I was smoking heavy and I just came dissociated with reality. I just had all these thoughts about life and then i was thinking life is pointless. I thought what is the point of life? If u think about it u go to work sleep, repeat . I havent really ever even thought about this until the day I was smoking some blueberry yum yum. Anyone else ever have dissiations while smoking?
In the end, life is pointless. Once you are dead, you will never be conscious again. It would be as if you had never been born (at least to you, as the observer). That doesn't mean that you can not impose a purpose on your life while you live it. This is where the philosophy of existentialism comes into play. This is how I give value to my life, and ultimately, purpose. Just think of this: You have existed throughout time since the explosion of energy of the Big Bang. We all did, unknowingly. When you are dead, you constituent parts (atoms) will continue to roam the universe, changing form time and time again. You will be conscious once, however. The pattern of atoms that culminated into your existence will only exist once and for a short time. Imagine the Big Bang, a cue ball, striking a rack of other balls, setting those ones into motion and those balls hitting other balls. The relationships of those atomic reactions at that stage will inevitably form you in the distant future. It will form all of us. Your grandfather was just another ball hitting another ball, setting more balls into play that would form you. Imagine the sea of atoms that we exist in. The reverberations of each atom, so minute, yet so profound. Imagine the expanse lifeforms that led to the evolution of your own self. Imagine if you could hold each ancestor's hand, down to the single celled organism. How amazing is life? You know that you are the ultimate creation of the death of a star? When a star dies, it produces the heavier elements of the universe that would otherwise not exist. Life is a constantly changing pattern of atomic interactions, a sea of atoms constantly in motion. We are unconscious of what life really means. Imagine the great travesty that we are born into the world, at last conscious, but we cannot appreciate the forces that ultimately formed us! How beautiful would it be to see the grand clouds of a nebula of the past and say, "A part of that will lead to me. That ominous cloud in that emptiness. Unknown to itself." What a travesty! It took billions of years, vast amounts of energy and interactions on the atomic level, for you to finally open your eyes onto the universe. You look up into the sky, into the sun's rays, and you know you are blind. Utterly blind to what life really means, of what it means to be born! All of that history, that knowledge, is gone from your consciousness. The history of the universe is you. You do not understand it and it is largely unknown, foreign. The greatest travesty of life, consciousness of the lost history of your own life, inspires awe on the deepest, most profound level. It inspires such deep contemplation and amazement in me that it gives me a wonderful purpose in life. It gives me the vigor to learn, to discover and to reach for the intangible earnestly. I am a way for the universe to know itself. The poetry of life is my purpose.
The Plague (La Peste) by Albert Camus is a great read on existentialism. I enjoyed The Stranger (L’Étranger) too.
I have a question: Why do humans feel that they should have a purpose? It may sound depressing to some, but to me, it makes me want to just "live" my life to the fullest.
Philisophically speaking, or Biologically speaking? Biologically speaking: To create more life. You exist to continue your genetic heretige. If you do not procreate, then you are an evolutionary failure. You might has well have never existed, because you did not contribute to the genetic legacy of your species. Life exists to perpetuate life, and nothing more. Philisophically speaking: Each person creates thier own purpose. Whether that is helping your fellow humans, absorbing and disseminating knowlege, or just being a hedonist, it's up to you to make your own "purpose" for life.
interesting thought... though it could easily be used as a means to be against people that won't breed (either by choice or lifestyle circumstances.) though, here's a thought that i've been mulling about with regards to mankind's role in his genetic purpose. for someone like myself, i know that my genetics are bunk (as in, there are a LOT of genetic predispositions towards diseases in my family line) and yet, i am queer. i will not have children naturally and i have no intent to do try and force the issue (that and i really don't like most children.) does this mean that there could exist the possability that on some deeper level, i understand that i am not fit for genetic stock and therefore have been led either through conscious or subconscious action to take myself out of the gene-pool? in a sense you could take this further and somehow ascribe some sort of mass-consciousness or connection to all the other life-forms with these ways of thinking because if you think about it, aside from the number of living beings on this earth and the social situations that support a diverse form of life and living, could it be that people can sense that there is too many people on this planet that she cannot sustain us naturally and thusly lead people and other animals to take themselves out of the gene pool in a hope that natural selection will work it's magic and reduce our numbers to sustainable levels?
Do you have to know the meaning behind your existence to enjoy it thoroughly? Granted the knowledge, would it really change the way you experience in a better way?
Not really.. but life is what you want it to mean. Plato would say that play is the purpose of life. Or something along those lines. I think that your life is a blessing because after all YOU are feeling it. (not blessing as religious) You can think that life has a meaning because you have kids. or because you're ideals are somehow living on in the world you did in some way impact. Whatever you want life to mean. It's your life. Not mine.
man you always give me a headache with your posts . . . every time you change my perspective on things . . .
dank trees & oxycodone makes my life complete. all kidding aside, i feel like if i never tripped i would be such a lame. tripping really opened my mind up to the world & living a complete life. my favorite quote of all time "a ship is safe in harbor, but they aren't built to stay in harbor."
Life is pointless in the sense that we have no objective to complete. But, I think it does matter on a very small scale. If I can make life easier for my children or the next generations, then no, it's not that pointless.
You hit the nail on the head. Life is purposeless in the grand scheme of things, but reducing suffering for ourselves and people we love definitely gives some direction to life. Only you can give meaning to your life.