Alright, who disagrees with me?
The main purpose of the human life is to be happy
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@User_2006
Define "happy"
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@PressF4Respect
Happiness means that you feel good doing what you did and you are not sad.
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@User_2006
Happiness is not continuously sustainable.
Contentment is what we should strive to achieve.
Though on a more philosophical note, I would suggest than the purpose of human life, is it's role in the perpetuation of material development and evolution.
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@User_2006
The main purpose of life is not to happy, it's to be successful.
but then again if you're successful you should be happy, right?
does money really buy happiness?
is a ginger-man made out of his house, or his house made of his flesh?
these questions haunt me and shall haunt all of man till the end of time
does money really buy happiness?
Money, in itself, does not buy happiness directly. However, it can buy things that can bring you happiness, which is indirect.
is a ginger-man made out of his house, or his house made of his flesh?
Neither. They are separate entities. Since animal meat and human meat are made of roughly the same substance, does that mean every non-vegetarian cannibalizes? If a building is made in the same stuff that constructs one of the tables, does that mean that the building come from the table directly, or that the table is cut off of the building's material?
these questions haunt me and shall haunt all of man till the end of time
I don't know if it is because I am smart or what but these questions are explainable.
When Thomas Jefferson was first composing the Declaration of Independence, his first draft indicated the desire for life, liberty, and the pursuit of property. He was advised to change that to the pursuit of happiness because property is merely a choice among a number of potential possessions, whereas happiness transcends all possessions to attain a desirable attitude about life as a whole. No "thing" can derive the attitude attained by happiness, or, rather, in my book, pure joy, which is more than merely "feeling good." Joy is heaven reached. Sustaining it is the challenge of life and liberty, and all are inseparably connected.
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@User_2006
If you're talking about being happy in the hedonistic sense, then no. You could seek out all of the pleasures in life but still end up feeling empty inside. In fact, most people who do this feel that, at the end of the day, their lives are unfulfilled. For example, you could throw a drunken orgy in your house every day and technically be "happy". However, in almost every case, you would feel terrible about yourself when the smoke settles. Certain drugs, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA are specifically used to gain a temporary sense of euphoria, yet nothing which benefits your life ever comes out of these. Many people have gained material wealth and feel short-term happiness but then realize many years later that they aren't where they want to be in life. If the main purpose of life is to be happy, then all of these examples would demonstrate being successful in life.
But they aren't.
They're lacking an integral part of a fulfilling life, which is purpose. Just being happy doesn't make your life better, because, at the end of the day, you will feel you've achieved nothing. So to answer your question, no, the main purpose of life isn't just to be happy, it's to find your own purpose within it.
(or you could take the Darwinian route and say the purpose of life is making babies)
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@PressF4Respect
I am going with a philosophy in the cores but I don't know who. Making babies give you contentment because:
1. In the beginning, you have sex, which makes you happy generally.
2. A baby is adorable!
3. A baby extends your family line, which will make you happy consider you can educate him/her yourself and see him successful, etc.
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@PressF4Respect
Hedonistic? No. Every event of hedonistic happiness is temporary and it will be gone. Today's sufferings will be tomorrow's glory, as someone whom I forgot his name said. No one wants to suffer. They want to suffer because it is building up to future happiness. Some entrepreneurs suffered learning to code just so he could be master at coding and technology and that will give him a very adequate job and furtherly a million-dollar company.
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@PressF4Respect
In other words, the longer you build up by suffering, the more joy. This is why many people, especially optimistic ones and the ones who had a lot, agree to suffer because they know happiness will come. Essentially, everything you do is directly or indirectly linked to happiness. Hedonistic happiness is direct for 1 step and that won't last very long.
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@User_2006
I am going with a philosophy in the cores but I don't know who. Making babies give you contentment because:1. In the beginning, you have sex, which makes you happy generally.2. A baby is adorable!3. A baby extends your family line, which will make you happy consider you can educate him/her yourself and see him successful, etc.
Sure.
But you have to raise that baby, which is becoming an increasingly difficult financial burden for many families who are living paycheck to paycheck.
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@PressF4Respect
Post 11-12 is here. I suggest you to read it if you want to understand.
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@User_2006
Post 11-12 is here. I suggest you to read it if you want to understand.
I know. Reading it now.
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@PressF4Respect
Indirect acts to happiness are any act that leads to happiness. Example: Suffering-> Happiness. It could be as many steps as possible.
Direct acts to happiness are any activities that can cause happiness without doing anything else. Hedonistic actions are so. It is always one step.
Chains could be as such: Suffering(Getting an F) -> Suffering(Kicked out of the house) -> Suffering(Homeless) ->Suffering(Assault) ->Happiness(Meeting someone of similar situations, becoming friends). This act, compared to a Tik Tok star having a new friend, which is: Happiness(Stand by the door, get a boyfriend): The first one is happier because more is put into this happiness. It requires 5 steps whereas the latter is one simple step. In conclusion, more effort put into this happiness, the happier he is.
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@User_2006
Hedonistic? No. Every event of hedonistic happiness is temporary and it will be gone. Today's sufferings will be tomorrow's glory, as someone whom I forgot his name said. No one wants to suffer. They want to suffer because it is building up to future happiness. Some entrepreneurs suffered learning to code just so he could be master at coding and technology and that will give him a very adequate job and furtherly a million-dollar company.In other words, the longer you build up by suffering, the more joy. This is why many people, especially optimistic ones and the ones who had a lot, agree to suffer because they know happiness will come. Essentially, everything you do is directly or indirectly linked to happiness. Hedonistic happiness is direct for 1 step and that won't last very long.
Yes. The main goal of that pursuit isn't happiness. It's to be fulfilled in life. Happiness (the good kind) comes as a result of being fulfilled in life. It's a positive by-product of realizing your potential and finding your purpose.
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@User_2006
Chains could be as such: Suffering(Getting an F) -> Suffering(Kicked out of the house) -> Suffering(Homeless) ->Suffering(Assault) ->Happiness(Meeting someone of similar situations, becoming friends).
That is a coincidence and is by no means a given.
This act, compared to a Tik Tok star having a new friend, which is: Happiness(Stand by the door, get a boyfriend): The first one is happier because more is put into this happiness. It requires 5 steps whereas the latter is one simple step. In conclusion, more effort put into this happiness, the happier he is.
Not necessarily.
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@PressF4Respect
A poor person getting $10,000:
Sleepless nights Working on Project;
Online courses about marketing, 3d-modeling, coding, etc... Having to absorb all boring information;
Actually doing the work, and having to learn how to make friends because he really needed help;
Weeks of planning;
Pay the rents, pay the loans(Currently at -$10,000 from start balance);
Go out of the house, market, make friends, expand the internet settlement through the website(Currently at the value of the start balance);
Research, Buy houses, survey, etc... Invest in stocks and real estate, etc...
Getting 10,000$(End, taking about 9 steps, very happy)
A spoiled rich person getting $10,000:
Grab Credit Card, click on the phone(One step, little happiness)
The former is MUCH happier than the latter for $10,000, and that's how. Happiness is subjective of what you do, but it is objective that:
1. The more effort you put into the happier you will be
Also, the latter personality loves SPENDING money instead of EARNING money. Spending is hedonistic and she will get tired as soon as there is a single tear in her Gucci, whereas the former is still happy even if his apartment is creaked and the computer a very old model. The former will invest more and get more money, and the latter will get more money from the cash machine and buy more Gucci than she would need. Both scenarios are portraying that people just want to be what's happy. Hedonistic joy can take the lead if the resources are enough, and that is the reason why some kingdom collapsed because the resources are scarce and the demand is overwhelming. Long-term and effort-wise contentment lasts longer and require less money and resources for fuel consider it comes from himself, and keeping himself optimistic requires less effort than keeping a whole money-printing machine running, generally speaking.
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@PressF4Respect
That is a coincidence and is by no means a given.
Happiness will clock somewhere unless you are dead before happiness can come, which is unlikely. If it is sad and it doesn't kill you, it is most likely that happiness will come.
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@User_2006
A poor person getting $10,000:Sleepless nights Working on Project;Online courses about marketing, 3d-modeling, coding, etc... Having to absorb all boring information;Actually doing the work, and having to learn how to make friends because he really needed help;Weeks of planning;Pay the rents, pay the loans(Currently at -$10,000 from start balance);Go out of the house, market, make friends, expand the internet settlement through the website(Currently at the value of the start balance);Research, Buy houses, survey, etc... Invest in stocks and real estate, etc...Getting 10,000$(End, taking about 9 steps, very happy)
Actually, there was an experiment done in the film Reversal of Fortune where they gave a homeless man $100,000 to see what he would do with it. He:
- bragged about his newfound wealth to family
- gave generous globs of money to friends he made because of his wealth
- purchased a new car for someone he knew
- bought himself a truck (which itself was worth over $30,000)
- bought many gifts to someone he loved (whom he also married)
- spent a considerable amount of money on alcohol and cigarettes
- indulged himself in video games
All this, combined with his choice to deliberately ignore the sound financial advice he received (such as getting a job and seeking free financial advice) resulted in him ending up exactly where he was before receiving the money within 6 months.
And it's not like this is a fringe case, either. Many people who win the lottery end up worse off afterwards because they don't manage their money well. It should come as no surprise that people who haven't been exposed to handling large sums of money don't end up making the wisest financial decisions when suddenly given thousands/millions of dollars. Your scenario is the exception, not the rule.
A spoiled rich person getting $10,000:Grab Credit Card, click on the phone(One step, little happiness)
That spoiled rich person and/or their children will end up in the same position as the homeless man I described above.
Happiness is subjective of what you do, but it is objective that:1. The more effort you put into the happier you will be
Not necessarily. There have been many instances of people putting in a monumental effort to achieve something, but getting nothing out of it. Just look at the Vietnam War.
Also, the latter personality loves SPENDING money instead of EARNING money. Spending is hedonistic and she will get tired as soon as there is a single tear in her Gucci, whereas the former is still happy even if his apartment is creaked and the computer a very old model.
You can't guarantee that.
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@User_2006
We are literally arguing the same thing lol.
My position is that the main premise can be, but isn't necessarily correct.
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@PressF4Respect
I concede and agree with you. This thing certainly can happen but not guaranteed. Saying "Communism doesn't work" in a scenario better than every communist nation that has ever existed may not work.
Am i dead?
Are we in the matrix?
Is god real?
Is this the real life?
Or is this fantasy?
Did I shoot my mom?
Is my mom shot?
Are you dead?
Are we all dead?
Is this a simulation?
happiness is an illusion, the government is a sham, shaq is KING.
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@User_2006
Change is the meaning of life. Literally.
Once you understand this, you will better understand the single thing that separates the living from the inanimate is that the living alter even if all around them remains the same, whereas the non-living entities change only when other things do. Think hard about this, very hard, and it will make sense.
Happiness cannot be the meaning of life because it is not even clear whether or not things like bacteria and/or maggots feel happiness in any hormonal sense at all, yet they are undeniably alive.
25 days later
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@User_2006
I disagree, the main purpose in life is to have purpose. Simply existing with no purpose in life in my view would be the most dull and boring existence imaginable. I would prefer death over a pointless purposeless existence. Whats there to be happy about if you serve no purpose?
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@sadolite
I disagree with my own claim now. Fulfillment=/=happiness.
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@RationalMadman
I've thought hard.
So what do you mean by non-living entity?
And the thread was really concentrating on human purpose as opposed to maggot or bacterial purpose or the purpose "non-living entities".
And of course the big question as ever is, does human existence actually have any greater universal purpose at all?....Which in the end will probably all boil down to some sort of religious or pseudo-religious argument.
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@zedvictor4
That focus is the cause of error in searching for a meaning to life. We begin to think we are not animals and forget that even plants are just as alive as we are. The meaning of life must be a constant throughout all life-forms, you will be blinkered and deluded if you seek the meaning only from what hollywood tells you to search for.
The saddest and angriest of us are just as alive as the happiest and peaceful. The key is that the most 'alive' of us constantly flow with life and change. You know that one friend who always was cool with the situation and knew how to adapt? They were living most up to their meaning of life. This is true in all species, in all situations. The one that best adapts to their environment and changes, flows etc. is the one most continually satisfied with their life and truly living up to it.
Change is the meaning of life, you can deny it all you want, it won't matter.
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@RationalMadman
If you mean that the purpose of everything including life is part of greater and ongoing universal purpose then I fully accept that as a valid hypothesis....It's what I would refer to as material evolution rather than change....Obviously the organic/living species part of the sequence is the most important bit as far as we are concerned.