Finding your purpose in life

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No offence, but isn't that what anyone would say if they were in fact faking to make a person feel good? I'm not saying I believe that you are, just saying his position is one of those things that can't be rebutted.

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Well yeah.

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I have to say that I was actually shocked to read zhimbo's post. I didn't want to say anything however, until you responded about it. It seemed uncharacteristically uhmmmm... sexist.

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It was funny.

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His purpose in life is to give you huge orgasms? If my gf or any other girl stated that her purpose in life was to give their male partners huge orgasms, I suspect that would not have been met with the same acceptance.

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It was a joke.It was a funny, intentionally shocking shorthand way of saying that now that he is free from the humanity-consuming torture of PhD completion, he can now devote energy to our relationship.

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Indeed if a girl found purpose in delivering many men huge orgasms, would that sit well with you? What if a guy said his purpose was to give as many women as possible huge orgasms, and that he was achieving that goal (the women say so)?

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For crying out loud, holmes, you have a one track mind when my posts are concerned, don't you?The word "gadfly" comes to mind, if you'll forgive me.

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Actually I'm all for zhimbo's stated purpose. Sounds great, I was just taken back that such a crude and graphic statement about such a limited purpose (especially related to your sex life) would be acceptable to you.

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There is an great, great deal that would surprise you about me, I reckon, holmes.And I didn't think it was crude at all. Graphic, yes. Crude, no.This message has been edited by schrafinator, 03-17-2006 09:16 AM

knowing Zhimbo's inherent modesty.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

hahaha.He is modest.

This is a great purpose! Worshipping idols?

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This is a great purpose!

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That's what I'm sayin'!

Forgive me if the following stuff has already been said - I just felt like responding to a topic I hadn't seen before.Although it sounds profound, I don't think the idea of having a life purpose is particularly interesting. I tend to believe that aspirations of all kinds are merely recieved opinions derived from family or trusted associates.If pushed, I'd probably be tempted to say that my purpose in life, such as it is, is to make myself feel good. Clearly I don't mean by this that I perpetually masterbate, or steal sweets from toddlers whenever I feel like it. Although such actions might grant some form of pleasure, as a social animal, my behaviour is in large part circumscribed by complex societal rules. In effect this means that if I do indulge in such behaviour, I will be left feeling worse off than if I had not acted on these impulses.From experience though, I'd say that I'm motivated towards comfort and security like most creatures.So ultimately I believe that my purpose isn't my purpose at all; it is just a bunch of ideas that I've picked up from my fellow humans like a common cold.As you may have guessed, I'm a pretty determinist sort of a person.
Although I don't see any reason to believe in free-will, I'm perfectly happy to believe in the ILLUSION of free-will. Doing so enables me to function in this society.So how do I sleep at night? Well, mainly because I'm interested in seeing what happens next. I only think determinism is stultifying if you can see the choices that you are going to make before you make them.

Wait a sec, you mean we actually agree on something?choke, choke, I think I just choked on my lunch

I got it was a joke. My point was if someone else had said that, particularly if it was a woman stating her purpose was to please a man sexually, I don't think you would have found it acceptable... as a joke or other. Your dire lack of humor in the past on this subject is what gave me that idea. And you about me and many others. At least it was a pleasant surprise, unless it was just base hypocrisy. Time will tell.As far as being a gadfly, check when's the last time I pursued anything with you, and what the last couple replies were to you from me. I can't help that this was the subject which raised a question, based on your prior statements.Anyhow, this isn't important.

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holmes
"What you need is sustained outrage...there's far too much unthinking respect given to authority." (M.Ivins)

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My point was if someone else had said that, particularly if it was a woman stating her purpose was to please a man sexually, I don't think you would have found it acceptable... as a joke or other.

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Well, I disagree.It seems you have too much a one-dimensional a view of my character, holmes.

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Your dire lack of humor in the past on this subject is what gave me that idea.

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I don't recall that most of the related issues we have ever discussed have been terribly light or humerous in nature, so I don't see how I can be faulted for lacking humor when discussing them.I will certainly say that the last couple of years have not been the best for me in general and I imagine that this came through as a greater tendency to take things that were written here more personally than needed and to use the debates and arguments here to relieve stress and blow off steam. So, please let me assure you that I am far from the joyless, incredibly uptight woman I am sure you consider me to be and I am sorry to have given you that impression. I never have been, but of course we all have ups and downs in life. I am happy to report being in a decidedly "up" phase right now.

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And you about me and many others. At least it was a pleasant surprise, unless it was just base hypocrisy. Time will tell.

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How sad for you to think this about me. For a self-described relativist you certainly have a judgemental streak in you. So do I, of course, so don't think I don't relate.

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As far as being a gadfly, check when's the last time I pursued anything with you, and what the last couple replies were to you from me. I can't help that this was the subject which raised a question, based on your prior statements.

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Don't worry about it; it was just a small attempt at teasing you.

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Anyhow, this isn't important.

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I have been writing to you, and you to me, for years now, holmes, about important things, and sometimes even about personal things.I don't think it unimportant to discuss such matters if you really want to.

Can we stay on-topic?Purpose is a subjective thought, no need to argue about it.

This makes sense and I am glad for you... for you both actually. I take it there is a better life outside Michigan? Just for clarification...
1) I am a relativist about morality, not about knowledge (facts). It was the latter I was discussing.
2) As a relativist (subjectivist to be specific) I believe that everyone has a moral position they feel strongly about. These positions may conflict with those of others. Relativism states that one cannot determine one position to be any more "right" than another (outside facts/consistencies) and so people are free to be quite judgemental. I meant this discussion was unimportant. Although I felt I had a point to make, I realized afterward it was only negative and not likely to produce anything worthwhile. Though maybe with your last post something positive has come out of this.

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holmes
"What you need is sustained outrage...there's far too much unthinking respect given to authority." (M.Ivins)

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I take it there is a better life outside Michigan?

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Good heavens, yes.Getting out of the midwest has been great.Did you know that the sun can shine multiple days in a row?

Well it used to in Chicago, but it is almost hard to believe that was real since moving to the Netherlands. I've almost forgotten its possible. It is amazing how much a clear sky can have on one's overall emotional states.This message has been edited by holmes, 03-18-2006 10:32 AM

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holmes
"What you need is sustained outrage...there's far too much unthinking respect given to authority." (M.Ivins)