Quote:
Originally Posted by Boxcar Overkill
I doubt there is "a" purpose for one's existence.
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Of course you have a purpose.
You're no different than any of the other millions of life-forms that have evolved on Earth.
Your purpose is the same as their purpose, and your sole purpose, your one and only function, your
raison d'etre....
.... is to perpetuate the Human Species, just as it is the purpose of the Larch to perpetuate itself, and of the moss, and of the mushroom and of the daffodil, and of the rabbit, and the frog, and the snake, and the spider and the locust and of
E coli.
If you thought your purpose on Earth was to make music for other people to listen to, then you are sadly mistaken. Music does not directly ensure the survival of Humans.
I what way are you different from other life-forms? You aren't. You are born just as they are; you reach sexual maturity just as they do, you reproduce just as they do; and you die just like they do.
You can think and reason? So what? That just makes you better at reproducing to guarantee the Human Species will survive into the future.
Bambi isn't really aware of the fact that there was heavy snowfall in the mountains. And so Bambi does understand that heavy snowfall translates into a lot of melt-water run-off. And because it does, it means the river and tributaries will flood, killing Bambi (and many other organisms).
But you? You can see that, and you can take steps to either attempt to prevent a flood from killing you and your off-spring, or lessen the damage the flood might cause, or flee the area so that you don't die.
So you're special? Hardly. You're simply smarter, at least in theory. There's no Grand Cosmic Plan for you. You're here on this ship sailing through space just like everyone else. And when you finally die, that's it. You don't get reincarnated, you don't get to walk with Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven, you don't get 72 Vestal Virgins, and you don't get Nirvana.
The only thing you get is a corpse filled with bacteria chowing down on you.
You have within your means, of course, the ability to defy your
raison d'etre on this Earth and refuse to procreate. Good. That's just Natural Selection at work. The Human Gene Pool doesn't need people like that, anymore than it needs other genetically weak people increasing the odds that Humanity will be snuffed out at once at some future date.
That might sound callous and cruel, but it is reality. Occasionally life-forms come into conflict with one or more other life-forms, but that's just how it is. One will eventually win out over the other, or become extinct trying. On the other hand, they may decide they need each other, the bacteria inhabiting your mouth, esophagus, stomach and small and large intestines need you just like you need them. So you've come to an easy truce/peace.
Aside from that, it's dog eat dog, or maybe dog eat cat, cat eat rat, rat eat cockroach etc etc.
You can surely delude yourself into believing that you are here for other reasons or for no reason at all, but at the end of the day, the only real reason you're here is to have sex and create new life so that Humanity survives well on into the future. Which is the same thing every other living organism does.
So how are you different from
Homo Habilis, an Orang-u-tan or an octopus? You aren't. You are exactly like them, except you can think better and so are better adapted at surviving.
Make no mistake about it; you have a very real purpose on this Earth.
Purposely...
Mircea
