BleepingComputer.com: Philosophy Of Life

I was recently doing a paper on Life and I wonder, how do some people think there is no purpose in life that they kill themselves?

I really want to hear ur comments

People who commit suicide usually have some form of depression, anxiety or stress.
However (IMO) that doesn't mean they think there isn't a purpose in life.

Before I say anything else, let it be known that I am not suicidal. Depressed? Depends on how you define the word. I prefer the phrase "dissappointed with the world."

Here are my thoughts and feelings on the subject at hand:

I cannot say for sure one way or another whether there is a purpose for life or not. A lot of this depends on your viewpoint and I still haven't found mine yet. I keep moving around to continue using my metaphor. Any person that has any religious faith of any kind will tell you with a certain amount of certainty not only is there a purpose in life, but they can tell you what it is. But it is all based on religious beliefs.

These religious people share something in common with the folks out there who are not religious, but still believe there is a purpose for their life. That common ground is their upringing, and their values.

My problem is I've seen too much of the 'dark' in the world to see anything that makes sense of it all. I've lost faith that there's a purpose. I've come to a point in my life where, not only do I not see a point to life, but I don't really see a point to anything. This idea is still relatively knew to me, and somewhat unexplored, but I am starting to think that my feeling that everything is pointless is very much dependent on the feeling that life itself is pointless.

I have talked to many people of various religious faiths, and while they all pose very reasonable arguments for what they believe, I cannot be convinced that any of them speak an exact truth. Maybe it's because they are all just as convinced as the rest of them of their own beliefs, even the ones that contradict the others. I'm left at a stand still.

So I try to make sense of what I've seen, what I've learned, what I've come to believe. I'm sure there's a fault somewhere in their, but I can't find it. If you take away the belief that there is life after death, what is the point of life? When I see animals/people die, I don't see any kind of evidence that would give the notion that there is life after death. It seems more evident that the driving force behind said creature has been exhausted. Like a tank of gas. An empty carcass. Meat. Food for the other creatures of nature, eventually destined to break down and become dust of the earth again.

Nobody can really argue about what happens to the physical body when death occurs, but there is plenty of debate over whether there is a soul, and if so, what happens to it.

I was raised with no religious influence whatsoever. I'm not sure if my parents weren't religious themselves during that time, or if they felt they'd let me find my own path without persuasion. What I do know is that as I grew up, I had the notion that the purpose in life was to further society in technology, knowledge, and population. Basically do your part, have kids and die.

However instead of taking the 'normal' road, I joined the military at the young age of 17. Do to a rocky childhood, I had already been exposed to much of the world, so going overseas for the first time wasn't a complete culture shock, but it did have it's effect on me. I had the opportunity to be exposed to a completely different culture on the other side of the world that was just as busy trying to further themselves along as we were. In fact in most cases they were busier. These people worked hard at their jobs. They worked hard at trying to improve things around them. To make it better. But why? This is when I started to question my fundamental beliefs. Why did they work so hard to make things better? What's the goal? What's the finish line? When do you know you're done improving the world? That the world is as good as it's gonna get? When we create 'paradise'? That's not possible?

I started to believe that we were as mankind are chasing our tail. We have no goal, no finish line. We have no purpose. For those of you that have your religious faith: hold on to it. I am jealous of you who are somehow able to believe in what I see to be a very clever method of controlling a population, and getting them to accept death without fearing it as much. I wish I could believe there was purpose. But I can't.

Until I find my way, I will simply float along watching the rest of the dog chase it's tail, hoping at somepoint there is a point to all of this.

But I'm not holding my breath.

I would define it as a loss of hope - an emptiness in your spirit.

I had a close friend of mine that seemed to have it all. She managed a lab, had a successful husband, great kids, great house, and the good stuff to balance everything. One night she staged her suicide and took her life. I though about her at great length. How did we fail to "see" what was happening? Law enforcement investigated this death at great length because there was no reason she would have killed herself. They eventually found her trail - her goodbyes - her setting of a stage. No one will ever know the whys, but there had to be something from within.

Others I have dealt with used suicide as an exit to hopeless situations, work problems, affairs, loneliness, etc... I guess they figured since they can't fix the issues, they would stop the pain by ending their life.

As for depression... no doubt it kills.

Everyone has a different purpose/use for life. No one knows what happens before life, or after, only this spec of a moment on the timeline of infinity. Actually, there is no purpose. Do what you want. There are very few people who make an impact on this world (which is so small in itself, and you are even smaller on it), one coming to mind is Hitler. So, if you want to be remembered, dont do good things. just perform a genocide or something. but it really doesnt matter what you do, kill yourself for all i care

I do not know everyones position, but I found that a totally different perspective/philosophy came to me, once I was in a situation where my own life was on the line, and the result of that, could effect others some of whom I knew and some of whom I would never know. I grew personally of to myself and to the effect of it on others.

I have 5 sons
Is there a meaning to my life ?
Yes
Cook cleaner and bottle washer

[quote name='THE_wizard' post='758614' date='Mar 4 2008, 08:48 PM']I was recently doing a paper on Life and I wonder, how do some people think there is no purpose in life that they kill themselves?

I really want to hear ur comments [/quote]


Sorry - but I only became a member a few days ago and have been browsing about - I don't mean to interupt the current strain but thought I'd comment on the original post in that : I don't believe that people kill themselves because "they have NO purpose", but rather because they are disparaged by their environments (and of course, the people in them) in their ability(ies) to FULFILL "a" purpose.

jts

[quote name='NYtrans' post='792832' date='Apr 10 2008, 08:27 PM'][quote name='THE_wizard' post='758614' date='Mar 4 2008, 08:48 PM']I was recently doing a paper on Life and I wonder, how do some people think there is no purpose in life that they kill themselves?

I really want to hear ur comments [/quote]


Sorry - but I only became a member a few days ago and have been browsing about - I don't mean to interupt the current strain but thought I'd comment on the original post in that : I don't believe that people kill themselves because "they have NO purpose", but rather because they are disparaged by their environments (and of course, the people in them) in their ability(ies) to FULFILL "a" purpose.

jts
[/quote]

people kill themselves cause they crazy!!!

"One must know how to die at the right time."
F.W.Nietzsche

One could argue that people who commit suicide do fulfill a purpose, or rather exercise a choice about living, and that not all do so without thinking it through in a rational manner.
Cheers,
John

Hi, my name is esbee. All the billions of planets, all the universe, the earth, the animals, the birds, the plants don't ask if there is a meaning to life. Why? Why do we human beings ask? All of existence seems to be agressively perpetuating itself. There seems to be great importance and direction to this in this movement. Our influence on this movement on the other hand, in just a short space of planetary time, have resulted in having great negative impact. We destroy them, us, everything. We seem to be bent on destructive self preservation. The purpose of life is obviously to live, but to do so at the expense of everything else is definitely an insane act. If we cannot value the life around us, on which our very life depends then we're all guilty commiting sucide. The problem is not individual we all are victims. If your mind is occupied with the latest "something", you think you have a purpose because it carries you into tomorrow. This thinking, even though it looks like a purpose is really just our self-centered. Without this "something" would we have a purpose?, would we want to live. Thanks Jollyroger.

[quote name='Esbee' post='801846' date='Apr 19 2008, 08:48 PM']Hi, my name is esbee. All the billions of planets, all the universe, the earth, the animals, the birds, the plants don't ask if there is a meaning to life. Why? Why do we human beings ask? All of existence seems to be agressively perpetuating itself. There seems to be great importance and direction to this in this movement. Our influence on this movement on the other hand, in just a short space of planetary time, have resulted in having great negative impact. We destroy them, us, everything. We seem to be bent on destructive self preservation. The purpose of life is obviously to live, but to do so at the expense of everything else is definitely an insane act. If we cannot value the life around us, on which our very life depends then we're all guilty commiting sucide. The problem is not individual we all are victims. If your mind is occupied with the latest "something", you think you have a purpose because it carries you into tomorrow. This thinking, even though it looks like a purpose is really just our self-centered. Without this "something" would we have a purpose?, would we want to live. Thanks Jollyroger.[/quote]

Well, this world will die one day, even if we dont kill it, however, i will agree that we are using up resources and destroying many of the things that keep this planet going, and will probably lead to its premature death. however, i do have some faith in the human race. I try not to look just at the usa, because i think most of our governments and corporations goals lie in excavation, construction, destruction, and money, among other dangerous things. but, there is hope. There are many countries on this earth that have learned to power their part of the human civilization with only renewable resources. Iceland comes to mind first. Most of the energy that they use to power homes and buildings, where we would use natural gas and coal, they utilize the hot springs that they have to nearly their full potential. They are soon, within the next ten years, switching their entire fishing fleet, to hydrogen power. This would mean that they would be operating completely on renewable resources. In my opinion, this is at least a positive step in the right direction, away from the "suicide" you mentioned above.

A Possibility....

Perhaps a 'universal' definition for the meaning of life is not feasible. Perhaps it is a concept that is in constant flux moment to moment depending on the experiences of choice. A rock's choices seem rather simple...a badger's less so...a human's...well...maybe one could learn from the rock! Perhaps 'it' is all much simpler than one wants it to be.

...just a possibility!

[quote name='Christohere' post='802781' date='Apr 20 2008, 10:05 PM']A Possibility....

Perhaps a 'universal' definition for the meaning of life is not feasible. Perhaps it is a concept that is in constant flux moment to moment depending on the experiences of choice. A rock's choices seem rather simple...a badger's less so...a human's...well...maybe one could learn from the rock! Perhaps 'it' is all much simpler than one wants it to be.

...just a possibility![/quote]

well people have tried living simply in this country. One that comes to mind, since we reached modern civilization, are the hippies that tried living together in california. While their decisions may have been partially drug induced, the way they treated children questionable, and some pretty weird sexual behavior, they still tried, and it is generally considered unacceptable. Similar to the people who have chosen to live as bums and scavengers, a very simple life, but widely regarded as unacceptable in our society. So, the way I see it, if you want to fit into society these days, you need to get a career and try to make a lot of money and buy things made by corporations, or you just wont fit in. Pretty simple.

Perhaps when one is in the moment...being a rock...there is no anger or judgment...maybe a redwood suites you better...?