What do you think is the main purpose of living?

to live?

I am asking you, why are you asking me.

God is perfect. Therefore He could not have created the world for His own benefit, since there is nothing that He could have added to His own perfection. Rather, He created the world for our sake, i.e. in order to share His perfect goodness with us.
Now, His perfect goodness means that He created us in such a way that by so doing, He was doing not only good but the best possible good. On the surface, this ought to have been achieved by creating us as close to Him, to perfect goodness, as possible.
But that would have made us very different to God in one crucial respect. He would be a creator of goodness; we would be a created goodness. He would be an active bestower of good; we would be spiritual robots.
Therefore, God made a two-stage process, with two separate environments. He created us so that at first we would be a certain distance away from Him. As a result we would have freedom of choice and, should we choose good, we would be active creators of good in our own right. The environment that is perfect for this is this world. Then, having acquired that crucial attribute of being a creator of good we move on, with this attribute, to the next world. That world is perfectly suited for being as close to God with respect to all our other attributes.
We are now ready to receive the maximum good, of basking in and deriving pleasure from God’s magnificent radiance
So GentlBlunt, Our presence here is just 1 of God 2 stage plan. How we fair here will ultimate tell if we move into the second.

GentlBlunt:

What do you think is the main purpose of living?

Living, and whatever you deem necessary to lead a "good" life.

when we die, we find out

Life has no purpose

then what r u up to? so if u got bored tomorrow u can commit suicide?

nferyn:

Life has no purpose

dejiolowe:

then what r u up to? so if u got bored tomorrow u can commit suicide?

I've got responsibilities for my wife and children and I enjoy living too much
What I mean to say is that there is no inherent purpose to life, the purpose is what you make of it.

nferyn:

I've got responsibilities for my wife and children and I enjoy living too much

wife and children?. hope u r not teaching them this things u say here o

nferyn:

What I mean to say is that there is no inherent purpose to life, the purpose is what you make of it.

ok i get u (for the first time!)

dejiolowe:

wife and children?. hope you're not teaching them this things u say here o

My wife's Christian.We don't share exactly the same outlook on life. As for my children, when they reach the maturity and age to think about these subjects, why not?

dejiolowe:

ok i get u (for the first time!)

Cause for celebration

nferyn:

My wife's Christian.We don't share exactly the same outlook on life.

how did she get to marry u? i fear o!

He pretended

dejiolowe:

how did she get to marry u? i fear o!

Some people are open minded. I hope the concept doesn't ellude you

nferyn:

Some people are open minded. I hope the concept doesn't ellude you

you have raised a wonderful family so i guess for whatever its worth you both have managed to marry your different outlook but life do have an inherent purpose...........i dont want us to turn this thread topic around again but

the purpose of life is to fulfil God's purpose here on earth, and he has made provision for you for that purpose

dejiolowe:

when we die, we find out

and then what? there is no thought or devise any more in death, your statement by extrapolation merges with what nferyn affirms, no purpose!!! each life has a purpose attach to it you need to find it and do it

"And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)". (Surah Adh-Dhariyat Verse 56)

From an islamic point of view, worshipping Allah encompasses everything you do thats not forbidden i.e. praying, helping the poor, fasting, going to work, loving your wife, feeding your family, having kids and guiding them and teaching them good manners, reading, teaching, eating, conteplating on Allah's creation, sleeping etc. All thse are acts of worshipping Allah, our creator.

@kismat r u a ninja?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXISTENCE?


In the most basic sense, the purpose of life is being - as opposed to not being.

In your system of three-dimensional reality you are learning about mental energy (also called thought energy or psychic energy) and how to use it.

Knowledge about mental energy and its use is learned by constantly transforming your thoughts and emotions into physical form (your physical reality) and by then perceiving and dealing with the matter and events that are formed.

From doing this, you are supposed to get a clear picture of your inner development as it is reflected by the exterior environment.

You participate in physical reality so that you can operate and experience within this dimension. Here, you can develop your abilities, learn, create, solve problems and help others.

Matter is the shape that basic experience takes when it comes into your three-dimensional system.

Your dreams, thoughts, expectations, beliefs and emotions are literally transformed into physical matter.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Every nerve and fiber within the body has an unseen inner purpose. Nerve impulses travel outward from the body, along invisible pathways, in much the same manner that they travel within the body.

These pathways are carriers of telepathic thoughts, impulses, and desires containing all the codified data necessary for translating any thought or image into physical actuality, altering seemingly objective events.

This telepathy operates constantly at an "automatic" or subconscious level, providing communication to back up sensory data. Telepathy is the glue that holds the physical universe in position, so that you can agree on the existence and properties of objects. In one respect, your body and all physical objects go flying out in all directions from the inner core of the whole self.

The physical environment is, therefore, as much a part of you as your own body.

What seems to be a perception, an objective concrete event independent from you, is instead the materialization of your own emotions, energy and mental environment. Events and objects are actually focal points where highly charged psychic impulses are transformed into something that can be physically perceived: a breakthrough into matter.

The intensity of a thought or image largely determines the immediacy of the physical materialization. All such images or thoughts are not completely materialized, in your perception, as their intensity may be too weak.

MY INTELLECT DOESN'T HAVE THE INFORMATION TO CONTROL ALL OF THIS,
HOW IS IT HANDLED?

There is an inner ego, an inner self which organizes "unconscious" material.

As the outer ego manipulates within the physical environment, so the inner ego or self organizes and manipulates within inner reality.

It is this inner self, out of massive knowledge and the unlimited scope of its consciousness, that forms the physical world and provides the stimuli to keep the outer ego at the job of awareness. The inner self organizes, initiates, projects and controls the transformation of psychic energy into matter and objects.

The energy of this inner self is used by it to form a material counterpart (you). You then deal with the physical reality that is made and work out your own creative role.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE WORKINGS OF THE
"INNER SELF"

The individual inner self, through constant effort of great intensity, cooperates with other entities like itself to form and maintain the physical reality that you know.

The inner self has a virtually infinite reservoir from which to draw knowledge and experience. All kinds of choices are available, and the diversity of physical matter is a reflection of this deep source and variety.

Having determined upon physical reality as a dimension in which it will express itself, the inner self, first of all, takes care to form and maintain the physical basis upon which all else must depend -- the properties of the earth that can be called the natural ones.

The deepest, most basic subjective experience is translated into the natural elements: the ample landscape that sustains physical life.

With the natural structures formed and maintained, other secondary physical properties are projected.

WHY ISN'T THE NATURE OF ALL THIS CLEARER?

It is the daily ego's ignorance and limited focus that makes it view so-called unconscious activity as chaotic. The waking ego (dealing with physical reality) cannot know all the unconscious material directly.

The daily ego is simply not conscious enough to be able to contain the vast knowledge that belongs to the inner conscious self from which it springs. The outer ego is spoon-fed, being given only those feelings and emotions, only that data, that it can handle. This data is presented in a highly specialized manner, usually in terms of information picked up by the physical senses.

The inner self is not only conscious, but conscious of itself, both as an individuality and as an individuality that is a part of all other consciousness. It is continually aware of both this partners and unity-with. The outer ego is not continuously aware of this fact. It frequently forgets its "whole" nature. When it becomes swept up in a strong emotion it seems to lose itself. When it most vigorously maintains its sense of individuality, it is no longer aware of unity-with.

If the ego were aware of the constant barrage of telepathic communications that do impinge upon it, it would have a most difficult time retaining a sense of identity.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT CREATING AND MANIPULATING MY OWN REALITY.

You must learn to listen to the voice of the inner self and work with it. You may also simply ask the inner self to make the answers to problems available on a conscious basis.

You create your reality according to your beliefs and expectations, therefore you should examine these carefully. If you do not like some aspect of your world, then examine your own expectations.

Your world is formed in faithful replica of your own thoughts, If you think positive suggestions to yourself about a situation you send telepathic ammunition for positive use. You must learn to erase a negative thought or picture by replacing it with its opposite.

You should tell yourself frequently "I will only react to constructive suggestions." This gives you positive ammunition against your own negative thoughts and those of others. A negative thought, if not erased, will almost certainly result in a negative condition.

Say to yourself, "That is in the past. Now in this new moment, this new present, I am already beginning to change for the better." It does not do to repress negative thoughts, such as fears, angers, or resentment. They should be recognized, faced and replaced.

Recognize resentment when it is felt, and then realize that resentment can be dismissed. Initial recognition must be made. Then you must imagine removing the resentment "by its roots" and replacing it with a positive feeling.

You must watch the pictures that you paint with your imagination. Your environment and the conditions of your life at any given time are the direct result of your own inner expectations. If you imagine dire circumstances, ill health or desperate loneliness, these will be "automatically" materialized, for these thoughts themselves bring about the conditions that will give them a reality in physical terms.

If you would have good health then you must imagine this as vividly as you fearfully imagine ill health.

You create your own difficulties. This is true for each individual. The inner psychological state is projected outward, gaining physical reality - whatever the psychological state may be, The rules apply to everyone. Knowing this, you should try to realize what your psychological state is and change your conditions for your own benefit.

You cannot escape your own attitudes, for they will form the nature of what you see. If changes are to occur, they must be mental and psychic changes. These will be reflected in your environment.

Negative, distrustful, fearful, or degrading attitudes toward anyone work against the self. If an individual sees only evil and desolation in the physical world it is because he is obsessed with evil and desolation and projects them outward, closing his eyes to other aspects of reality.

If you want to know what you think of yourself, then ask yourself what you think of others and you will find the answer.

True self-knowledge is indispensable for health and vitality. The recognition of the truth about the self simply means that you must first find out what you think about yourself subconsciously. If it is a good image, build upon it. If it is a poor one, recognize it as only the opinion you have held of yourself and not an "absolute state."

You are not your emotions. They flow through you, you feel them and then they disappear. When you try to hold them back they build up.

You are independent of your thoughts and emotions. You have emotions. You use your thoughts and emotions in your mental composition.

You must learn to trust your own spontaneous nature.

Your nervous system knows how to react. It reacts spontaneously when you allow it to. It is only when you try to deny your emotions that they become a problem. In spontaneity there is a discipline that utterly escapes you, and an order beyond any that you know. Spontaneity knows its own order.

All of nature is spontaneous. Our bodies will be healthy automatically if we do not project false ideas upon them.

Action accepts all stimuli in an affirmative manner. This is why an illness is accepted by a personality structure, and once this occurs, a conflict develops. The self does not want to give up a portion of itself even while that portion may be painful or disadvantageous.

Physical symptoms are communications from the inner self, indications that we are making mental errors of one kind or another.

Do not forget that you are a part of the inner self. IT IS NOT USING YOU!

What you are supposed to do, then, is change your mental attitude, search yourself for the inner problem represented by the symptoms, and measure your progress as the symptoms subside.

You sell yourself short if you believe that you are only a physical organism living within the boundaries cast upon you by time and space.

You must accept life on its terms, and not demand that it behave in certain ways. You must accept life gladly, as its own reason and cause within you.

Life is abundant, vigorous, and strong. Each of us has our own defense against negative suggestions and we should trust in our own immunity.

You are a unique individual. You form your physical environment. YOU MAKE AND CHANGE YOUR WORLD. You are part of all that is. There is no place within you that creativity does not exist.

You must live in faith that your purpose is, and will be fulfilled. The uniqueness of your own personality is to be cherished. The particular purpose of your present personality can only be met in the present circumstances in the way that is best overall. The people that you can help now and the particular good that you can do, can never be done in precisely the same way.

Throughout the ages, some have recognized the fact that there is self-consciousness and purpose in dream and sleep states, and have maintained, even in waking life, the sense of continuity of the inner self. To such people it is no longer possible to completely identify with the ego consciousness. They are too aware of themselves as more. When such knowledge is gained, the ego can accept it, for it finds to its surprise that is not less conscious, but more, and that its limitations are dissipated.

there are five reasons why God made man; according to Rick Warren
1. to glorify himself
2. to fellowship with us
3. to worship him
4. to serve him
5. to witness for him

@myname

Instead of Rick warren, what does your God say on this subject?

multiply n fill da earth

[b]26Then God said, "Let Us make man like Us and let him be head over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every thing that moves on the ground." 27And God made man in His own likeness. In the likeness of God He made him. He made both male and female. 28And God wanted good to come to them, saying, "Give birth to many. Grow in number. Fill the earth and rule over it. Rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29Then God said, "See, I have given you every plant that gives seeds that is on the earth, and every tree that has fruit that gives seeds. They will be food for you. 30I have given every green plant for food to every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to every thing that moves on the earth that has life." And it was so. 31God saw all that He had made and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. [/b]

I don't know why God created us but all i know is that he did it in a wonderful way and his plan was not for the world to be like it is now.

To worship and serve God.

The purpose of Human existance is no difference from the existance of the animals in the jungle or animal kingdom which is to survive and to pass your genes to the next generation.

@manmustwac, so where do homosexuals fit in your theory?

Well i dont think scripture should be used here cos as universal as it is,it still isnt as common as life itself.From a practical point of view i think we're here for a purpose cos no matter how busy life is its still monotonous.Science in all its beauty has failed to change the fundamental workings of our day to day lives.I'm still keepin myself busy with the same capacity my ancestors did in their own time.Der has to be somethin learnt at the end of all the repetitions @Gamine I stand to be corrected but i believe some animals exhibit homosexual traits.

@Kizito,
I also stand to be corrected, Animals, i believe, exhibit incestous traits, which makes incest OK.

Lol i agree with you.Manmustwac's theory is just what it is,a theory.It doesnt mean we wont have time to do other things.Infact i believe its an indication that animals in general have too much time on their hands.Thats why such acts occur

@Poster!! to see the wonders of God at work, that my believe.