlemissattitude

But - and I'm sorry, but this is going to turn philosophical for a bit

And that's as far as I will go with that, in view of the policy of the site not to go too much into religious topics.

No prob I love philosophy, as for the religious thing I dont really have a desire to impose my will on others so if you want to give your views I'm more than happy to hear them.

I envy you if you can feel satisfied not believing that your life holds any relevence to the greater scheme of things, a good time and a new day just dont cut it for me I guess. Then again, maybe its just part of that teen angst people are always talking about.

[littlemissattitude]

Originally Posted by a|one

No prob I love philosophy, as for the religious thing I dont really have a desire to impose my will on others so if you want to give your views I'm more than happy to hear them.

I envy you if you can feel satisfied not believing that your life holds any relevence to the greater scheme of things, a good time and a new day just dont cut it for me I guess. Then again, maybe its just part of that teen angst people are always talking about.

Teen angst, huh? I'm not sure why they call it that; I'm 48 and my life is pretty angst-filled sometimes. Or maybe that's becuase I refuse to grow up.

I'm not exactly sure that I said I don't believe that my life (or anyone else's life) holds any relevance to the greater scheme of things. I just said that seeing what's going to happen is enough to keep me motivated to move on to the next day. If there's more, that's good, too. And there is more for me a good deal of the time. I just don't see that whether or not there is a god or gods has any relevance to whether there is a greater meaning to the world or the universe.

[a|one]

Well not so much no god, just that there is nothing after this life, that we're all just worm food only we dont know it yet. That nothing we do will really make a significant difference in the long run(and even if it did it would just be random occurance, we have no way of knowing how our lives will affect the future) and that were all destined to just fade away and be forgotten. Part of this is because I do accept evolutionary theory and I do believe that the only reason were here is to reproduce and die.

[littlemissattitude]

Originally Posted by a|one

Well not so much no god, just that there is nothing after this life, that we're all just worm food only we dont know it yet. That nothing we do will really make a significant difference in the long run(and even if it did it would just be random occurance, we have no way of knowing how our lives will affect the future) and that were all destined to just fade away and be forgotten. Part of this is because I do accept evolutionary theory and I do believe that the only reason were here is to reproduce and die.

That's really interesting. I also accept evolutionary theory, mostly. By that I mean that I suspect that what passes as evolutionary theory today is probably mostly accurate, but I also believe that science is a process and not a set of dogmas, and that it is always possible that there have been misapprehensions and misinterpretations and that we may not have it all completely correct just yet. But I don't believe that the correctness of evolutionary theory rules out the possibility of an afterlife of some sort. Of course, some evolutionists would have you believe that it does (and so would some creationists who see that as one of the evils of evolutionary theory); I don't see that one follows the other. I also believe that the existence of a god or gods does not rule out the correctness of evolutionary theory.

I've been told that this just means that I can't make up my mind, but I prefer to believe that this is not an either/or universe. I was just reading today that the Jains (a sect of Hinduism, from what I understand) have something called the Doctrines of Maybe, which grew out of their conviction that there are not just two possibilities for any given thing, but seven. This is very different from what the author of the book I was reading (The Creators, by Daniel J. Boorstin, a former Librarian of Congress) called "the law of the excluded middle", which Western thought is mostly based on. Apparently, this comes from the teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers, and it is a very dualistic way of thinking - something either is or is not. I'm not convinced that is/is not gives an accurate view of the universe.

I'm not sure if any of this makes any sense. It's getting too late in the evening to discuss philosophy.

[Foxbat]

Here's my own little theory: There is no God (or any other Universal Consciousness). Life creates its own purpose - and that's why death exists - to create the holes in which mutations can occur, and therefore move up the evolutionary ladder.

On a personal level; no, I don't believe there is a purpose because it's all about the species as a whole. Purpose on this level is what you make for yourself. As for feelings of dissatifaction that this affair brings about - you tend to become more accepting of reality as you get older

[a|one]

Originally Posted by littlemissattitude

I'm not convinced that is/is not gives an accurate view of the universe.

Well, in many aspects of life I would agree wholeheartedly, but in the question of existence I think a yes or no answer is required, one either exists or one does not. (And I dont consider the flowers growing out of one's corpse existence.)

Foxbat I cant honestly see myself ever becoming content with the mundane or the everyday, I'm just too easily bored. If growing older for me means becoming more satisfied with this sick reality then I will be quite suprised.

Oh and Winter's Sorrow I'm not sure I would call myself a "devout" athiest, I'd really like to believe in god quite a bit, I just dont believe in deluding oneself into believing something that isnt true just because it makes you feel good and a lot of other people are doing it. So no, until I see what I would consider actual proof of existence I believe in no higher being.

[GrownUp]

Purpose doesn't make happiness!!?!

Like looking up into the sky, seeing light filtering through the chopped up clouds and glistening around the edges, and it's gold, and behind it is blue and deep. The way it feels when you look at it. The way that feels in your stomach, if other people were looking at you they would see your eyes full of reflected blue and gold and glistening as if you were dancing without moving.

There is no purpose to it! Time is yours!

Whether there is destiny or no, whether there is a God or not, even when you are screaming and crying and cutting yourself. No one can remove a second of your experience!!!

[Tsujigiri]

Hear Hear!!!

[Space Monkey]

Originally Posted by a|one

I cant honestly see myself ever becoming content with the mundane or the everyday, I'm just too easily bored. If growing older for me means becoming more satisfied with this sick reality then I will be quite suprised.

It's up to you to change it from being boring and mundane though. You hold the reins to your entire reality and perception of the world. I know there is badness afoot everywhere, but you hold the remote control to the TV and choose what you absorb of it and dwell on. The older I get, the less news I allow myself to watch, because it depresses me too much and I don't want to spend my life being depressed. Shallow and selfish? Absolutely, but the world does revolve around me. Same as your world revolves around you and everyone's world revolves around them.

I'd really like to believe in god quite a bit, I just dont believe in deluding oneself into believing something that isnt true just because it makes you feel good...

Why not? A deeper level of you knows you aren't subscribing to the dogma, but on the times you'd 'like' there to be something there, why not consider for a while that there might be and that no-one truly knows? Unless you want to be a martyr, feeling bad is something I recommend avoiding when you can alter that by occasionally adjusting your mindset to get by.
I don't believe in god or atheism - in fact all I I DO believe in is the fact that I don't know. But I always seek the mindsets that make me feel best at any given time. And sometimes, a good old bit of self-delusion works just fine because being alone up the creek without a paddle blows hard.

My purpose in life is to always be feeling good, positive and satisfied. If that means occasionally lying to myself or considering that there might be spooks looking out for us, then fine. Never knowing means never being dissatisfied with what you know. If that makes an ounce of sense. And accepting that you don't know means there will always be discovery and wonder and intrigue in stuff. I find great comfort in not knowing the answers.
My advice is to roll with it and don't take any of it too seriously. Seek euphoria at all times, and keep your hands and feet inside the carriage.