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Threads like this are great, because they remind me that no matter how annoyed I get with my own psyche/self/surroundings/existence, I never get to the point of having anxiety attacks about it.
I'm a depressive but I am absolutely blessed to have a good sense of humour.
Worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow or after I die, is like worrying about what shoes Beyonce is going to wear today.
Not relevant to me in the slightest. I just don't care. I don't think about it, at all, not ever. Waste of brain power and for what? I have no control over any of it.
If you think of eternity, it's just too much for our human brains. We cannot understand the universe, never have been able to, religion is just an attempt to put a human face on something that is far beyond our comprehension.
There could be NOTHING, in which case, you won't know, so who cares. Again, Beyonce's shoes.
Maybe you need some meds or counselling? Most people don't think the way you do, it must be exhausting and life limiting.
What do you mean most people don't think like I do? I don't find it exhausting. I still think we need to try to understand our reality and all that
I agree with the unlikelihood that life on earth or humans was specifically planned by something. Given the seemingly infinite expanse of the universe, it wouldn't make much sense for every person to be micromanaged by some deity of some sort. However, there must be some explanation for why the universe exists, how it got here, whether something existed before it, and why the laws of physics are the way they are. There must be an explanation for why we experience consciousness the way we do instead of simply being "ghosts in the machine." You and I will never learn the answers to these questions, but that doesn't mean we don't fit into some larger thing that could have some sort of purpose.
I can't see how the Universe can just be eternal and no agency beyond our understanding, and we show up awake on a floating green and blue rock one day.
Even if there is no grand purpose, why is the Universe there? How can it just " be". How can it be a black void? into almost nothingness, because nothing is something.
It's totally messing with my head I want answers.
What was before the big bang? was it just another void? does the universe go in cycles? what is between universes.
How can there be nothing and just big banging all over the place? spreading into what, does the universe have limits?
Last edited by Swan Dive; 05-13-2014 at 09:32 PM..
If life is just for the experience of it, and we have no memory of it after death. it's doesn't matter how good you lived.. you're dead you didn't know you were there in first place.
There has to be more to life then spreading our genes and that's it
I can't see how the Universe can just be eternal and no agency beyond our understanding, and we show up awake on a floating green and blue rock one day.
Even if there is no grand purpose, why is the Universe there? How can it just " be". How can it be a black void? into almost nothingness, because nothing is something.
I agree with the unlikelihood that life on earth or humans was specifically planned by something. Given the seemingly infinite expanse of the universe, it wouldn't make much sense for every person to be micromanaged by some deity of some sort. However, there must be some explanation for why the universe exists, how it got here, whether something existed before it, and why the laws of physics are the way they are. There must be an explanation for why we experience consciousness the way we do instead of simply being "ghosts in the machine." You and I will never learn the answers to these questions, but that doesn't mean we don't fit into some larger thing that could have some sort of purpose.
Great questions!
My feeling is that the question about why the universe exists is different than why we have the ability to reflect on our own personal existence. We can perhaps determine one without determining the other.
Once we make this reduction, I believe we can attack the problem of self since it does not require physics or metaphysics to understand. I gave my view on self (or the soul) so no need to repeat that.
To posit a "purpose" as an explanation for things we do not understand is natural but not at all logical. If we don't understand something we need to try harder to figure it out rather than making up scenarios that invoke god, purpose, or whatever as a catch-all explanation. Lack of knowledge is a wonderful opportunity for us to use our intellect to see how we can come up with an answer.
In the practical world, there is nothing more useless than philosophy; the reason being that the philosopher, while contemplating the world, is the least of all connected to it. Indeed, the very act of contemplation of necessity separates the philosopher from the seemingly mindless and chaotic swirl of human events; and from which vantage he ponders the meaning and purpose of life, the world and the universe. It is a fruitless exercise, for it is a mystery that defies explanation for all but those that search for themselves alone; and even they are cast adrift with no more sense of direction than anyone else. It is all meaningless and purposeless - like the patterns of Persian rugs or the random movements of microbes. And so what good is all this philosophy, all this heady discussion and heated argument over the "big questions"? The most casual fellow will tell you plainly that there is nothing in it.
Here is post from someone else that I am having a discussion with. It's regards to our grand purpose.
We may be wired to look for one what do you think of this?
Why do so many people THINK that there must be a grand purpose? There are studies that look into "selective teleology" and "promiscuous teleology", the tendency of people to think that all things were designed for a purpose rather than emerging by chance from mechanical natural events. Personally, I think that this happens because, whenever a child asks "Why?", most parents try to give an answer in the form "Because it benefits some living being", rather than an answer in the form "As an unavoidable consequence of these natural processes". That works within the fields of human endeavors [Why is a 747 so big? Why is this highway here? Why is this behavior illegal?] but not for natural processes [Why does the giraffe have such a long neck? Why does the sun shine? Why are plants green? Why do earthquakes happen? Why did life emerge? Why does it rain? Why do our brains / hearts / stomachs work this way? Why do people get colds / AIDS / cancer?]. Parents try to answer "Why?" questions about nature with reasons rather than causes ["So that the giraffe can reach the leaves on tall trees", "It rains so that farmers crops can grow"... rather than explaining natural selection, or cloud formation], which leads people to expect a reason [not just a cause] for everything. That may not be the actual cause for why people expect for there to be purposes everywhere, but it is my hypothesis. Another hypothesis, discussed by people like Daniel Dennett and Michael Shermer, is that we have evolved to see intention where there is none. [EDIT: They say we have a "Hyperactive Agency Detection Device". I'm trying to remember what these things are called so that you can Google them if you want more details]. As our ancestors wandered around the wilderness, if a bush rustled, the people who thought "There is probably a being in there, we should be careful" were less likely to get eaten by predators, or killed by adversaries, than the people who thought "It's probably just the wind or some other natural thing that I don't need to worry about". So maybe there was an evolutionary pressure to see predators / spirits behind natural phenomena, and to be wary of them. I don't know if that's true either. But, bottom line: for some reason [wait, I mean: Due to some cause], people expect to see purpose and deliberate design and a "reason" behind everything, even when there is none to be found).
I'm not saying abandon critical thought. Yes, of course we are wired to look for reasons. But sometimes the reasons don't matter, so there's no point in looking for them. You're tying yourself in knots over the abstract and ignoring the real and the solid.
You say you're not ready to do anything about your anxiety, but it looks like it's time for you to take some action on that frankly. You're posting long rambling esoterica and obsessing over unanswerable questions. Some sort of cognitive therapy that helps you to focus on the here and now would probably be very helpful to you. And don't discount anti-anxiety meds. But honestly, there may be something else going on with you.
It's all just an accident. But we should try to be "nice" anyway, even if it's meaningless because all creatures experience pain.
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