Thread: Truth, Purpose and of course Happiness

Destiny need not lead to happiness, nor be found through happy feelings.

Compulsion may also lead one to their destiny, and leave happiness in the dust.

I feel like I'm still not being understood.

Doing what makes you happy is your destiny. Period.

And I say, bollocks to destiny.

Same thing

If it exists, it can only be understood through one's pursuit of happiness

If it is meaningful, it is only meaningful in its relevance to bringing happiness.

Therefore destiny is a load of shenanigans, and happiness is an infinitely more valuable pursuit

And the same goes for the concept of "truth"

I understand what you were saying before... that it can only be defined in relation to what we choose to do happily with our life: that life defines destiny, and not that destiny defines life.

But then we'd be changing what destiny actually means, no? Hence 'bollocks to destiny'.

Sort of, yeah, but one must also understand they have a unique drive toward happiness based on their unique DNA and unique ethos. In that sense, you don't really choose what makes you happy, it is delivered to you by the aggregate of everything that make up your identity. This gives destiny as a concept some warrant, but only in the sense of pursuing your own unique form of happiness.

There's still choice involved, of course, and no one's fate is written in stone somewhere. But we're all designed by natural selection into unique variations, if even only slightly. So one could posit that our destiny is whatever our unique variation can flower into, and whatever ripples it can potentially cause.

I guess that makes sense, yes. That we are predetermined to seek happiness, and thus in some part, have a predetermined life. As least insofar as this deep-rooted physiological impulse has its say.

Yeah but you also can't reduce it to strict physiological impulses as though our happiness is determined purely by hormones. I included the word ethos for a reason. Our conditioning is not purely born of our genetic legacy, but also through our observations of reality, especially of our role-models, which breeds in us a burning desire for what we believe will not just give our bodies satisfaction, but our minds contentment.

Naa, of course not, but we need to be careful about how much we ascribe to these forces, whether nature or nurture, for it diminishes the concept of free will.

Well, you can't exactly stand free will up on its own circular logic, either.

Interesting... I just wrote a paper on freewill. The concept of freewill is basically a big ambiguous maze of an endevor with seemily no possible solution, especially in defining a self that has freewill and why it's free. I attempted to ascribe these forces of desire and will as agents in themselves that can be relatively free amongst each other. What are we as agents that make choices apart from our evolutionary machinery and experienced based reasoning that form aspirations?

I wrote out several thoughts and counterpoints to your suppositions but then I decided that I will be happiest if I choose not to debate you.

Your personal logic make me want to kill bunnies, metaphorically.

I like you...but in the way I used to like my friend who sometimes made me roll my eyes when she talked about the energy in crystals.



We should drink beer sometime, lots of it, and then it won't matter what either of us thinks. Chances are your pants will be on your head and I will be trying to stop the moths from landing on my face.

Beautiful destiny.

Who are you referring to? I'd prefer to engage people in discussion on this thread rather than resort to a condescending attitude. I don't believe you've made a point on this thread so far other than "having kids is awesome" so I fail to see how you are in any position to roll your eyes.

I was referring to you.

SO I roll my eyes. Who cares? It doesn't affect your pursuit of happiness and I still like who you are. I even find these threads a bit interesting. I just find that my thought processes and yours don't fully mesh on topics like this one, and it probably has to do with my own personal feelings about debating subjective topics.

Does it matter if I agree with you about destiny? Or happiness? Or even empathy?

If I was to make a point, it would be that you post these threads and ask for opinion and then disagree when people reply because you have already decided what is right and what is wrong in relation to the topic and can't be swayed by any other opinion.

I am in a perfect position to roll my eyes or even fart in your general direction, simply because this thread is posted on the forum and not part of a private conversation.

I would look silly farting in your direction, so I would rather drink beers and go see where you live.

Ive been struggling to make concrete the very topic of this discussion, so Im looking at every post with a very thoughtful approach. I have come to the conclusion that one of my biggest fears in life is going down the "wrong" path and not doing what makes me happy. Maybe even fearing I will not get to feel that utter and complete happiness that people speak of. One reason might be because I think too much. I hardly ever just accept my emotions, i always take them with a grain of salt and think about them. Is it even possible to feel fully happy in that way? I feel its rather compulsive, and a defense mechanism to keep me from getting really sad or angry.

Ominus might be correct about each person having a destiny as far as what makes them feel happy and complete. I mean, to me it doesnt even make sense to me that Im happier training through the pain and suffering of mma rather than sitting at home watching tv. I cant even explain to people why I like it when they ask me. I just do. And its kind of frustrating that I cant convey why because I dont even understand it myself. (no Im not a glutton for pain, the thought of cutting myself in no way intrigues me)

Melanieb, I would encourage you to put your opinions on the topic here as well, if not to counter point ominus, then at least for others who may be looking for multiple angles to look at this topic from. Im interested in your counter points anyway.

Originally Posted by melanieb

I was referring to you.

SO I roll my eyes. Who cares? It doesn't affect your pursuit of happiness and I still like who you are. I even find these threads a bit interesting. I just find that my thought processes and yours don't fully mesh on topics like this one, and it probably has to do with my own personal feelings about debating subjective topics.

Does it matter if I agree with you about destiny? Or happiness? Or even empathy?

If I was to make a point, it would be that you post these threads and ask for opinion and then disagree when people reply because you have already decided what is right and what is wrong in relation to the topic and can't be swayed by any other opinion.

I am in a perfect position to roll my eyes or even fart in your general direction, simply because this thread is posted on the forum and not part of a private conversation.

I would look silly farting in your direction, so I would rather drink beers and go see where you live.

My point is I'm curious what you find wrong with the logic and I'm simply explaining that I would prefer to see what you have to say rather than see you merely belittle this concept like it's not worth your time or whatever the implication was.

Also, I did not make this topic to ask people's opinions then shut them down. I already started this thread with a thesis, I just didn't bother explaining it in the OP because I wanted to see what people's initial reactions to the statement was. But I hold no attachment to this viewpoint other than the fact that it basically constitutes my perspective on life. I don't expect anyone to agree with it, if everyone were so Humean we wouldn't have such a froth of logical understanding about reality. But I would appreciate more respectful behavior and as long you find this thread worth replying to in the first place, the least you could do is give the concept proper assessment and weigh in with something substantial.