What is the purpose of life?

I can't help but wonder what is the purpose of my life? Certainly I wasn't put here to struggle through the days with stress and depression, working low paying dead end jobs, feeling unsucessful in life, unsucessful in relationships,etc. What is the meaning behind our existance? To suffer? Why?

To help others?

I like that. That seems fitting.

I know how you feel, like God (if you believe in him/her) created you so that s/he could laugh at your suffering. I don't have any answers for you, just that life feels a lot more meaningful when your depression is under control. Maybe your purpose is to learn how to overcome all of the crap in your life? To rise above?

I heard a story a while back that I found inspiring. Once there was a donkey that fell into a well. The man who owned the donkey didn't think that the donkey's life was worth saving, as it was an old animal, and chose to cover the well with dirt. With each heap of dirt that the man threw into the well, the donkey took one step up. The man was shocked when he saw the donkey step right out of the well! The moral of the story: when life throws you down a well and piles dirt on you, rise above the dirt and you will eventually get out of the well.

"Man's search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life and not a "secondary rationalization" of instinctual drives. This meaning is unique and specific in that it must and can be fulfilled by him alone; only then does it achieve a significance which will satisfy his own will to meanings.

There are some authors who contend that meanings and values are "nothing but defense mechanisms, reaction formations and sublimations" But as for myself, I would not be willing to live merely for the sake of my "defense mechanisms," nor would I be ready to die merely for the sake of my "reaction formations."

Man. however, is able to live and even die for the sake of his ideals and values!"

-Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning.

I like that Secretum... wonder if the donkey even knew he was rising above, or he was just struggling to survive and keep his head above the dirt... regardless, he kept pluggin away and made it back to solid ground.

life has no meaning except what we are giving to it.... i am telling you this from my experience with existential crisis... stop thinking about it...it is volcano,black hole you wont find answer to your question.... finding purpose its like asking the question "Why"... why everything happens/happened like this? .... dont even think about it...

Life has meaning and that is to enjoy it and help others. I always strive to enjoy life even though there are definatly stuggles in my everyday life.

listen to this... perhaps your purpose is to find someone "the one".... fantasy based on reality......


I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you

that "one" can be from video games too... gosh i love "cortana" from halo and "queen of blades" from starcraft....

A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you

I agree. I try to help others and can say others have also helped me. I have days when my depression get me but i remember that This season will pass. I won't throw the towel in. I believe in God and He is my rock.

"I won't throw the towel in."

Encouraging.

I agree we bring our own purpose or meaning to it. Purpose to procreate and pass our dna on..not that exciting. I know you like Mr.Dawkins..maybe check out his Purpose of the Purpose if you haven't seen it yet.

I like to bring purpose to things that happen, so I can learn something from them. I bring the pupose to it but that doesn't really matter. It helps me enjoy my life.

Right now I don't feel as though I have much of a purpose...other than to keep the dogs' dishes full and clean newspaper on the floor.

If I am your dog, I'll think differently.

To be grateful for each new day, knowing that you have made it. Made it through another day. You are recovering every day, and I celebrate that every morning. Especially when I am not depressed. I hope you feel better soon.

Darth Bane-I have always liked that song. I have wondered the same thing. What is the purpose of my existence. I have a heart condition and bipolar. My mother always said God saved me for a reason. I always wondered what that reason was, as I have done nothing but be miserable my whole life. But I finally made some dramatic changes in it, and am finally learning about happiness. And maybe that purpose is to see my son grow up and be happy, and do something with his life.