Why?

[NormalDan]

blah blah blah...

The question of "Why do I exist?" is the same as all 'why' questions. That is, when you keep asking why until you get to the end.

The answer, "Because my parents had sex.", is an answer indeed. But it does not give the ultimate reason for existing. To find the reason one must ask "Why did they have sex?". That question likely has an answer. Once found, simply ask "Why?", again. Then continue this line of questioning and in the end, you'll find the answer. And the ultimate reason for existing: there is no reason.

Now lots of people will tell you things like "We're here to love and serve God." or some crap. But these people have stopped too short (imho). One can always ask "Why are we here to love and serve God?" As far as I can see, there is no reason. That's why.

 

[elman]

The question of "Why do I exist?" is the same as all 'why' questions. That is, when you keep asking why until you get to the end.

The answer, "Because my parents had sex.", is an answer indeed. But it does not give the ultimate reason for existing. To find the reason one must ask "Why did they have sex?". That question likely has an answer. Once found, simply ask "Why?", again. Then continue this line of questioning and in the end, you'll find the answer. And the ultimate reason for existing: there is no reason.

Now lots of people will tell you things like "We're here to love and serve God." or some crap. But these people have stopped too short (imho). One can always ask "Why are we here to love and serve God?" As far as I can see, there is no reason. That's why.

Just because you cannot see a reason does not mean there is no reason. What caused the parents to have sex is not even a logical search for the reason. That is an explantion of why we were born, and has nothing to do with the reason we exist. If God created us because He is Love and because He wanted beings to exist who could love Him back and He could love, then the reason we exist is to love each other so we can be the kind of beings God created us to be.

 

[KCDAD]

Why?

The best answer I ever heard was from a friend whose sister had died tragically. He began with crying out "why?" He came to realize that all things work to perfection in God. The real answer came to him that the reaason why there is pain and suffering and evil and bad things... because only through these do we see the glory and redemptive power of God. Only in tragedy do we begin to look outside ourselves. Who worries about God when life is great and everything is going along just as we plan or wish?

 

[Moros]

Because I got high.

 

[Abbadon]

Why?

"Because the monkey on the chocolate train let one rip, and that made the train stink, so we got off and had to walk to the candy store all by ourselves, and we saw an eliphant whose name was George, and he was really nice and he bought us candy, though it didn't taste really good, like chocolate, it tasted like gumdrops, and I don't like gumdrops, but I always eat them whenever we visit the man with the gun, because there isn't anything to do in his house eat gumdrops, which is too bad because he is a nice man, not as nice as everyone else, but still a nice man, cause he lets me eat all the gumdrops when I'm at his house, and doesn't yell at me like the monkey does when I eat all the chocolate at our house, and..."

*continues to gibber on in a way that rates as 1d10/d% in a CoC rulebook*

 

[warghaha]

Why?

I don't know...you tell me.

Why we discriminate who born on Feb 29th. They should have a birthday wish for every years, no?

 

[Ledifni]

It seems I used to ask "why?" a lot. Usually I would ask God this question. But once I became an atheist, I no longer asked, I was able to figure out the answer myself. Has anyone else noticed this? Do you think it has to do with atheism, or just the fact I grew a little?

It's not so much that I don't ask "why?" anymore, but that I direct the question more wisely. I ask myself "why?" I ask reality "why?" by studying what it has to show me. I ask others who have studied and thought and come up with conclusions "why?" so I can compare my results to theirs and find out where I may have gone wrong. What I don't do is ask "why?" to draw answers from a preselected repository of cut-and-dried answers that I don't have to think about or question, but just accept.

That is, I understand what you're saying; however, I would say that we still need to ask "why?" but we need to understand that "why?" isn't an alternative to figuring it out yourself.

 

[Ledifni]

Sometimes, the quickest, most effective way to spoil a good thing, is to start asking "Why?"

Or to spoil a bad thing, and to justify a good one. I can't say I've ever seen a good thing ruined by asking "Why?" I've seen things ruined by asking at inappropriate times, yes, but "Why?" is always a good thing to wonder about.

 

[Ledifni]

No that is the reason you were born. It is not why you exist.

Define "why you exist," please. I think the question you are asking is, "By what Supreme Plan and under the authority of which Supreme Being do you exist?" Am I correct?

My parents having sex is certainly a reason that I exist. The structure of human DNA is another reason I exist. My successful gestation is yet another reason I exist. Minnie Hammersmith's survival of the 1905 Galveston hurricane is yet another... and so on. There are many answers to the question, "Why do I exist?" because there are many reasons that I exist.

You do not wish to accept the first of the reasons I just listed. I think it's a safe bet that you wouldn't wish to accept any of the others I listed, either. In short, you seem to be looking for one specific reason out of the many one could list, and I'm guessing that what you want to hear is, "God is the reason," whether or not God is actually a reason that I exist.

 

[DailyBlessings]

You do not wish to accept the first of the reasons I just listed. I think it's a safe bet that you wouldn't wish to accept any of the others I listed, either. In short, you seem to be looking for one specific reason out of the many one could list, and I'm guessing that what you want to hear is, "God is the reason," whether or not God is actually a reason that I exist.

So basically your problem is that you think "why?" and "What is the reason for?" are the same question?

 

[Ledifni]

So basically your problem is that you think "why?" and "What is the reason for?" are the same question?

Uh, yeah. That's what the word "why" means.

why ([font=verdana,sans-serif] P [/font]) Pronunciation Key (hw

, w

)
adv. For what purpose, reason, or cause; with what intention, justification, or motive: Why is the door shut? Why do birds sing?

 

[D McCloud]

That's irrelevant to the question of "why" one exists. Theories about reproduction can only address the question of "how" your existence came about.

One cannot comprehend "why" until one undestands "how"

 

[DailyBlessings]

One cannot comprehend "why" until one undestands "how"

Indeed, but if one stops at "how", true understanding can never be attained.

 

[D McCloud]

Indeed, but if one stops at "how", true understanding can never be attained.

Indeed, but perhaps the question of "how" is the only commonality one can hope to have with another. Therefore, mabey it's irrelavent for one to objectively converse about "why" when the only commonality we have is "how".

 

[DailyBlessings]

Indeed, but perhaps the question of "how" is the only commonality one can hope to have with another. Therefore, mabey it's irrelavent for one to objectively converse about "why" when the only commonality we have is "how".

Good point, that. But at the same time, even a subjective "why" can benefit from the opinions of others. If objective truth is the only truth, then philosophy is a nearly pointless endeavor, as the empirical sciences may eventually lay all objective truth bare.

 

[D McCloud]

Good point, that. But at the same time, even a subjective "why" can benefit from the opinions of others.

I agree, but although the answer to "why" may be aided by the opinions of others, it can only be attained by the one seeking subjectively.

If objective truth is the only truth, then philosophy is a nearly pointless endeavor, as the empirical sciences may eventually lay all objective truth bare.

It would be quite a feat for science to lay bare objective truth. Perhaps it would be far more likely for the empircal sciences to lay bare the subjective truths interpreted as the objective ones, ultimately leading us to the real objective.

 

[NormalDan]

Just because you cannot see a reason does not mean there is no reason. What caused the parents to have sex is not even a logical search for the reason. That is an explantion of why we were born, and has nothing to do with the reason we exist. If God created us because He is Love and because He wanted beings to exist who could love Him back and He could love, then the reason we exist is to love each other so we can be the kind of beings God created us to be.

Ah, but you have stopped too short once again my good friend. If the reason we exist is to 'love each other so we can be the kind of beings God created us to be.' One must ask, "For what reason does God exist?" Now by definition, to have a reason is to have a cause. God, is said to be the "first cause" or to "exist without a cause". At any rate, God does not have a cause. Having no cause means having no reason (by definition). Therefore, ultimately, our existence has no reason.

 

[TeddyKGB]

Indeed, but if one stops at "how", true understanding can never be attained.

Suggesting that until all the "why?" questions are answered, understanding will be incomplete. But is there a reason to think that? It seems that for any metaphysical statement, we can always ask why it should be. Doesn't there have to be at least one brute fact?

 

[Lisa0315]

Why?

Since I am a Mom...Because I said so!

 

[Abbadon]

Since I am a Mom...Because I said so!

NO! I'm runnin' away, and you'll never find me!