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Do you need a preordained purpose in order to live happily?

by Guest61629  |  earlier

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This question is intended to be personal, not general.

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  1. No, I think I'd be really depressed if there was a set path my life had to follow.  It seems almost machine-like to think of myself as being designed to complete a task.  My life is so much more than tasks and interactions.  I gain satisfaction from what I do, regardless if what I do has a purpose or not.  Bad things happen, regardless if I learn from them or not, I don't think they have a purpose either.


  2. No, but that just means that my ultimate purpose in life is to be established by myself rather than someone else.

    It's nice to wake up every morning asking myself, "What can I do today to make my life MEAN something?" rather than waking up, "What do I HAVE to do today to make my life GOOD ENOUGH?"

    With or without predestination, my life is plenty good enough for me. **** happens, but speaking for this very moment alone, things seem much better than I probably deserve anyways, so I find it hard to complain.

  3. Solomon said "Without a vision, the people perish."

  4. Absolutely.  Especially the Christian.

  5. no, you need God on your side.  if you don't (and trust me God has favorites and if you are not one of them, watch out) you life will suck  no matter what you do.

  6. No, you do not.  You just make a decision to live right and do the things that make you happy and not let the other stuff bother you.

  7. People need to find their own purpose in life.

  8. Hopefully this is of some help.  I wasn't sure if you meant "preordained purpose" in the sense that your life is on a track or if you meant for there to be a purpose to one's existing and the affects they create (I'm going with the latter).

    If you spend your efforts creating something (say a book) in hopes that it will reach other people and affect or change their lives.  On you're deathbed you pass away with the pleasure of knowing your work lives on and will in some way have meaning.  Ok, so here this person's pleasure is based on the legacy they left.  They are happy that their life had a meaning,  purpose.

    What if every copy of that book were destroyed before anyone read it.  Someone rounded up every copy and burned it but the author didn't know.  Nobody has or will ever read it.  The author dies having the pleasure as in the first scenario.  He still felt that same sense of meaning and purpose... but it's not actually based on anything as the thing (the legacy of the book) no longer exists.  

    What does this mean?  Well, first, one can experience pleasure in something that doesn't actually exist... you might say that it doesn't matter, as long as the person is naive to the facts, they can still have pleasure.  My take is that the pleasure in that case is an illusion, not real or based on anything.  Now, extend that to any kind of pleasure.  If nothing has a purpose or meaning, the pleasure becomes an illusion.  

    An even more bleak look... say you spend your life creating an impact that changes human society in a drastic and even positive way... in a non-spiritual universe (not religion specific) where when you die you cease to exist and everything is impermanent and based in the material world... Earth as well as humans will at one point cease to be.  So, even if it's in 5 billion years, it will still happen... it will all be gone.  And to personal experience of life, the time between one's death and the end of anything (humans, earth, universe, time, etc.) becomes infinitely instant to that individual's experience (or lack of)... so it matters even less.

  9. No, Id' be as happy knowing my purpose as not knowing it. But I would like to know about my death. What will happen afterwards. I do truly wish to exist again and have intelligence at least as advanced as now.

    Of course if I live forever, I'd sooner or later run out of things to do and having a purpose to follow or explore would be one more thing to do.

  10. Nope. I am perfectly fine as is. Personally I don't think there is any particular reason why I am here other than to live my life as best as I can. Who needs the pressure of more responsibility anyway? :)

  11. Happy can be a temporary state and may waiver to unhappiness depending on one's circumstances.  Joy--the joy of the Lord, on the other hand, is eternal.

    Each of us was purposed by God before the foundation of the world.  

    Personally, I am most happy when I'm doing what God purposed me to do:  glorify Him, make His name great, praise Him.  This can be specific in one's lifestyle:  living in loving obedience to God's will and commands.

    I'm sure because I know of times I've been outside God's will and purpose for my life so I can make a valid comparison.

    x

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