You're only 1 among 7 billion...

af_thefragile

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...

Catphish

af_thefragile wrote: »

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?

Gorilla Rising

af_thefragile wrote: »

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.

Legs.Eleven

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

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.

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!

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

ScumLord wrote: »

Civilisation is humanity's greatest achievement,.

asian women are humanitys greatest achievement

humbert

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

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.

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.

the purple tin

Woe is me.

marshbaboon

BRB killing self.

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."

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.

The Backwards Man

Balls to that.

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

frozenfrozen

I'm great

Doylers

buzzin here kid

ScumLord

af_thefragile wrote: »

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.

Capt'n Midnight

af_thefragile wrote: »

Why do you think your life matters?

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

sunflower27

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

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

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.

af_thefragile

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

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

What is it that makes someone important?

funk-you

I'm unique. Just like everybody else.

-Funk

Catphish

af_thefragile wrote: »

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?

orestes

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

Thrill

marshbaboon wrote: »

BRB killing self.

Didn't come back.

*Shakes fist at OP.

o1s1n

af_thefragile wrote: »

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.

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.

Capt'n Midnight

af_thefragile wrote: »

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."

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

ScumLord

af_thefragile wrote: »

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.

WumBuster

af_thefragile wrote: »

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.

Of course you are free in the normal everyday sense to do what you want within reason. But you'll find that all of your major life decisions(career,choice of partner etc) will be driven by creating the best enviroment for you to potentially procreate. The is the theory that those who remain childless tend to be more unhappy than those succeed in doing so nor do they live as long. hey, dont shoot the messenger im not exactly big on the idea of kids myself but somehow my life is constantly being dictated in that direction. As for the meaning of life itself, no one knows, there is even a theory that there might not be a reason and its all just a big co-incidence. matter will always try to survive.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

sunflower27 wrote: »

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

Damn you. Now I wants a pizza.

af_thefragile

o1s1n wrote: »

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.

But how could I "live my life" when every action we take is simply chasing a reality that is ultimately futile. I don't "live my life" when I work hard aspiring for a future that's as uncertain as everything else in my life and even if I do manage to apply some fake sense of certainty to the future, life still consists of performing meaningless actions to simply gather a means to survive. An existence that's sole purpose is to simply exist and outside of it is ultimately meaningless.

I spend my time sitting in front of this computer, if this is "living my life" then I'm fooling myself. I go outside, meet some people, we chat for a while, then I leave, they leave. We may force some meanings upon these actions but they're ultimately worthless. Life carries on despite you and me.

stoneill

af_thefragile wrote: »

But why should the propagation of my genes matter to me?

For something that is apparently insignificant I seem to spend a high proportion of my time thinking and trying exactly this - but safely.

shopaholic01

af_thefragile wrote: »

But how could I "live my life" when every action we take is simply chasing a reality that is ultimately futile. I don't "live my life" when I work hard aspiring for a future that's as uncertain as everything else in my life and even if I do manage to apply some fake sense of certainty to the future, life still consists of performing meaningless actions to simply gather a means to survive. An existence that's sole purpose is to simply exist and outside of it is ultimately meaningless.

I spend my time sitting in front of this computer, if this is "living my life" then I'm fooling myself. I go outside, meet some people, we chat for a while, then I leave, they leave. We may force some meanings upon these actions but they're ultimately worthless. Life carries on despite you and me.

It's like you are depressed. Everyone of us is only 1 among 7 billion, but some of us have been fortunate enough to have been born in the developed world. We have opportunites and a chance to make a future, not everyone has that.

The purpose of life? Live it, enjoy it as best you can, and then one day, you will die.

af_thefragile

donegal_man wrote: »

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

If not my children, someone else's children will figure it out if such things exists. If my words or actions haven't influenced some person, then someone else will do that. If I'm not here, someone else will. So what's the point to me being here?

ScumLord wrote: »

You made a sand castle, take pride in your work, enjoy the experience and learn from it.

Nothing to take pride in that which is gone or will be shortly gone. Nothing to learn when you yourself are gone.

WumBuster wrote: »

Of course you are free in the normal everyday sense to do what you want within reason. But you'll find that all of your major life decisions(career,choice of partner etc) will be driven by creating the best enviroment for you to potentially procreate. The is the theory that those who remain childless tend to be more unhappy than those succeed in doing so nor do they live as long. hey, dont shoot the messenger im not exactly big on the idea of kids myself but somehow my life is constantly being dictated in that direction. As for the meaning of life itself, no one knows, there is even a theory that there might not be a reason and its all just a big co-incidence. matter will always try to survive.

You only do what is necessary for you to do. This isn't freedom. I don't have the freedom to do whatever I want. I don't have the freedom to buy a fast expensive car if I don't have the means to buy one. I don't have the freedom to spend my whole days indulging in the temporary pleasures of this planet because I've got to go to college or to work. I don't have the freedom to travel to and live wherever and however I want because I'll never have the resources or finances to afford that.

I'm bound within the means to what I can live by. Living in a first world country means I have more means than someone living in a third world country. This somehow gives me slightly more "freedom" in some meaningless way than the poor man. What is freedom when life is inherently bound by provisions and conformity?

mikom

af_thefragile wrote: »

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...

I am sure any person suffering from depression who is surfing the net for a little light relief will be pleased to know that.
Thanks bro.

marshbaboon

af_thefragile wrote: »

TLDR

Life is inherently pointless. The only meaning is created which is akin to religion. The only logical conclusion is to kill yourself.

Thus if you believe that life is without meaning, why engage in debate or attempt to convey those beliefs to others? You are attempting to create meaning from a meaningless situation.

You've just defeated your own argument.

I'm off to drink tea and fill a paddling pool with kittens, my work here is done.

ScumLord

af_thefragile wrote: »

Nothing to take pride in that which is gone or will be shortly gone. Nothing to learn when you yourself are gone.

Everything is short lived, if you enjoy it, it's worth doing. If you make something you can be proud of it, the fact it will disappear or that you will eventually die has no bearing on being proud of what you've achieved.

Most living things achieve nothing outside of their basic programming, most living things suffer horribly, most living things can't affect the world around them and never know more than what they can see. Humans have practically been granted the power of gods, you can see and experience things the majority of life can't.

mikom

Life matters.
Proof......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf38HiYPMiI

pragmatic1

Each and every one of us is the universe experiencing itself from a unique perspective.

marshbaboon

mikom wrote: »

Life matters.
Proof......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snip

OH MY GOD IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!

Albert E. Arkwright

af_thefragile wrote: »

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...

Exactly, hence we should be moving with the times with regard to allowing abortion as a birth control, gay marriage, euthanasia, and lowering the voting age / age of consent. Darwin taught us that it should be survival of the fittest. Winners take all.

April O Neill

af_thefragile wrote: »

The ant colony wouldn't even notice the disappearance of one worker...

In the ant colony of humanity, who is the queen?

mikom

April O Neill wrote: »

In the ant colony of humanity, who is the queen?

Derek Mooney.

April O Neill

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

asian women are humanitys greatest achievement

A polarising viewpoint amongst menfolk, I find!

donegal_man

af_thefragile wrote: »

If not my children, someone else's children will figure it out if such things exists. If my words or actions haven't influenced some person, then someone else will do that. If I'm not here, someone else will. So what's the point to me being here?

Not necessarily the uniqueness of your descendant could be the thing that makes all the difference in the world to his or her ability to discover these things.
We all influence the world in ways we may not even realise. I stop to speak to a friend in the street, he doesn't step off the pavement in front of the bus. I don't know I saved his life, he doesn't know I saved his life but his life is saved just because I was there, not someone else who would have ignored him passing by.
The purpose of life IS life

i57dwun4yb1pt8

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Each and every one of us is the universe experiencing itself from a unique perspective.

THIS ^^^

once your realise it is all a super conciousness imagining the whole lot
it makes alot more sense , and gets eaiser to play the game.

nothing actually exists ,except conciousness.

looking_around

No it doesn't matter, now you can say, so what and live? or be miserable that you are alive for nothing, your choice.

Capt'n Midnight

There's that thing about killing three million people and a clown.