Poll: A question.

[Booze Zombie]

A simple, honest question here.

Have you ever stopped, looked around and gone "how the hell did I get here"?
And I don't mean as in areal location, I mean as in existing, technological advancement...
have you ever questioned the purpose of your being and perhaps even the purpose of the universe in general?

I question it all the time, as I understand little of it all... but I'm happy to learn new things, so I suppose I can't complain.

What are your thoughts on the matter or perhaps "thoughts on matter", eh?

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Do I think of existence all the time - Occasionally. Actually mostly when I am procrastinating

My thoughts on the matter? - We are nothing but organic matter trapped in a cycle of life, growth and decay and all that we can do is do the best with that we are given. All that is different between us is that some of use choose to rationalise our existence via different outlets, be it religion, science or anarchy.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Do I think of existence all the time - Occasionally. Actually mostly when I am procrastinating

My thoughts on the matter? - We are nothing but organic matter trapped in a cycle of life, growth and decay and all that we can do is do the best with that we are given.

Not everyone can accept such an idea, which would explain the wide diversity of answers when you ask such questions.

i've thought about it a few times put not for very long philosophy is not relay my deal.

my thought is that it's not important. knowing the why is less important than the how. to live the way you see fit.

So, I suppose you could term it that you live with an animal-like philosophy of "I'm here, let's work from there"?

 

[PunkyMcGee]

i've thought about it a few times put not for very long philosophy is not relay my deal.

my thought is that it's not important. knowing the why is less important than the how. to live the way you see fit.

 

[Nouw]

Yes, and when I do I get a strange feeling. I don't like doing it >.>

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Do I think of existence all the time - Occasionally. Actually mostly when I am procrastinating

My thoughts on the matter? - We are nothing but organic matter trapped in a cycle of life, growth and decay and all that we can do is do the best with that we are given.

Not everyone can accept such an idea, which would explain the wide diversity of answers when you ask such questions.

Yeah, hence the difference between "rationalisations"

 

[Lyx]

What are your thoughts on the matter or perhaps "thoughts on matter", eh?

Not really that much as in "asking for my purpose" - because that question to me doesn't make much sense. Introspection in general - so, looking at things from a POV outside of personality and even "species" - is however something i do all the time.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Yes, and when I do I get a strange feeling. I don't like doing it >.>

That's the back of your head trying to tell you to soldier on and do the whole "survival" thing, I do believe.

Yeah, hence the difference between "rationalisations"

Fair point; nice use of quotation marks, by the way.

Not really that much as in "asking for my purpose" - because that question to me doesn't make much sense. Introspection in general - so, looking at things from a POV outside of personality and even "species" - is however something i do all the time.

With the "thoughts on matter" thing, just a little reference to something I often question... the meaning of atoms, the universe, stars, black holes, time and space.

How do you look at the universe outside of something you're trapped in?

 

[Kaboose the Moose]

Yeah, hence the difference between "rationalisations"

Fair point; nice use of quotation marks, by the way.

Well rationalisation is a very subjective term. The air quotes is to account for all types of reasons, no matter how diverse they may be

 

[PunkyMcGee]

So, I suppose you could term it that you live with an animal-like philosophy of "I'm here, let's work from there"?

Not in the least i believe that dwelling on the "big picture" is not going to get anyone anywhere. I believe what you do with yourself with your life is what is important. and not relying on instinct is what separates us from the animals.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Well rationalisation is a very subjective term. The air quotes is to account for all types of reasons, no matter how diverse they may be

That's part of the fun, I do suppose.
The Flying Spaghetti Monster would be a pretty good example of said diversity, though that was made, uh, "out there" on purpose.

Not in the least i believe that dwelling on the "big picture" is not going to get anyone anywhere. I believe what you do with yourself with your life is what is important. and not relying on instinct is what separates us from the animals.

I suppose, but instinct will always have an effect on us.

I didn't mean animal-like in the sense that if you, for example, found a woman you like you would just jump at her like a rabid teenage boy; I actually meant the "not attempting to find the big picture" idea you've got going on.

Animals aren't looking for bigger pictures, they just move on and do what they need to.
Didn't mean to imply anything else.

 

[smithy_2045]

The only times I've thought "how did I get here" have been to do with my physical location.

 

[Lyx]

With the "thoughts on matter" thing, just a little reference to something I often question... the meaning of atoms, the universe, stars, black holes, time and space.

How do you look at the universe outside of something you're trapped in?

I'd say the questions about those "atoms", "the universe", "stars", "black holes", "time and space", etc.... are less questions about external things, but actually more questions about YOU - i don't mean personality, but consciousness.... "how" you think. Notice a strange pattern: None of the above things, except of stars, have been directly observed. What they are for now are concepts (and in the case of time and space, metaconcepts or "mental structure"), for things that haven't been seen, but are either assumed to be behind stuff, or are metaphors.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I'd say the questions about those "atoms", "the universe", "stars", "black holes", "time and space", etc.... are less questions about external things, but actually more questions about YOU - i don't mean personality, but consciousness.... "how" you think. Notice a strange pattern: None of the above things, except of stars, have been directly observed. What they are for now are concepts (and in the case of time and space, metaconcepts or "mental structure"), for things that haven't been seen, but are either assumed to be behind stuff, or are metaphors.

Most theories of that like, though, are scientific theories and not "normal theories", but I do understand what you mean. I thought atoms had been observed, by the way?

Anyway, I suppose the questions could just be me outwardly questioning myself, but I do like to think that I'm merely asking everyone and everything why and how they ended up where they are.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Seriously? Yes.

I think that everytime I'm in an airplane, everytime I'm waiting to buy a new game, sometimes on the bus.

[sub]I f*cking hate how materialistic I can be sometimes.[/sub]

 

[Omikron009]

I don't generally stop and consider how we got here, but I frequently like to marvel at how far we've come.

 

[Betancore]

I don't generally stop and consider how we got here, but I frequently like to marvel at how far we've come.

It really is pretty amazing - to think that we've been here such a short time, and so much has happened. We've come a long way since being able to stand upright and use basic tools.

I've often thought about the purpose of my existence, and that of everyone in general. I reckon it's pretty difficult to think about it on a universal scale, but just talking about the people on Earth, I think we'd have to be pretty big-headed to think we're in any way important. I hope we're just one inhabited planet amongst many. I don't remember who said this, but I recall reading that we shouldn't be afraid that there are aliens - we should be afraid that we are the best the universe has to offer. Because that is a little saddening. I don't like thinking about my role in the run of things, because it feels too depressing and irrelevant. I can only hope that just by living my life, I've done my bit.

 

[Lyx]

Most theories of that like, though, are scientific theories and not "normal theories", but I do understand what you mean. I thought atoms had been observed, by the way?

Most theories of current "modern physics" are like that, yes. Atoms have been indirectly "observed" in many ways. There is strong evidence that there is "something" there, which's behaviour follows certain patterns. The difference is: Take a sun as an example: We can directly observe it - or rather, it's "nucleus" - at various wavelengths. We can see shape, details, etc etc: The same is not the case for atoms. So, even though its quite probable that there is something, and that there are those behaviour patterns, what this stuff looks like we don't know - the atomic model is still just a model.

Anyway, I suppose the questions could just be me outwardly questioning myself, but I do like to think that I'm merely asking everyone and everything why and how they ended up where they are.

That may indeed for now be difficult to understand. Someone who is more into physics would probably give you a quite clear explanation, but my answer - precisely because of all those unobserved things - is simply: I don't know.

 

[MetaMop]

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