I had some interesting thoughts while I was taking a shower just now. This might be something others have pondered themselves but here it is regardless. You'll have to forgive any science terminology that doesn't work like compound vs. molecule. I think the question "why are we here?" is possibly answerable. Instead I would focus more on the question "how did we get here?" because it would probably answer the other question. Here's my thoughts.

If we look at how we exist right now one might describe our world as "many small things forming larger things". We have many small atoms which all come together and form a larger object. That object is then part of another object and so on forming a cell...etc. Eventually you get the creature or object that's at our scale. Be it a table or a plant it doesn't matter. Lets look at a plant.

As far as we know, plants are not conscious beings. They don't have thoughts or ideas about life and creation but they are still biologically alive. We know a plants purpose in terms of the earth and ourselves. We assume there is no other purpose for a plant because we haven't found any. I would say a plants purpose is to grow, to shelter animals, to feed animals, filter the air, and hold soil in place. Plants play a big role in allowing life to flourish. They use the water, sun, air, and soil to fulfill their purpose without knowing it. We have defined their purpose simply by existing and benefiting from their properties. And lets plants were a mistake. Perhaps plants were never meant to be created or some event occurred and by fluke plants were born. Even if that's the case, we probably would not be here if it weren't for the fluke.

Surely the atmosphere doesn't know of it's purpose or how it got there. We know how it got their and it's purpose because we exist and benefit from it. Whether it's a positive or negative benefit is not important. Certain species exist that have a negative effect on one species but a positive for another. An example would be birds that eat bugs off larger animals.

I think it's also important to include more abstract things like language here. Language isn't alive or breathing, it has no thoughts or even a body. Language is created by animals to communicate with each other. Even if it's a few grunts or noises it's understood by the animals. The animals have realized that living together furthers their chance of survival. Language is not a physical thing, but it is heard, felt, smelled, or seen through senses. A cat may fluff out it's fur to appear bigger or stronger if agitated. Other species can see and hear that the cat is angry and either back away or defend themselves. We use language to give a message to other humans for example. This is a use for whatever allows us to talk in our bodies.

So now we add humans into the equation. We work in groups and use clever ways to catch and track our prey. Then suddenly, we realize a way to use plants and animals more efficiently. We now grow our crops and keep animals fenced in so we don't have to hunt anymore. We use plants to feed them and ourselves. The purpose of a plant has not changed, it is simply being used in a different manner. We have only altered it's growth for our convenience. We then discover medicine and technology. In order to live longer we use medicine on our bodies. We simply found another use for elements found in nature. We are scared of death and don't like the idea so we seek to prolong our lives.

Technology is no different than medicine or language. We use technology to make our lives easier. I am posting this text on my computer, through the internet and onto your screen. This means I don't have to write it on paper with ink and travel across the world to deliver it. We have simply found a use for things like metal / plastic, and other things created or existing in nature.

So it comes down the ultimate question, what is our purpose? I would say our purpose is to exist and make the best of it. Without purpose, nothing would exist. The planet would do just fine without us on it. Nature would take it course and nobody would notice. In fact, nature isn't even needed. A planet is just a bunch of rocks and matter thrown together. But why have planets at all? Surely the universe would still exist even if it was empty. Why have a universe then?

The fact is, we ARE here. It doesn't matter how we got here. It could have been a freak accident, but here we are! We've been thrown into a complex and ever changing system without even knowing our own name. We have special traits that would make us useful in that system. We can think ahead, think of the future. If we need to modify a piece of land to prevent a catastrophe in the future, we can do that. We can save habitats by preventing forest fires using prescribed burns. We can use modern science, math, and technology to help maintain balance in nature. Even if it's creating a comfortable bed that a house pet can sleep in...We have the ability to do good. We have emotions, all of us feeling different things. If we hurt an animal, we feel sad and try to make them better. Some of us have malicious intent, but hey...Not every tomato plant yields good harvest. I believe our good intentions are part of our purpose...I don't think this is an accident. We are, deep down, "good" beings. We strive to do good and make all species feel good. Other emotions get in the way though; fear, anger, love, sadness, desire...etc.

The problem is, we don't really fulfill our "intended" purpose. We aren't using our traits to the best of their ability. Instead, we tried to create a purpose for ourselves. We created fame, fortune, and status to have achievable goals. We have jobs and we aspire to try new things. Entertainment seems to be the dominant purpose of humans. We create things to make ourselves happy. I create computer programs so people can do things easier than before....etc. Our superior intelligence and emotions have gotten the better of us. We have tried to break the cycle of nature. We have created gods which are essentially perfect human beings but with cosmic powers. We strive to be like a god, and then create religions to follow. I'm sure that while Christianity is corrupt and flawed it was not created to be so. I would say a good chunk of religious people have good intentions that they act upon. The problem is the whole "believe only one god" thing. People will take religious (man made) doctrine as divine truth. I don't fully blame these people either. I can't say I wouldn't believe god if it were tell me in person how I should try to act. They believe Jesus actually came to earth. Quite a destructive cycle they've made for themselves.

So, I don't really have a heart-warming conclusion to write...I suppose a readers digest version would go something like this...
We don't know how or why we are here but we know alot about what's also here with us. We have several abilities that other species on earth do not possess. We have good intentions deep down and want to help others including nature. We should use these abilities as best as we can to fulfill our good intentions. It is widely accepted that happy is good, and sad is not.

Some of you may be thinking "well that's fine, but who define good or bad? Who says we should do good, that's just a human interpretation of things". I would answer that we have not defined good and bad. Nature itself defined that for us. A mother bird knows just as we do that you have to protect your children. If your children die then they may suffer in the process and won't grow up to have their own kids. What we have on this planet is a thing called life. We don't know what lies beyond life, and we don't know if it exists anywhere out there. Why should we not seek to preserve ourselves? We may not be worth anything but we're here.

There's also an interesting problem with the whole good and evil thing. It's a bit of a play on words so bear with me.
If you're an evil person, then doing bad things makes you feel good. Doing bad things to a good person makes them feel bad.
If you're a good person, then doing good things make your feel good. Does doing bad things to a bad person make them feel good? No, they feel bad.
I mean sure maybe some people enjoy feeling bad, but they feel good about feeling bad.
There is only good or bad in any situation. If you are neutral about something, it means it won't make you feel bad, which is good!
So therefor: good is good, bad is bad, and this play on words is driving me mad.

Going to have to provide the yang to your yin:

If humanity has a prime directive, or meaning, it is simply to exhaust resources in order to survive and adapt. If you think hard enough, the history of humanity has evolved according to this directive; we are parasites; not you, or me, or anyone you love, but humanity as a species, as an organism, is parasitic.

Not a popular view, but I think if you forgo the knee-jerk reaction and really consider what we have done on this planet, you'll have to agree.

This is not misanthropic; it is not even a criticism - just an observation of the way it is.

We are noble parasites.

JBArk

So what gives meaning to your life?
...
Thats the meaning of life.

That must’ve been a long shower.

I don’t feel that our life here on Earth has any particular meaning or purpose – we are free to find meaning or to create meaning.

But I feel very strongly that our existence has a deeper purpose that we don’t know and, as living human beings, cannot know.

I ate some acid the other day and had an Epiphany about the meaning of life.It was to enjoy it. Thats why were here. It seemed so obvious and simple.

LOL - I had that exact same epiphany on acid a while ago . It is obvious and simple - so much so that many folk miss it...

Yes indeed trying find out wht to do and where to get it all the while its right in front of them.

Same here, its a big carnival ride ,just try to sit back and enjoy the ups and downs.

The very idea of 'meaning' if you don't interpret the word as just 'information', can only be derived from the most basic biological impulses and mechanisms we're equipped with. Or more precise, the impulses and mechanisms that act exactly on that thin line between body and mind. It's that fleshy part of the brain, that tells it's psyche what to feel and to think.

Once we're aware of something, the flesh has already told us what to feel and to think about it. Awareness merges from what the flesh has been doing to that flow of electrons through all those neural pathways inside our skull.

This is also what distinguishes 'meaning' from just 'information'. A computer can be stuffed with information without meaning. But all information that emerges within our counsciousnous has made it's way there through our flesh. And from the first moment on, it's already laden with the history of getting there through our flesh; it already has meaning to us.

Some times it seems like the purpose of everything here is to support humans, while humans are just here to live. Because humans seem to just fuck everything up.
But I definitely don't think thats truely our purpose, but it certainly explains why so many don't care about anything but humans.

I guess I agree with you guys. Just go a long for the ride and everything will show itself eventually.

The biggest concern I have is the fact of being alive in the first place. Why am I here, and where would I be if I wasn't and why would I be there instead of here? Being alive, I believe that is just the purpose. If we were nonexistent, being alive would serve a purpose as opposed to being dead. But who knows, we may not exist. Maybe the question is the answer. It's one big paradox. It's like a casino, it exists, but if you do not gamble, it does not serve a purpose to you. I guess it is just a subjective thing, to you, the one that experiences life, as an individual, and our purpose is what we live for. Everything is yours. We as humans serve purposes to our surroundings, nature, and other living things. Living is defined as something that has a metabolism from a biological or scientific standpoint. This is the most direct way of looking at it, but there are so many complex ideas on what is a possibility. Thoughts about the purpose of life or why we are here will always baffle us, we can choose to live and accept, although we will always seek answers and always be asking why or how. I could give you more of my opinions, but there are so many, and they only pertain to me, but I do understand how we want someone to communicate and exchange thoughts with about things, such as DMT, that is why this forum is here. Yeah, go along for the ride, enjoy it, or whatever you want, I guess you have to if you choose to live.

I believe the only thing left for humans to do (which we have not already done) is to develop faster than light travel and explore other planets.

It is very beautiful that everyone in here knows their purpose. Take a plant, put it in the perfect environment, and it will grow perfectly. Creating the perfect environment is hard, you have to know everything.

"The only reason we're here is to just enjoy life, go with the flow." seems to be a widespread ideal.

I find this dangerous. It coaxes people into a false sense of security. If we just enjoy life nothing will ever get done. How can you enjoy life when you know the hamburger you're eating is made from an animal that never saw a blade of grass in its life? Ignorance is not bliss, it just creates problems for other beings. I think it's irresponsible to assume there's no meaning, or that we create our own.

I forget who said we're noble parasites but I would mostly agree. We are lazy, noble parasites. We could live sustainably but we don't because of greed, laziness, and other things. If you want to look at it that way, sure...Every living being is a parasite; life itself is a parasite. In order to live we have to consume.

I'm not suggesting we use up our resources trying to protect nature but instead maintain them more carefully. I'm sure most of you are aware of the population crisis we face in the world. Surely, logic would tell you that we need to slow down, re-evaluate our priorities, and evenly distribute resources to balance things out while we change.

I think it's important to distinguish between biological purpose and simple conditioning. We've been conditioned to think that we should grow up, find a job, get married, have kids, and go on with life. Biologically speaking, we are capable to so much more.

Well, I suppose if you were the only intelligent being in existence this would be true...

It is the fundamental nature of the human mind, at the core of its construct, to try to find patterns and derive or impose meaning. To seek meaning is to be human - it's just how we're wired.

"Purpose" on the other hand is dodgy ground - to describe the purpose of plants in terms of the needs of other species is bass ackwards, imo. Plants do not exist to cloth feed and or heal us; though we use them for these things, this is not their purpose. This is not WHY they exist.

They are alive; life in itself is the purpose. All living things strive to grow and survive, and to carry on living. All living thing s adapt very quickly to make the best use of resources and circumstance.

So what is our purpose, or the meaning? To become one with the life force that beats in every cell of every living thing. To grow. To live.

We need to kill the hypocrite. Otherwise we WILL all die.
Im not the bad ass.

Im just the one that makes you look in the mirror...

see my sig

plants are conscious beings
we are here because we chose to be here
our purpose is to love yet many get distracted and caught up in delusion and forget why they came

Everything is one creature. The creature has but one thought. "Whats in it for me" No matter how hard you try you can't escape that. The purpose ocreation is to creat a creature and fill it with infinite delight. Only we can't relly tell wat really gives us delight. That is our purpose, to see that all event "good" or "bad" are only attempts of the universe to show us what true joy is. This is how I believe and it keeps me on my toes, looking for meaning

Vanilla squash paper-towel, juggle jigsaw fairy flowers.
Ten twenty yolk yuppy happy sad, phantom bad.

If you disagree with what I just said, then I'm sure you misunderstood it. I'm trying to be deep and philosophical so my words require much attention and thought.
You are a human being like all of us, nothing more. If you don't speak like one, nobody will take you seriously.
inb4 "see my sig first quote" to people who flame you.
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Forgive me if I've derailed my original thinking but it was a long time ago. What I mean by purpose is not specific to any being. I'm not suggesting plants exist only for our benefit. I'm suggesting that because we use them for specific things we then associate a purpose and thus give it meaning. Nothing really uses us or has a purpose for us. We find purpose for ourselves, in each other. It's confusing and I'm still having trouble wrapping my brain around what exactly that means. It seems to me that the vast majority of things in nature have their place. The food chain (web) is a good example of this. My concern is where exactly do we fit into the equation? So far, we're just ruining everything.

i couldn't agree more and i love the simplicity of your statement.
my 2 cents is that the "why are we here" question does not have a one size fits all answer. in a way i feel i have over thought this question in the past and kept looking for the answer from the outside. i kept wanting to find a book, or talk to a so called spiritual person and have them just tell me. i think the answer to this question isnt really as important as the journey of each individual to find their answer. life is very much about choosing your own adventure. if we take the steps to know ourselves, quite the noise of the mind and look deep inside you will have your answer.

for me its very simple, service to others, feeling and seeking joy.

for me those 2 cover it all. understanding our physical universe and trying to understand the great mystery's of our consciousness and existence brings me joy. using psychoactive plants and substances helps me achieve understanding there for giving my life and existence depth and excitement. when i feel this inspired i have great love and compassion for other humans and feel the strong calling to be of service to them.

ill leave off with a quote that i heard in my mind this summer on a mushroom journey.
"im slowly coming to this gentle place where none of this really matters"

what that meant to me is that there is a place within each of us that has such power and when living from this point you can accomplish and handle enormous feats. you see everything and all situations in its entirety without the right and wrong judgments. the key for me is tapping into this source. not always easy but thats life, keep on trying to be the highest version of your physical self.