What if there's no such thing as 'life purpose'

[Wilhelm44]

A robot has a life purpose. A machine has a life purpose. A human being that wakes up transcends any notions of some inherent life purpose. I could say my life purpose is to be a good husband to my wife, or a good teacher to my students, or being a magical poet, or nurturing unconditional love. But these are all just stories. The truth is we follow our fascination, and this could change in the blink of an eye.

[Twinstar]

@Wilhelm44 I'd like to think that we all have the purpose of becoming better versions of ourselves. How we go about that can change in the blink of an eye, since any definition of being better is relative. We decide how we go about being better, and what being better even means. 

Following our fascination could be a purpose of its own, appreciating our capacities to explore the world and view it in different lights. Maybe being better simply means having a better view of reality, whatever that means to you.

[Wilhelm44]

55 minutes ago, Twinstar said:

@Wilhelm44 I'd like to think that we all have the purpose of becoming better versions of ourselves. How we go about that can change in the blink of an eye, since any definition of being better is relative. We decide how we go about being better, and what being better even means. 

Following our fascination could be a purpose of its own, appreciating our capacities to explore the world and view it in different lights. Maybe being better simply means having a better view of reality, whatever that means to you.

I agree, i feel there is more freedom in this life purpose thing than we thought

[Twinstar]

@Wilhelm44 there absolutely is. I don't like the notion of having to select one to fully master, I enjoy keeping my options open to whatever life has to offer.

[Wilhelm44]

14 minutes ago, Twinstar said:

@Wilhelm44 there absolutely is. I don't like the notion of having to select one to fully master, I enjoy keeping my options open to whatever life has to offer.

Yeah, i have a feeling this life purpose thing becomes another mental box for some people.

[Carl-Richard]

The truth is if you don't orient yourself towards something, you disintegrate.

[Twinstar]

@Wilhelm44 it can be a mental box for those that can see how much life has to offer. It can also be a guide for those that have no idea what life holds. It just depends on where you are at, it can elevate you or hold you back.

@Carl-Richard disintegration is nirvana, it is just a matter of doing it properly. 

[Carl-Richard]

5 minutes ago, Twinstar said:

disintegration is nirvana, it is just a matter of doing it properly. 

Disintegration is mental illness and death.

[Wilhelm44]

17 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

The truth is if you don't orient yourself towards something, you disintegrate.

Yes, but that something is not necesarily some predestined purpose ingraved in our dna. We are more free than that. This search for a life purpose becomes another trap.

[Carl-Richard]

3 minutes ago, Wilhelm44 said:

Yes, but that something is not necesarily some predestined purpose ingraved in our dna. We are more free than that. This search for a life purpose becomes another trap.

Eating food can become a trap. Exercise can become a trap. Earning money can become a trap. They're still essential.

[Thought Art]

You need to make your own purpose in life. There’s no life purpose other than the one you create for yourself

Edited October 24, 2022 by Thought Art

[Wilhelm44]

1 minute ago, Carl-Richard said:

Eating food can become a trap. Exercise can become a trap. Earning money can become a trap. They're still essential.

My point is there is no such thing as a specific life purpose which serves as some blueprint for one's life. We follow our fascination. But that doesn't mean there is something specific that we were meant to do with our lives. Its not like there's some specific life purpose for everyone, that we can somehow miss out on by following a different route.

[Carl-Richard]

3 minutes ago, Wilhelm44 said:

My point is there is no such thing as a specific life purpose which serves as some blueprint for one's life. We follow our fascination. But that doesn't mean there is something specific that we were meant to do with our lives. Its not like there's some specific life purpose for everyone, that we can somehow miss out on by following a different route.

True. You choose your life purpose, just like you choose what to eat, how to exercise, or how to earn money. But you can't just choose any life purpose. You have to choose one that fits you.

Edited October 24, 2022 by Carl-Richard

[Wilhelm44]

6 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

True. You choose your life purpose, just like you choose what to eat, how to exercise, or how to earn money. But you can't just choose any life purpose. You have to choose one that fits you.

I would go one step further, and say that it's possible to have a beautiful life, without having some banner around one's neck saying: this is my life purpose. 

[Twinstar]

@Carl-Richard Mental illness and death are illusions. It might take a while, but hopefully you’ll surpass the limits they seem to have imposed on your mind.

@Thought Art I completly agree, the only purpose that matters is the one that matters to you.

@Wilhelm44 life can be very beautiful once you drop attachment to labels and banners. Just live life the way you want to, regardless if others see it as purposeful or not.

[Wilhelm44]

@Twinstar My point is that this whole life purpose thing is a myth, in the same way that the separate self doesnt exist.

[Twinstar]

@Wilhelm44 if you've reached the realization of no self, then you're absolutely right that a life purpose is also just another mind game.

[Wilhelm44]

1 minute ago, Twinstar said:

@Wilhelm44 if you've reached the realization of no self, then you're absolutely right that a life purpose is also just another mind game.

Yeah, its chasing one's own tail

 

[Yarco]

Yes, it's just stories. There's no fate that has predestined you to be the world's greatest guitar player or cabinetmaker of all time.

You just have to combine what you enjoy doing, what you're naturally good at, and what the world wants/needs to create a life purpose.

Your life purpose in D&D terms is like the obvious go-to class based on your innate stats that you rolled. If you have high dexterity you should be an archer or a thief. If you have high strength you should be a barbarian. If you have high intelligence you should be a mage. Find your real-life stat and career equivalents.

And no you aren't locked into it for life once you decide. If you get tired of one life purpose, create a new one for yourself.

[Gesundheit2]

Ego-death, for some people, is an essential part of life.