Purpose is optional?

[Athena_Ritashe]

Just wanting to see if anyone else has thoughts on this subject. Being a life form as we are it comes with a few requirements. We have to eat, sleep, use the toilet, reproduce and work together to keep the species going. So we do this stuff, we work, maybe raise a family, buy stuff, learn some stuff and decades grind by and we end up dying. That's fate, that's the way the game goes.

Some people live impressive lives, whether they are good or evil. Martin Luther King Jr, Adolph Hitler, Henry David Therou, Stalin, Che Guevera are names we know for the things they did. When I see a notable life I see that person had a purpose and they achieved it even though it may have ended their life, even if it was evil.

But life is just matter animated. What is the difference between the purposeless drive of the every day person and the purpose filled lives of people we admire? Is it because they choose a purpose? Perhaps they find a reason and put all their energy and will promoting it, until their life and the purpose they chose for it fuses together. If that's the case what causes out there are worth dedicating your life for? There are too many to count and all causes seem too big to handle.

What are your thoughts? Is there a purpose? Is purpose worth the cost?  

[Pensive Cliffhanger]

On the subject of my own purpose, I generally choose to go with whatever makes me happiest. Since death is unavoidable it means that I have a limited amount of time with which to accomplish what I will, so I simply try to enjoy the time that I have. This is different for everyone though. Some people feel happiest pursuing a strong purpose, while others feel happiest making others happy. Some might even just find happiness in giving in to their desires.

Is purpose worth the cost? If having a purpose makes someone feel fulfilled and energized, then it isn't the cost but the reward. If you think about religion, many people cling to it because it gives them a sense of purpose. It makes people's lives feel meaningful. To pursue some purposes, sacrifices do have to be made, but that depends on the purpose itself. It's impossible to weigh the pros and cons of a thousand different situations in one sentence. It depends on what purpose is being pursued, and what will have to be given up.

Is there a purpose? It depends on what you mean by purpose. That word does not simply refer to things on a larger scale. Someone's purpose could be to keep their family fed and safe, and in that they might gain satisfaction. It might not be grand or exciting, but such can also give someone a sense of purpose in life. Maybe someone makes an effort to do volunteer work at an animal shelter or works in a hospital and bets a sense of purpose from this. You seem to be using the word to refer to world-altering intent, however, and that simply involves putting someone's energies elsewhere, towards something of greater impact.

What causes out there are worth dedicating your life to? That depends on the individual. Everyone has different beliefs in what is right and wrong, and how the world should be run. I can't simply pick one cause and say that it's the one for everyone. As another point, even though two different people may believe in one cause just as strongly, one of them might not be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve it. It again goes back to the individual. I don't personally think that you should go looking for a purpose unless you're extremely unsatisfied with your life, but instead try to find purpose in the things you already do.

If you really think about the world, and how one small action can branch into a wave of effects that keeps growing - really comprehend that -, then it's hard to think that anyone goes through life without having an impact.

(Hehehe. Sorry if anything there is sloppily written. It's about two in the morning so my thoughts probably aren't that well compiled or being that well communicated.)