I like Ralph Waldo Emerson’s take: “ The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” I also find much meaning for my work and life in the Jewish concept “Tikkun olam,” emphasizing the responsibility to work towards a more just, equitable, and compassionate world.
And speaking of recycled science fiction - Elon Musk talking about building a colony on Mars.
Building a colony of one million people - roughly the combined populations of San Francisco and Berkeley - on a virtually airless and waterless planet 40 million to 250 million miles away is probably virtually impossible.
Elon should know this. He may be talking about this to get attention and maintain his reputation as a “visionary genius; an unstable genius next to the stable one. But he has close to $400 Billion and is in an extraordinary position of power and influence.
So in case you’re wondering how ridiculous or find yourself taking to some who believes it’s a good idea - read on.
Another great post, Dragos, and a question whose answer I have sought my entire life. In my search, I have studied and reflected on philosophy, religion, anthropology, psychology, etc. in college, graduate school, and on my own.
I still don’t know if there is a purpose to life, and I don’t know if we will ever know, but I find meaning and joy in the quest.
I believe we are all unique manifestations of the universe’s energy and spirit, briefly made conscious to learn, grow & evolve, choose joy, and leave the world a better place before we return to the universe.
I’m grateful to have met you and for your companionship on this wonder-filled journey of life!
I'm curious about your saying you'd be disappointed if you don't have a purpose. Disappointment implies expectation -- an expectation not met. What would be the basis of your expectation of a purpose? Isn't it almost tautological to say you're "supposed to" have a purpose? In other words, that your purpose is to have a purpose?
I've heard many people "justify" (not really the right word) their religious faith by saying something along the lines of "if there wasn't a God, what would be the purpose of anything?". Putting aside the fact that "if not A, then B, and B is undesirable, thus A" is not actually a valid logical argument, I just don't get why people find the idea of simply existing without a "purpose" so devastating. It's almost as if people are uncomfortable being responsible for themselves and need to delegate responsibility to some larger system of which they are only a part.
This is more than a purely academic/philosophical point. Insisting on having a purpose (and, worse yet, being certain of what the purpose is) leads to living according to what (you believe) "should" be, as opposed to what is. When life turns out the way it is, rather than the way (you believe) it should be, the result is at best disappointment and, quite frequently -- particularly for men, for some reason -- anger. That anger is the source of an awful lot of what's bad in this world.
I like Ralph Waldo Emerson’s take: “ The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” I also find much meaning for my work and life in the Jewish concept “Tikkun olam,” emphasizing the responsibility to work towards a more just, equitable, and compassionate world.
Great post.
And speaking of recycled science fiction - Elon Musk talking about building a colony on Mars.
Building a colony of one million people - roughly the combined populations of San Francisco and Berkeley - on a virtually airless and waterless planet 40 million to 250 million miles away is probably virtually impossible.
Elon should know this. He may be talking about this to get attention and maintain his reputation as a “visionary genius; an unstable genius next to the stable one. But he has close to $400 Billion and is in an extraordinary position of power and influence.
So in case you’re wondering how ridiculous or find yourself taking to some who believes it’s a good idea - read on.
https://open.substack.com/pub/larryfurman/p/earth-mars-and-elon-musk/
Larry
Another great post, Dragos, and a question whose answer I have sought my entire life. In my search, I have studied and reflected on philosophy, religion, anthropology, psychology, etc. in college, graduate school, and on my own.
I still don’t know if there is a purpose to life, and I don’t know if we will ever know, but I find meaning and joy in the quest.
I believe we are all unique manifestations of the universe’s energy and spirit, briefly made conscious to learn, grow & evolve, choose joy, and leave the world a better place before we return to the universe.
I’m grateful to have met you and for your companionship on this wonder-filled journey of life!
I'm curious about your saying you'd be disappointed if you don't have a purpose. Disappointment implies expectation -- an expectation not met. What would be the basis of your expectation of a purpose? Isn't it almost tautological to say you're "supposed to" have a purpose? In other words, that your purpose is to have a purpose?
I've heard many people "justify" (not really the right word) their religious faith by saying something along the lines of "if there wasn't a God, what would be the purpose of anything?". Putting aside the fact that "if not A, then B, and B is undesirable, thus A" is not actually a valid logical argument, I just don't get why people find the idea of simply existing without a "purpose" so devastating. It's almost as if people are uncomfortable being responsible for themselves and need to delegate responsibility to some larger system of which they are only a part.
This is more than a purely academic/philosophical point. Insisting on having a purpose (and, worse yet, being certain of what the purpose is) leads to living according to what (you believe) "should" be, as opposed to what is. When life turns out the way it is, rather than the way (you believe) it should be, the result is at best disappointment and, quite frequently -- particularly for men, for some reason -- anger. That anger is the source of an awful lot of what's bad in this world.