What's the purpose of Life ?

The point was humans cannot achieve a heavenly state without outside intervention, and that intervention is not going to be able to come from the state, because the state just embodies all the flaws of individual humans.

 

Democrats will come close to a full orgasm thinking of ways to control your life.

Since 1933 they have been the grand father passing laws. They have no part of your life they do not plan to regulate.

Want to take a pee? Yup, they are all over that and regulate that body function.'
Want to take a drive in the country. That they regulate too.

How about using parks? Sure they regulate that.

How about the color of your house? Check your CC&Rs first or city laws.

You are only hungry. So you want to catch a fish in a lake? Certainly they have laws over your hunger too.

See where this is going? Who do you trust to control your life?

We republicans seek no control over your life.

Since 1933 your common Democrats loves to create new laws.

Watch this video.

 

I'm still befuddled.

My statement was mature person decides the purpose of their own life.

I said nothing about heavenly state or flaws or anytime I've no idea what you're talking about.

 

Does a mature person always decide the entire purpose for their life??

(Maybe you should question that belief?)

 

Not following.

 

Didn't follow your statement either, maybe.

 

No my statement was people give their life purpose. Of course I follow it, I stated it.

I just don't understand why all the other things you're adding to it.

 

That statement is still pretty vague.
Some people? A few people? All people? Only people who are mature? Most mature people? All mature people?

You see what I'm getting at and why someone might not really understand what you mean.

 

Yes.

No.

 

Dear @Polydectes
RE: "not knowing anything about Nirvana"

@kazenatsu was offering equivalent parallels to Nirvana
such as comparing it to "heavenly kingdom" (heavenly peace in the Kingdom of God)
or "utopia" (paradise or perfect society and peace on earth for all humanity)

I would say "Nirvana" is about the spiritual peace of mind from letting go of material attachments
that bias our judgment with emotional factors that make us conditional instead of unconditional in our interactions with others.

And the "Kingdom of God" is both the spiritual peace and harmony internally as well as
externally in relations with others, AND in building the actual PHYSICAL paradise on earth
in terms of perfectly mature society and humanity collectively, in the REAL world as well as the spiritual level.

 

Dear @kazenatsu
I'd say all people are in different stages, so this "vague" statement
is still universal just "relative" to each person in each situation.

Different people are at different levels of awareness in life,
so it's like the Maslow's pyramid, where some people have
a very basic purpose and drive motivating them on material levels,
while others are motivated more holistically to address needs
on a broader global scale that affects greater society,
or all humanity collectively if they are thinking that big.

It depends on each person how they define their motivations and purpose.

I see this especially in how people treat their RELATIONSHIPS with others:
Do they treat relations as something disposable and replaceable with the next person so it doesn't matter?
Do they treat all relations as necessary to maintain in good faith, so everyone is important for what
they are contributing and sharing with others?

 

Dear @tecoyah
I found this:
"life is pain, pain is knowledge, knowledge is life....rinse and repeat."

it reminds me of a quotation from Kahlil Gibran:

“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self, so therefore, trust the physician and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility.”. Kahlil Gibran quotes (Lebanese born American philosophical Essayist, Novelist and Poet. 1883-1931)

Notice that the medicine may be bitter, but the purpose of the medicine is to "heal the sickness"
whatever is not healthy or balanced but is somehow diseases or disordered.

We may go through "growing pains" in life @tecoyah
but the purpose is not to suffer for suffering sake in itself!

The purpose of the suffering through pains is to grow in understanding.

It is to IMPROVE (not suffer for no reason), wouldn't you agree?

The more we understand, the less painful we make it for ourselves by "resisting change."

Sure, all people resist change and want to avoid suffering.
But when we are more fully aware what is redemptive suffering that is worth the effort,
vs. what is NEEDLESS suffering from problems we bring on ourselves,
then we no longer FEAR suffering. We can learn the DIFFERENCE between
spiritual growth and spiritual damage.

Pain and soreness from exercising properly is
different from pain and soreness from abusing one's body to cause injury!

Do you agree there is a major difference between
the reason and types of suffering we experience?

 

When I think of Nirvana it makes me feel stupid and contagious.

Lol

 

While I appreciate the free therapy session it seems clear the sig statement was not understood as intended.

 

Can we start where you lost me.
You made a reference to your SIG
and a big IF. Can you tell me what
you meant by both the SIG and
what is the big IF you refer to? Thanks!

 

Yes and no @Polydectes
We can't just determine all things by our own will
because the world consists of OTHER people involved all trying to do the same for their purposes and perspectives. We don't control all the forces of
nature or stages in life by our own volition and doing.

I am guessing what @kazenatsu is referring to:
if left to our own devices where each person decides their own purpose,
the flaws of each person are added up collectively.

If anything is going to correct or improve the human condition,
then the "energy" to introduce greater motivation or change
must be coming from some other source than just the people within society.

So in order to rise above the problems and solve them where
humanity reaches a mature state of "world peace" (or the heavenly kingdom
of peace on earth or paradise), that's where something greater
than just ourselves is the source of the energy and change to fulfill this process.

That's what I'm guessing:
There has to be MORE to Life than just "individuals deciding what we
do with our lives" or else we'd never make progress.

Once people get on a selfish trajectory, and get into recurring problems
in a vicious cycle of retribution by competing to achieve our
own purposes, we'd never break free but stay stuck all wanting
things our way by deciding and imposing this on our own.

Collectively the whole ends up being greater than the sum of the parts.

There is some source of life or energy, beyond just ourselves and our
will as "we decide," which directs the forces of life on a higher level beyond our conscious will.

 

The big IF was your comment that IF we consider life to be God. The SIG simply means that life is a series of lessons, some that are painful. We learn from these and become better because of it if we wish to Some people however, become bitter and angry instead.

 

Reverse Entropy

 

Thank you @tecoyah
I find your summary above to be quite consistent with views of God.
I see no reason to reject teachings using "God" to express this same wisdom.
Universal truths in life, by definition, still hold for all people - regardless how these are expressed, using symbolism or not.

As for "bitterness and anger"
1. some of that is part of the natural process of growing or growing pains
2. however, if unforgiveness is CHRONIC, this interferes or blocks progress
including damaging relationships and escalating conflicts instead of solving problems
3. This is where I do understand that Christianity teaches a higher level of forgiveness.
When people reach a limit and cannot forgive by our own will, that's when the
Christian teaching of asking for divine intervention, grace and mercy enters in.

Normally, we can learn and choose letting go and "forgiving" to release negative emotions and attachments.

But when we get so stuck that we fail, and cannot change even if we wanted to,
that's when praying and asking help from beyond our own capacity
has helped people to overcome barriers and setbacks in life that
otherwise leave us stuck in "anger and bitterness."

 

I suppose the only real difference would be that I do not expect outside of myself assistance to do this, and feel stronger because of it.

 

Dear @tecoyah
It depends I guess on what you consider outside yourself.
Whatever work it takes to manage conflicts and relationships,
that is never just a one way deal where we control everything ourselves.

And when you are dealing with a group of people, that's definitely
not something where single person can control all the dynamics and outcome.

Relationship dynamics and group dynamics are going to take
more than just ourselves. Whatever you call the energy to make
things work out with people, the whole ends up greater than the sum of the parts.

It does take something more than just what each person contributes.
The synergy between putting people and minds together becomes an added element
that often takes on a "life of its own."

 

Simple really,life IS the purpose.

 

Granted, the power of God/Religion lies in its usefulness as a control mechanism on human nature in societal dynamics. In this way it is similar to and helped to develop the justice and law aspect of modern culture world wide. I was primarily dealing with the individual aspect of this as the discussion centered on Karma which is a very personal concept.

 

Karma a very personal concept? Maybe but if human nature triggers our extinction I’d suggest we’re staring down the barrel of collective karma.

 

I suppose if we take the idea to its broadest conclusion, then you have a point.