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You're only 1 among 7 billion...

  • 30-04-2013 05:31PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,161 ✭✭✭


    Why do you think your life matters?

    If it weren't for the small 2-3 people who care about you and depend on you, those who make up your family, how would your being make any difference to humanity at large? Your words, opinions, actions and intentions are all ultimately worthless on the grand scheme of things. The ant colony wouldn't even notice the disappearance of one worker...


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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 378 ✭✭Catphish


    Why do you think your life matters?

    If it weren't for the small 2-3 people who care about you and depend on you, those who make up your family, how would your being make any difference to humanity at large? Your words, opinions, actions and intentions are all ultimately worthless on the grand scheme of things. The ant colony wouldn't even notice the disappearance of one worker...
    Kinda like this thread then?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 381 ✭✭Gorilla Rising


    Your words, opinions, actions and intentions are all ultimately worthless on the grand scheme of things. The ant colony wouldn't even notice the disappearance of one worker...

    Exactly. Which is why I intend on having a good time as long as I'm here.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,987 ✭✭✭Legs.Eleven


    ....and I'm perfectly okay with that.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,788 ✭✭✭✭ScumLord


    Civilisation is humanity's greatest achievement, we all contribute to it, no one person dictates civilisations direction.

    While individually we don't make much of a difference as a whole we're a force of nature. and you can't have a force of nature without the tiny parts that make the whole.

    Overall I think this realisation is a good one. It makes you completely free, all life requires from you is that you eat, **** and breath. That's all you have to do to fulfil your obligations to the greater ecosystem.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 827 ✭✭✭WumBuster


    The reason the ants work so hard in the nest is to help preserve the genes of the queen so they can be passed on to the next generation..why should humans be any different? Your main objective in life is to pro-create, to pass on your genes to the next generation and ensure survival of the species. Now stop moaning and get to work!


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 23,555 ✭✭✭✭Sir Digby Chicken Caesar


    ScumLord wrote: »
    Civilisation is humanity's greatest achievement,.

    asian women are humanitys greatest achievement


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭humbert


    I matter, it's everyone else that doesn't.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,370 ✭✭✭Knasher


    Ultimately I am an insignificant speck in a vast universe, but as I can only experience the universe as this speck, my existence is of incalculable worth to me, even if it is practically worthless to everybody else.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,161 ✭✭✭af_thefragile


    Catphish wrote: »
    Kinda like this thread then?

    In a way, yes. Its just another thread in among the thousands that make up the electronic noise on this forum. Sooner than later it will be engulfed among the forgotten pages of this website like the many others that came before and are to come in the future.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,943 ✭✭✭✭the purple tin


    Woe is me.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,184 ✭✭✭marshbaboon


    BRB killing self.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 33,779 ✭✭✭✭Princess Consuela Bananahammock


    As the phrase goes:

    "To the whole world you might be just one person...
    But to just one person you might be the whole world."

    :)

    Everything I don't like is either woke or fascist - possibly both - pick one.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,161 ✭✭✭af_thefragile


    WumBuster wrote: »
    The reason the ants work so hard in the nest is to help preserve the genes of the queen so they can be passed on to the next generation..why should humans be any different? Your main objective in life is to pro-create, to pass on your genes to the next generation and ensure survival of the species. Now stop moaning and get to work!

    But then how am I truly free if my purpose is already predetermined in my genetic code. If the only reason I live is to find women I can have sex with, then that sounds like a pretty frivolous reason to live. How am I free if my purpose is only to prop up a civilisation that I care little for. After all if I'm gone, someone else will take up my place to keep the wheels turning. My purpose here is just as important and as expendable as the next person.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,299 ✭✭✭✭The Backwards Man


    Balls to that.

    Everybody matters. Everybody can make a difference. Everybody can shape the future of our civilisation.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,677 ✭✭✭frozenfrozen


    I'm great


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,699 ✭✭✭Doylers


    buzzin here kid


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,788 ✭✭✭✭ScumLord


    But then how am I truly free if my purpose is already predetermined in my genetic code.
    Reproduction isn't that hard, you can get your part over and done with inside of 2 minutes. That's if you do a legger afterwards.
    If the only reason I live is to find women I can have sex with, then that sounds like a pretty frivolous reason to live.
    It's not frivolous, it's how life works. Anything we do outside of reproduction is pretty frivolous, because as you say those actions will be forgotten about whereas your genes could go on to the end of time.
    purpose here is just as important and as expendable as the next person.
    Purpose and meaning only really exist within the human head. You're view of the world is spoiled by your human bias.


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 95,643 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Why do you think your life matters?


    http://i.imgur.com/gXvR2xj.jpg


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,822 ✭✭✭sunflower27


    As the phrase goes:

    "To the whole world you might be just one person...
    But to just one person you might be the whole world."

    :)

    That is so cheesy, like four cheese pizza with stuffed cheesy crust :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,161 ✭✭✭af_thefragile


    ScumLord wrote: »
    Reproduction isn't that hard, you can get your part over and done with inside of 2 minutes. That's if you do a legger afterwards.

    It's not frivolous, it's how life works. Anything we do outside of reproduction is pretty frivolous, because as you say those actions will be forgotten about whereas your genes could go on to the end of time.
    But why should the propagation of my genes matter to me? How and why would it benefit me? Especially after I'm gone, everything that is me is gone with me. My children are their own selves.
    Purpose and meaning only really exist within the human head. You're view of the world is spoiled by your human bias.
    So ultimately there is no purpose and meaning to all of this noise and drama that we tend to call life?
    If I say the purpose of my life is to build a sand castle, once I've finished building it, the tide comes in and washes away the caste and it'll be gone just like me and my purpose. Nothing changes, the sea carries on creating waves and tides.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,161 ✭✭✭af_thefragile



    What is it that makes someone important?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,744 ✭✭✭funk-you


    I'm unique. Just like everybody else.

    -Funk


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 378 ✭✭Catphish


    In a way, yes. Its just another thread in among the thousands that make up the electronic noise on this forum. Sooner than later it will be engulfed among the forgotten pages of this website like the many others that came before and are to come in the future.
    Yeah, but so what? Do you actually care that anything that you or I or the next person says is nothing at the end of the day?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 9,972 ✭✭✭orestes


    Put down the copy of Camus and go for a walk or something, you'll feel a lot better.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,485 ✭✭✭Thrill


    BRB killing self.

    Didn't come back. :(

    *Shakes fist at OP.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 36,926 ✭✭✭✭o1s1n
    Master of the Universe


    But why should the propagation of my genes matter to me? How and why would it benefit me? Especially after I'm gone, everything that is me is gone with me. My children are their own selves.


    So ultimately there is no purpose and meaning to all of this noise and drama that we tend to call life?
    If I say the purpose of my life is to build a sand castle, once I've finished building it, the tide comes in and washes away the caste and it'll be gone just like me and my purpose. Nothing changes, the sea carries on creating waves and tides.

    You sound like you're a couple of steps away from 'finding religion'. I'd be careful if I were you :pac:

    In all seriousness though, the 'purpose' of your life is to live your life. Worry about what happens within the bounds of your existence. Who cares if the sand castle falls down after you're gone? You'll be non existent so it won't matter to you.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,758 ✭✭✭✭TeddyTedson


    The majority of those 7 billion people don't really mean much to me either.
    Life is a lot more local isn't it.
    What difference would it make if I was one in a million or one in a hundred billion. It's yourself that matters most to you, and the people you actually care about.
    :)


  • Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 95,643 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    What is it that makes someone important?

    Rastus goes to the witch doctor as he and Mrs Rastus are having trouble concieving. Two hours later he returns wearing a top hat, tails, spats and sporting a cane.

    "Whattin yous wearing all dat for ?" shouts Mrs Rastus
    "Well the witch doctor says I is impotent so I done thought I'd better dress impotent."


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,104 ✭✭✭donegal_man


    You might be the ancestor of the person who discovers warp drive or the final cure for cancer or the nature of God. None of us know what influence we've had on other people, we might have said something that seemed totally trivial at the time but which inspired someone to do something terrible or wonderful.
    "How many billions of years of evolution were necessary for me to become a lino salesman for the Co-Op?" Norman Clegg, Last Of The Summer Wine


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 28,788 ✭✭✭✭ScumLord


    But why should the propagation of my genes matter to me? How and why would it benefit me? Especially after I'm gone, everything that is me is gone with me. My children are their own selves.
    Your children would be the byproduct of your hardware and societies software. Life doesn't care what matters to you, it doesn't even have the capacity to care. That's why it gives you uncontrollable urges and makes all the things it wants you to achieve fun.

    So ultimately there is no purpose and meaning to all of this noise and drama that we tend to call life?
    Nope.
    If I say the purpose of my life is to build a sand castle, once I've finished building it, the tide comes in and washes away the caste and it'll be gone just like me and my purpose. Nothing changes, the sea carries on creating waves and tides.
    You made a sand castle, take pride in your work, enjoy the experience and learn from it.


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