Purpose of Life

If you only have time to read this article or watch the 8:58 minute attached video, please watch the awesome video.

As humans we seem to be born with a desire to want a purpose in life. Why are we here and will consciousness exist after death? There are many differing religious stories that attempt to explain a supposed divinely-designed purpose. Further still, these organizations provide a plan or guidelines critical for a life of purpose with an eternity of consequence. These contradicting religions all claim to be inspired by a god, but there is no verifiable way to know these truth claims personally; that’s why they must all rely on faith. Religious leaders dictate the way to live, but fail to back their laws with any empirical evidence.

This planet seems too perfectly designed for human existence. It’s not hard to imagine a deity of creation with a plan in mind. We’ve got plenty of necessary water to drink and oxygen to breath. It’s just the right temperature and much like the god-made Garden of Eden, plants and animals serve our needs. The universe is filled with trillions of uninhabitable planets, but Earth is the Goldilocks rock by the sun. However, the truth is a much different story; our species have evolved to fit our surrounding environment. The atmosphere, sun, mountains, and oceans are independent variables. The sun doesn’t care if your too hot and the atmosphere doesn’t care what you breath. If Earth was warmer or colder we would have evolved to survive, much like a walrus has developed layers of insulating blubber. It’s estimated that only 20% of Earth’s surface is habitable by humans with even less land being suitable for farming. Just as we might imagine our 20% to be perfect for us, lizards might think the desert was designed perfectly for them. Oceans designed for fish and mountains designed for goats. Just the opposite is true; lizards, fish, and goats evolved to perfectly fit their environment.

It’s plausible there is no supernatural designer and purpose planner. It might be that our only evolutionary purpose is to survive and perpetuate our genetics to the next generation, but that doesn’t conclude that life is without meaning. There can be joy in the present life without faith in an eternity beyond death. Just because a great movie comes to an end doesn’t mean there was no value in the experience. Also, a great movie isn’t improved with an eternity of sequels and remakes. Who knows how many Land Before Time sequels there are, but the original was still awesome. If you knew there was no life after death how would you change and what would be your new life goals? With only one chance at life what risks would you take?

I have found great joy and value in my life as an Atheist. I live to experience all the great pleasures of life and to pursue happiness to the fullest extent. I’m a freethinking individual capable of my own decisions not burdened by proclaimed dogma of eternal consequence. If a god does exists and is a just deity then I will receive a fair non-eternal judgment for my finite crime. I can live according to the morals I define by my own conscience. LGBT people can love as they wish and women can achieve positions of leadership as equally qualified. You can be good with religion, but you can be better without.

“Knowledge is preferable to ignorance. Better by far to embrace the hard truth, than a reassuring fable. If we crave some cosmic purpose, then let us find ourselves a worthy goal.”