Sole Purpose?

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SirPostAlot
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Sole Purpose?

Post by SirPostAlot »

Do you believe that we have a sole purpose in life?



Personally i say no, but this was a pretty arguementative debate between myself and peers...haha...



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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by Jaegermeister »

No, nothing is so simple that it only has 1 purpose. For example: a tree. While its primary function may be to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, many are also quite aesthetically pleasing, and serve the purpose of being beautiful to our eyes. I doubt God would be so simple as to simply assign us 1 task to complete. I think there are many purposes to our lives, but some are much more important than others, and I think that half the time we don't even realize what purpose we are actually serving, regardless of what our petty human hubris tells us.
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by Lena »

No. I don't believe that we have a sole purpose in life.
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by junglemonkey »


No, nothing is so simple that it only has 1 purpose. For example: a tree. While its primary function may be to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, many are also quite aesthetically pleasing, and serve the purpose of being beautiful to our eyes. I doubt God would be so simple as to simply assign us 1 task to complete. I think there are many purposes to our lives, but some are much more important than others, and I think that half the time we don't even realize what purpose we are actually serving, regardless of what our petty human hubris tells us.

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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by SirPostAlot »

so, TJ, do you believe that our lives - and thusly our purposes - are predestined? like if i were to walk on the street and help a little boy find his mother, do you believe that, that was one of my presdestined purposes in life, or a coincidental purpose?



just curious...



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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by yoaliens3000 »

Technically the catholic stance is that our purpose in life is to grow in relationship with God. Do I agree with that, yes I do. God leaves it wide open for us. For some people education may be a way to grow with God. For others, it may be being involved in a sports team. By loving and growing in relationships with others - we have strengthened our relationship with God. God wants us to having fulfilling lives, taking advantage of every opportunity we have to make it better. Obviously this doesn't mean God wants us to pray and go to church 24/7. We will always be growing in our relationship with God.
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by Beautiful »

I said yes, but i'm not too sure. I mean, if there was a sole purpose in life, then wouldnt that mean theres an afterlife and that its gonna help us out then too?
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by SirPostAlot »

Perhaps...but people who believe in sole purposes whould probably argue that things like abortion are wrong because that is taking away the potential for a sole purpose - like you aborted the woman who would find the cure for cancer or w/e...

but then again if you believe in sole purposes, you have to assume that assasinations and stuff to that nature, was that, that persons sole purpose - to be the assasinator?



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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by yoaliens3000 »


Perhaps...but people who believe in sole purposes whould probably argue that things like abortion are wrong because that is taking away the potential for a sole purpose - like you aborted the woman who would find the cure for cancer or w/e...

but then again if you believe in sole purposes, you have to assume that assasinations and stuff to that nature, was that, that persons sole purpose - to be the assasinator?



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[/b]
I'm kinda confused by your post. Ive never heard someone make that argument against abortion.



You seem to be confusing sole purpose and free will. I wish I could explain myself more over typing, but I doubt I'm capable of doing it coherently.
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by SirPostAlot »


I'm kinda confused by your post. Ive never heard someone make that argument against abortion.



You seem to be confusing sole purpose and free will. I wish I could explain myself more over typing, but I doubt I'm capable of doing it coherently.

[/b]


well i don't believe in sole purposes, so im just interested in peoples belief in them...



like i was just wondering if it (like some other things) has limitations toward beliefs, like saying killing someone is not someones purpose in life, it is their free will - for instance...



like a few of my friends (who believe in sole purposes) say that everyone has a positive sole purpose and that what they do negative is NOT their purpose in life...



but my arguement (which sorta ticked them off) was saying that we all know that there are evil people in this world, so perhaps some people were born to eventually kill off these evil people...



for instance:

Person A born in 1970 and his purpose was to invent some drug that would momentarily cure cancer, but it turns out it has a side effect. BUT one of the inventative things added to that drug was a break through in medecine and was the purpose of his purose in life...but he continued (because of greed) to pound out these drugs which eventually could wipe out a great portion of our peers...



Person B was born in 1980 (before person A made the medicine, but god makes our purposes, so he would know about everything) and his purpose in life was to eventually kill person A (for reasons like becuase of persons A pills, persons B father died)...and the killing occurs after the side effects are found out but the breakthrough has taken place...so his purpose in life was to kill off person A...



does that make sence? haha...see i don't believe in any of it, but its really really interesting to think about...



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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by yoaliens3000 »


well i don't believe in sole purposes, so im just interested in peoples belief in them...



like i was just wondering if it (like some other things) has limitations toward beliefs, like saying killing someone is not someones purpose in life, it is their free will - for instance...



like a few of my friends (who believe in sole purposes) say that everyone has a positive sole purpose and that what they do negative is NOT their purpose in life...



but my arguement (which sorta ticked them off) was saying that we all know that there are evil people in this world, so perhaps some people were born to eventually kill off these evil people...



for instance:

Person A born in 1970 and his purpose was to invent some drug that would momentarily cure cancer, but it turns out it has a side effect. BUT one of the inventative things added to that drug was a break through in medecine and was the purpose of his purose in life...but he continued (because of greed) to pound out these drugs which eventually could wipe out a great portion of our peers...



Person B was born in 1980 (before person A made the medicine, but god makes our purposes, so he would know about everything) and his purpose in life was to eventually kill person A (for reasons like becuase of persons A pills, persons B father died)...and the killing occurs after the side effects are found out but the breakthrough has taken place...so his purpose in life was to kill off person A...



does that make sence? haha...see i don't believe in any of it, but its really really interesting to think about...



~Jeff~

[/b]


I really dont understand that. Ive never heard it said like that. Kinda seems like you think having a sole purpose and having free will are complete opposites. You take things way to literal jeff. Well I dont really want to repeat myself and say what I said 2 posts ago when I first answered the question. I think we all have the same goal and purpose in life. The different steps we take to get there is what matters.
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by Paris In Flames »

I believe that we are all here for a reason, to better one another.

So yes, I totally agree with that.

However, I also believe in karma.

So while we may not have a specific sole purpose...

I think that what we do affects others and ourselves, to better ourselves for one another.



If that makes sense?



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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by Barbies are Evil »

actually I think our destiny is our sole purpose in life. Like I know i'm meant to work with little kids, as that is my passion, my heart....... I am a big believer in destiny, so yeah.......
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by SirPostAlot »

well my passion, my heart, is working w/ people and their finances and helping them enjoy their livlihood regardless of their wealth, but i don't see that as my destiny in life, you know? i just belieev that through genetics, my dna is encoded with that form of help, you know?

i mean my mother is a counsler and my father is an accounant: put those two together (helping people and money) and you get basically what i want to do...

and i mena thats even true w/ my sister ~ she wants to be a sports phycologist (again helping people, and my father is a big sports advocate - so thats where hte sports leans in)...

so, i don't really want to give "credit" to destiny for why i desire to do that for my profession, i just believe that it is somehow encoded in the DNA or w/e, you know? haha



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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by yoaliens3000 »


well my passion, my heart, is working w/ people and their finances and helping them enjoy their livlihood regardless of their wealth, but i don't see that as my destiny in life, you know? i just belieev that through genetics, my dna is encoded with that form of help, you know?

i mean my mother is a counsler and my father is an accounant: put those two together (helping people and money) and you get basically what i want to do...

and i mena thats even true w/ my sister ~ she wants to be a sports phycologist (again helping people, and my father is a big sports advocate - so thats where hte sports leans in)...

so, i don't really want to give "credit" to destiny for why i desire to do that for my profession, i just believe that it is somehow encoded in the DNA or w/e, you know? haha



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[/b]


Likes and dislikes are not encoded in your DNA at all. Twins, who have exactly the same DNA, but whose personal likes and dislikes can be quite different. All DNA has to do with is biological development.
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by SirPostAlot »

ohh, tahts interesting ~ i always thought it had to do with like the backdrop to our likes and dislikes (like not exactly per se, but like the range of them) ~ i guess it would be just be the enviorment of raising than, right? hmm...tahts really interesting, haha i feel unintelligent now becuase i thought it like molded the backdrop or w/e...



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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by 5a5 »

i dont think we have a sole purpose in life because that would mean if a person didnt fulfill that purpose their life would be a waste, and i dont think that's true. i do believe though that every person is meant for something specific and right just for them, but whatever that is is for us to find out it's not something that's assigned to us, and our purpose can chance because as humans we grow and change too
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by Tree Fingers »

The world is predetermined; not to be confused with predestined.



Predestined implies that there is an organized path that has been prescribed for a being; that is, every action has been meaningfully predetermined.



Predetermined means that we have no choice in our thoughts and actions, and but it is not organized as such, it is merely impossible to break away from the factors that do the determination. Every thought and action are motivated by another action or thought, and it could not be other wise. You could not be doing anything other than what you are doing right as you read this, and you could not be thinking anything other than what you are thinking when you read this. You may say, "yes i can, i can change what i am thinking about" but see, that was prompted by you reading this.
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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by SirPostAlot »

what you are saying for predetermined is basically the smae thing except mentally versus physically...

haha, maybe its just me but when i read what you wrote it sounds illogical to me ~ basically what you are saying is that it is predetermined who thinks of what ideas ~ so it doesn't matter if i try to convince people to become my client when i am older becuase it is already in their head (many years before hand) if they would come...so it doesn't matter how much i cram for the test, it is already predetermined what my brain will recall for the test? right, isn't that what you are indicating...unless it is predetermined for me to think i need to study which will start to actually indirectly study for the test without actually studying...

i don't buy that my thoughts are predetermined...putting to much belief that someone has set my brain to recall certain memories or to think about a certain thing is perpausterous... no one knows what the world intails, no one knows what is going to be the topic of the day...



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Re: Sole Purpose?

Post by Tree Fingers »


what you are saying for predetermined is basically the smae thing except mentally versus physically...

haha, maybe its just me but when i read what you wrote it sounds illogical to me ~ basically what you are saying is that it is predetermined who thinks of what ideas ~ so it doesn't matter if i try to convince people to become my client when i am older becuase it is already in their head (many years before hand) if they would come...so it doesn't matter how much i cram for the test, it is already predetermined what my brain will recall for the test? right, isn't that what you are indicating...unless it is predetermined for me to think i need to study which will start to actually indirectly study for the test without actually studying...

i don't buy that my thoughts are predetermined...putting to much belief that someone has set my brain to recall certain memories or to think about a certain thing is perpausterous... no one knows what the world intails, no one knows what is going to be the topic of the day...



~Jeff~

[/b]


Let me clarify:

Both predestined and predetermined regard all aspects life: thought and physical activity. The difference is that "destiny" implies that there is a goal in which all such actions are meant to be. For predetermination, or Determinism, there is no such goal, and there is no meaning; it's simply that you only did what you were going to do and will only do what you are going to do. Understand? There is no free will in either instances; except in the case of predestination you are meant to be doing what you are doing, as though it was purposely orchestrated. Predetermination you aren't meant to be doing anything, there is no meaning, you simply are constantly affected by all other factors. You cannot do what you cannot do. For example, if you throw a baseball, then it is impossible that at the same instant that you threw that baseball that you could have not thrown the baseball. There is only one option.
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