the point of my life- why am i here

gillian1983

im posting in PI as it is a personal issue for me so please dont move it to some other forum where they all speak so advanced with their big words and beliefs. i need normal everyday people to help me.
basically i cant get it out of my head that in 70 years i wont be here anymore... how do people get on with their daily lives? whats the point in doing things? its only so short a time and its all over!!! forever!!!
i feel if the mightly god exists in heaven hed grace us with his presence and show himself to us so what is the point of life?
i try to distract myself but then constantly remember ill be so inconsolable when my sisters and parents pass away, life is so cruel why were we born at all?
im in my late 20s and i just really need to know what the point of life is! does it not freak everyone else out? i cant understand how it wudnt! where were we before we were born? where are we going? do we have an angel watching over us?
where are all our relatives who passed before us? are they rotting or in heaven or does heaven only start when we all die? are they ghosts?
does anybody have any special experiences or proof to help me feel better?

Ickle Magoo

Unfortunately OP, canvassing other posters is not going to get you answers and certainly no proof - it's just going to get you other peoples very subjective opinions.

Nobody knows what happens after we die, if we are here for any reason, if angels/heaven/theistic elements exist or not. It's all a matter of seeking meaning for yourself and finding your own reason to live, whether that be personal reflection, religion, philosophy, whatever.

What's the point in doing things? In living? Well, what's the alternative?

dan_d

This is something that I've put quite a lot of thought into.

I can't say for sure whether or not there's definitively something else out there. I'd like to think there is, because, as you say, we're here such a short time and there would be no point otherwise. That's just my personal belief.

I had an elderly relative die a number of years ago, and her granddaughter was in the room the night she died. She said that the woman had told her 2 weeks before that "they" had come for her, but she wasn't ready to go yet. By "they" she had explained, she meant her husband, her brother and her sister, all of whom had died before her. She had seen them at the end of her bed. The night she died, she saw them again - she was ready then.

I can't tell you whether this is true or not. I can tell you this was a woman with huge faith, who did not believe in fairy stories and about whom there was no crap! She said this in complete sanity aswell - she was elderly but her mind was true. I'd like to believe it was true - again that's just me.

I think OP, that the only way to get through life is to live it. Don't worry about the what and the why and the when. Life is so cruel, but human beings are deeply intriguing creatures. Nobody truly knows the meaning of life - be you a scientist, an atheist, a christian, a muslim, whatever. There are plenty of those out there who like to believe that there's numerous reasons that are right, but really, nobody knows. I think it means something different to everyone....and it's something you only figure out over time.

But wouldn't it be awful if you got to the age of 70 and realised you had wasted your entire life worrying about becoming 70, and not lived like you could have? My attitude is that we're on this earth for a short enough time - I want to make as much of it count as I can, enjoy myself as much as I can, because I don't want to be left with regrets when my time is running out.

When you feel yourself starting to think these thoughts OP, try saying the following to yourself - if you worry about falling off the bike, you'll never get on it. And go out and live accordingly.

greengiant09

i know exactly what you mean. you'd think this would be the most fundamental and important question (and i believe it is) but it isn't really addressed or thought of much imo by the general public. in fact i find a lot of people are intimidated by the subject and try to brush it off when i bring it up.

as regards to the answers to all your questions....who knows!! and if they do, i'd like to hear them! there's a lot of crap out there and bull****ters so i don't really trust much of the religious answers. history has proven time and time again that man has had various beliefs which turned out to be complete tripe so i have a lot of doubts about the stuff we believe today.

this kinda stuff can do your head in....you can think about it till the day you die but find no real answers....i think you will come to the conclusion that there is no conclusion! all i can advise is to try and enjoy life while you are here. i wouldn't put too much emphasis on your own personal existence as in you have a particular 'purpose'....i don't believe any of us do.

Zen65

gillian1983 wrote: »

... how do people get on with their daily lives? whats the point in doing things? its only so short a time and its all over!!! forever!!!

In my younger days I wrestled with this question a lot. I have woken in the night in a cold panic wondering how would I cope when my parents died, and how could the planet continue to function after I too had passed away???

I don't have the answer to the "big question" you ask, and I can state conclusively that nobody does, other than through whatever faith they may have.

The decades have since past, I am well on my way to being that 70-year-old you fear to become, and while I do not know the answer in the way you pose it, I know peace and I do not fear what may lie ahead.

Firstly, consider that there are only two options: either life has meaning or it doesn't. If it does not, then there are no rules which make sense except "each person for their own good", and that would have led to the end of civilisation as we think we know it.

Does the meaning of life require the existence of a Higher Being? I believe not. We may be the result of a loving God's concept, or we may be the result of a chemical reaction in a swamp. Either way, we are where we are, and that is all we can be sure of. For our life to have meaning, we choose what that meaning is to be. For me, my life's meaning is to leave the world better than I found it, to the best of my ability. I can do that through endeavour, to improve the quality of life for my family, my friends, and any who have dealings with me, including strangers.

This is not about self-sacrifice, but about treating all with dignity, and providing as best for my family as I can, both in terms of physical comforts and in terms of "spiritual" or "moral" teachings (I don't ask my kids to believe in a God, as I'm agnostic). But I do insist that my children have a strong sense of personal responsibility, not based on the fear of a God's reprisal, but based on love for all people.

How do you leave the world a better place? By leaving a little piece of yourself in the hearts and minds of all those with whom you share your life, so that they are inspired to behave better towards others. This is especially true for your children (or nieces & nephews, etc) as they should outlive you. If they live their lives that way too then the effect is multiplied and mushroomed.

I don't intend to suggest spoiling anybody's kids. I teach my own children through what might be considered "tough love".... but I hope it is the love that they remember. I also train myself & my kids (through Martial Arts training) to deal with people who are unloving .. including those who might be dangerous.

My parents have both died (my father died while I was young, which prompted many of my questions) and although I miss them, there is some of each of them in me. I use that, add to it with what knowledge I have gained, and hope that what I pass to my children, and to others, will be at least as good if not better than what was passed to me. Over many years, my efforts and the efforts of others who live their lives this way will improve the quality of life for all who share the planet.

You worry about life being short, and the "forever" of death. But tens of millions of years passed before you were born and these years caused you no pain nor distress. Neither will the hundreds of million of years after your death, so do not fear them.


Be at peace,

Z

Zaph

I'm sorry OP, but while I appreciate that this may be a PI as far as you're concerned, discussions of this nature do not fall within the remit of this forum. I'm not going to move the thread, but there are any number of forums that you may choose to carry on the discussion in:

Humanities
Philosophy
Anthropology, Sociology & Culture
Religion & Spirituality
Paranormal