finding purpose and meaning in life, a religous ideal

by chellechelle 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  chellechelle

  what i have found most interesting is that many of us, upon leaving the cult, become depressed and are afraid because we feel as if our lives have no purpose anymore or that we should be doing something meaningful with our lives but are not. I have become sick of feeling this way and watching otheres feel this way aswell. This is what i have come to realize. The word purpose is defined as the reason for which something is made. so all of us frantically searching for new purpose in our lives can stop. well if you have become and atheist such as myself after leaving the cult. we need to stop thinking we are here for a reason. evolution shows that we happened to be made by forces and a rapid collecting star stuff. this formed the planet and eventualy living organisms that happened to lead to human beings. Therefore, why do we obsess about finding our purpose? my take on this is the purpose in life is purely a religous ideal since religion teaches us that we were made by god, and therefore, our present purpose would be to serve god until it is time for us to go to heaven, or as the dubs believe go to an eartly paradise.

  so since we know this is not true we need to stop going along with this socaily created meme. we are not here for a purpose. so sit back and enjoy life. instead of worrying about what we should be doing, or rather what we think we should be doing. People who came out of the borg later in life are now upset that they coudlnt go to university and accomplish something in their lives. but this is my very point. we should not feel that we have to accomplish anything, we should all be free agents living our lives to the fullest by simply doing what makes us happy and we should not have to search for greater fullfillment. We are here by chance so lets live our lives free as we came about to live on this earth freely.

  what do you think?
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  BabaYaga

  What do I think?

  I think you an an amazing young woman who will go far in life. You have come far, survived much, and have much to think about and discuss.

  Myself... I still want to believe. But what I believe is very far removed from the Watchtower rule book I was born with...

  Love to you,
  Baba.
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  chellechelle

  ofcourse :) as i said this would be what to think about if one was an atheist...

  peace and love
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  StAnn

  Hmm. Nah. First off, we all have the right to our opinion and I understand your opinion better than you think. I used to feel the same way. However, I will share with you what I believe. Not trying to convert you, just answering your question, "what do you think?"

  First, I do believe in God and I do believe in creation but I also believe in evolution. I believe that God used evolution as the means to cause mankind to come into existence.

  Second, the fact that so many people search so hard to find a purpose in their lives tells me we are hard wired to need something bigger than our little day-to-day lives in order to find satisfaction in life. I don't think it's necessarily just a religious ideal. It seems to be a deep-seated emotional need.

  Third, those of us who are older become angry when we look at how cramped our JW lives were because we now realize how many wonderful things there are to learn and to do in this world, things we wish to embrace, and we realize how short our remaining lives are in comparison to the list of things we would like to do. Being deprived of the right to learn and the right to dream causes us ex-Dubs to appreciate the opportunities in life more than the Average Joe Never Been A Witness. With more appreciation comes a deeper realization of what we've lost.

  Fourth, seeking pleasure for pleasure's sake gets old. It reaches a point where it is no longer pleasurable. I am happiest when I am doing things that make others' lives more meaningful. I think we are all that way, really. To me, that is real freedom, acknowledging my interconnectedness with others and the universe. I think the search for greater fulfillment is worthwhile.

  Just my thoughts.

  StAnn
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  chellechelle

  Fourth, seeking pleasure for pleasure's sake gets old. It reaches a point where it is no longer pleasurable. I am happiest when I am doing things that make others' lives more meaningful. I think we are all that way, really. To me, that is real freedom, acknowledging my interconnectedness with others and the universe. I think the search for greater fulfillment is worthwhile.

  this is what i mean though. i dont mean simply float through life soing what you want. if everyone did what they wanted to the world could be full of rapists and criminals. this is not worthwhile to think of. if you are happiest doing what makes others lives meaningful then do that BECAUSE that is what makes you happy. this however does not mean this is your purpose or what you were meant to do. i jsut dont think those words apply...
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  StAnn

  Chelle, I get what you're saying. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think our purpose in life, and I mean the purpose of everyone's life, is to be here for eachother. Most of us need other people in our lives. Most of us have love to give. Most of us want to be loved. Most of have needs to be met. Most of us want to be needed. We're like interlocking puzzle pieces.

  I think our purpose in being here is to help eachother and to put love into action while we are here. And I think that is why work that involves helping others in a meaningful way is much more fulfilling than work that just gives us a paycheck.

  StAnn
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  chellechelle

  yes i agree wth everything you are saying and i strongly feel that i need love in my life ad i am a very loving person. however that is not a purpose... all im saying in this thread is for people to come to realize is there no "purpose" this implys we are made, which we are not. it is the very definition of the word. however we instead of having purpose choose to live our lives with love and helping others in a meaningful way.
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  WTWizard

  God is so wicked and powerful that the very hint of His existence drains the vitality out of us. People waste their whole lives in religion. There are scams and cults in the name of God, none of which would exist if God didn't exist (even in people's imaginations). There are wars that have started because people had the "God-given" commission to get the whole world into serving their version of God, even if that God is imaginary. People have lived in sequestered religious services of various kinds, wasting their whole lives, for a God that may or may not even exist. None of such is fulfilling.

  And yet, most Satanists go to the opposite extreme. They are not content to spread the real truth about God's wickedness. Rather, they think they have to sacrifice people to Satan, burn churches, and actively impede so-called Godly activities to please Satan. All of which is just as much of a waste as worshiping God. And, none of which is effective--all burning a church ever does is causes a bit of disruption, strengthening the congregation itself, and gives them a brand new church at the expense of insurance companies and parishoners.

  I think it's better to expose God for His scams, regardless of what form He takes. Either He exists as an Almighty Wicked Tyrant and is running the Supreme Scam to get us all enslaved and ruin all of our lives, or He exists in people's imagination. Either way, "salvation" is a scam designed to suck people's time and money and rob us of our purpose of creating value and enjoying life. At least exposing that scam will create problems for churches (diminished attendance) and cults (more trouble recruiting new members). And it, unlike attacks on the members or the buildings, will weaken the congregations permanently.
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  drew sagan

  After being told for years that you need the JWs for your "purpose" in life, the initial time peroid when you leave can feel like a vacuum. It's a phase you just have to work past. If you move on an choose another faith to believe in, it's not going to be because you "have" to but because you have the freedom to choose if you so desire. Learning that you have personal freedom (and responsiblity) can be a tough adjustment when coming out of a group that makes you so busy and convinces you that all that activity is the only thing you should be doing with your life. The goal should never to replace those things if you leave (and only a few other stranges religions even can provide that!) but to work past those feelings. It's all part of recovery.

  I've known a number of people who when they left the JWs felt the need to try to "solve" the universe within the shortest time frame posslbe. Pretty silly stuff, but when you leave it's quite possible you will get the urge.
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  LouBelle

  The plain and simple truth is that everyones purpose on this earth is to LIVE, of course you can choose not too. Social/polictal/ecological/religious pressures can twist your arm into thinking that you NEED to have ANOTHER purpose other than the one you've already got (which is to live your life) If you don't conform to these pressures and find another purpose to life (other than living) then you're being selfish and you're guilted into thinking you have a meaningless life.

  So it's not just a religious ideal - it can come from any aspect.

  Save the whales

  Save the dolphins

  Save the tuna/ salmon/ bear/ kangaroo/ african lizard

  Save the planet.

  Find salvation

  Worship god

  Bend over backwards to help your fellow man