Well, here we are again. Did you get to “ponder” on the question “Why am I here?”
Presumably, this is not the first time you have wondered.
“My job here is not to give you answers – I don’t have any – all I am doing is pondering on alternatives in the hope that I won’t go “crackers” before I die.”
“Awakenings” is just that – my journey of awakening and the thoughts that cross my mind as I ponder on the meaning of life, the meaning of my life and, just as importantly to me, what changes, if any, can I implement to change my “state” in a healthy way.
Obviously, my “state” is largely a “feeling” place and, as discussed in earlier blogs, the conclusion that I have drawn is that my “feelings” flow largely from my thoughts although, some of those feeling may be flashbacks to prior events and not actually require a thought to burst forth.
So, back to the question “Why am I here?” There are thousands of answers to that question so we can be sure that no one actually knows and, worse still, there is no actual way to validate/prove a supposed answer so, truth be known, we will all die in the dark anyway. Having said that, as we are “meaning making machines” and consciousness requires that our lives have meaning, there may not be anything intrinsically wrong with us having an answer to that question as long as it serves us and the rest of the human race.
If our only reason for existing is to throw our genes into the pool, then having a reason to live beyond that point becomes somewhat superfluous, doesn’t it?
And, if we don’t have kids? May as well end it now!
So, it appears that the quest for meaning serves other purposes as well and, it would appear self-evident to me, evolutionary development has to fit in there somewhere. No gene evolves with any purpose other to make one “fitter” for survival! Having said that “gene expression” is a slightly different matter but, underlying this “expression” is the desire to get laid and propagate although, as we get older, the desire to get laid reduces but the gene expression does not – seems something of an anomaly to me.
So, let’s explore some of the obscure [in my view, anyway] views and to why we are here:
- “To entertain God?” – this is not exactly as it is quoted in texts but, basically, we are here as “playthings” of God. He sent himself to Earth, deliberately erasing his memory of who he is [because, if he remembered who he was and could create anything instantly, how could he “experience” anything?] Our job, then, is to have these “experiences” that, he God, can’t have – e.g. pain, sorrow, fear, longing, loneliness, loss etc. etc. so that”he” can get to “feel”. Now, I don’t want to be too aggressive in my disdain for this line of thinking but remember this is the God who loves us, wants only the best for us, created us in his own image and sent us down here to go through all this crap just so he can “feel” something that a God cannot feel because he is all powerful. Just doesn’t seem to cut it with me!
- “To work our way back to God” – now this one does my head in as well. This is the Cristian one. God creates man in his image, put him in paradise with Eve but asks him not to eat form the “tree of knowledge” – yeah, God loves us but doesn’t want us to have knowledge! Anyway, Adam is tempted, you know the story, so God has to send his son down to save us from sin so that we can be reunited with God [our father]. In the meantime, before all of this happened, no human could be saved so millions, perhaps hundreds of millions died and went to hell [eternal damnation]. Well, that’s a doozy, if ever I heard one!
- How about the spiritual “Conversations with God” series and the answers God gives to the author of these books? To me, it is all “more of the same – basically. I am “not holding my tongue right” and, until I do, I cannot get what I want!
There just has to be a better reason to live! As I said, I am actually not sure what it is, but I am totally sure of what it is NOT – all of the above. Somewhere, in the middle of all this, finding a “reason why we are here” that serves us, must be of evolutionary value and enhance the quality of our lives and, if part of why you have “meaning” is your connection to family, then your reason for being here may cover more that just “you” and that is perfectly valid. In fact, this reason for being here may serve an evolutionary purpose which could extend far past just propagation, so likely be in the “short list” of good ones.
This topic is so important that every philosopher has attempted to answer and there is so much stimulating reading about it, it could be an extensive investigation on your part to ascertain which, if any, rest well with you.
Having said that, if you already have a view, dare I suggest that, at this stage, instead of defending that view, have a look at some others to see how they feel.
Resources are endless – here are a couple of good ones:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_of_life
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man%27s_Search_for_Meaning
Awakenings 