Is the Purpose of Life to Procreate?

[Reyaj]

Part of me thinks this is the path and the other part of me feels like I shouldn't subject a child to this crappy world we live in.

 

[Stephen89]

It's to experience, learn, grow, live out your dreams.

 

[Bible_Belt]

There are way too many humans on this planet as it is.

 

[Reyaj]

It's to experience, learn, grow, live out your dreams.

Ok but if you don't procreate you're dead with no one carrying on your DNA.

There are way too many humans on this planet as it is.

True. Even the midwest where you're from has become highly populated. I still think girls are easier there though

 

[stovepipe]

We are raised to believe procreating is our purpose. I would not want to raise a child in todays phuked up world. It's too toxic and getting worse by the day. "Most" all the married couples I know are miserable, in debt, rarely have sex, complain, ect. The many single moms I know. Sloots are getting wifed up, good guys get dogged, women are loyal to trash men, the good girls are single and the ungrateful have everything.

As you get older your view on purpose changes. IMO live out your dreams, travel, be a good person, stay healthy, have sex, try not to stress that much and just live the life you want to live with zero phukes.

Ok but if you don't procreate you're dead with no one carrying on your DNA.

Who cares? Not everyone is meant to have a child nor does everyone want one. I'm totally fine with not leaving my DNA behind. This world is going to chit in a hand basket and there is already too many people. Some of the happiest marriages I've seen have no kids. They use the money they would have spent on the child to travel the world, eat good food and enjoy life creating amazing memories.

 

[Marek]

It's the natural purpose of life. You are here today, because for billions of years lifeforms before you made it their priority to procreate. That is still the baseline programming for every animal on earth, including the 7bn humans.

It's not a fitting purpose anymore though. Back in the days, couple of millenia ago, you could just bite dead other people's offspring to ensure your own offspring had enough resources to flourish. But now we live in an "everybody has a right to live" world and population is out of control.

These days I'm wondering whether it'd be more interesting to pass down my "philosophical DNA", rather than my physical. But then again, the animal in me wants to spread physical DNA.

 

[AttackFormation]

Who cares? Not everyone is meant to have a child nor does everyone want one. I'm totally fine with not leaving my DNA behind. This world is going to chit in a hand basket and there is already too many people. Some of the happiest marriages I've seen have no kids. They use the money they would have spent on the child to travel the world, eat good food and enjoy life creating amazing memories.

Another point is that your dna will disappear anyway. Your dna already exists in the rest of humanity, it's just your specific arrangement that you have. So both your consciousness and your individual dna arrangement will end with you, while your dna as a whole will still exist in the rest of humanity, children or no children.

 

[Mike32ct]

There’s nothing special about my DNA. I don’t care if it gets passed on or not.

 

[The Duke]

"I ain't here for a long time, I'm here for a good time"...George Strait.

 

[taiyuu_otoko]

Your purpose is whatever you want it to be. You have a drive to bust a nut into a chick and you are descended from dudes who successfully busted nuts in at least one lady. If you want to have kids have kids. If you don't want to have kids don't have kids. Nobody really cares one way or the other.

 

[Reyaj]

We are raised to believe procreating is our purpose. I would not want to raise a child in todays phuked up world. It's too toxic and getting worse by the day. "Most" all the married couples I know are miserable, in debt, rarely have sex, complain, ect. The many single moms I know. Sloots are getting wifed up, good guys get dogged, women are loyal to trash men, the good girls are single and the ungrateful have everything.

As you get older your view on purpose changes. IMO live out your dreams, travel, be a good person, stay healthy, have sex, try not to stress that much and just live the life you want to live with zero phukes.

I can't disagree with anything you wrote here because this is how I often feel. However whether you want to admit it or not you are aging. There comes a point where scoring young attractive women will be difficult. Heck even for someone who is young it's difficult let alone an older man.

Who cares? Not everyone is meant to have a child nor does everyone want one. I'm totally fine with not leaving my DNA behind. This world is going to chit in a hand basket and there is already too many people. Some of the happiest marriages I've seen have no kids. They use the money they would have spent on the child to travel the world, eat good food and enjoy life creating amazing memories.

I don't disagree. So is the alternative to not having kids to have a life a partner? I guess the question is how many older "single" people do you know who are happy?

It's the natural purpose of life. You are here today, because for billions of years lifeforms before you made it their priority to procreate. That is still the baseline programming for every animal on earth, including the 7bn humans.

It's not a fitting purpose anymore though. Back in the days, couple of millenia ago, you could just bite dead other people's offspring to ensure your own offspring had enough resources to flourish. But now we live in an "everybody has a right to live" world and population is out of control.

These days I'm wondering whether it'd be more interesting to pass down my "philosophical DNA", rather than my physical. But then again, the animal in me wants to spread physical DNA.

Right

I've thought about this, but you could have a kid and that kid might not procreate. What's the difference?

Or maybe your kid does have offspring and his offspring doesn't procreate.... At least you did your part though

Biological purpose but plenty of unfulfilled people with kids.

I will say this, I NEVER thought I would have kids or wanted them but when you meet a girl you really like the whole family thing starts to make sense and your purpose as provider role is empowering/focusing. I do suffer existential dread when these relationships end.

Better to focus on spiritual/life purpose in 2018 for obvious reasons.

So it is our biological purpose then?

Another point is that your dna will disappear anyway. Your dna already exists in the rest of humanity, it's just your specific arrangement that you have. So both your consciousness and your individual dna arrangement will end with you, while your dna as a whole will still exist in the rest of humanity, children or no children.

I'm not a scientist to try and debate facts about what you said lol But most kids sure do resemble their parents

 

[stovepipe]

I don't disagree. So is the alternative to not having kids to have a life a partner? I guess the question is how many older "single" people do you know who are happy?

I've always been a recluse due to my mental disorders. I have no issues being alone forever, but will not for a sec deny a life partner would be ideal for me. Someone who shares some of the same interests and at the end of the day call my best friend. Finding that these days is tough but they are out there.

People these days are very good at hiding their true identity. The ones who portray to be happy are usually the ones who aren't. The ones who dont look happy usually are. The few single girls I know in my group of friends are not happy. They sometimes open up telling me how they thought or expected to be married or have a bf by now (they are 38-41). Then when they do get a bf it doesn't last. Some even told me they are miserable. Then some my married friends wives complain to me about their husbands and vice versa.

Some of my friends of friends wives I barely know I catch them starring at me constantly with their husband by her side. I will look up and see one of them giving me that deep stare, then when she sees me catch her she immediately looks down at the ground to try and play it off. When looking down in most cases is a sign of submission. Those same women I first thought were good wives only to realize that deep down she is bored, unhappy and wants the touch of another man.

We as humans are wired to interact, love, ,mingle, ect with others. Being single as you get older will for most make them sad. Few of my relatives in their 60's are single are down right miserable. They turn that misery into hatred towards others. Like they are blaming/hating the world for their own outcome. Heck even my dad is miserable married to mom. All he does when Im with him is complain about her non stop.

Then you have to worry if your partner will get bored with you years down the road, cheat or drive you crazy. The world is shifting in the fact that we as humans can't really trust each other as much as before. People are becoming greedy, untrustworthy, selfish, entitled, bored very easily and rarely ever satisfied. Then you have social media creating all these new mental conditions.

Before I write a book. What I am trying to say is the odds of someone finding a life partner in today's world is the equivalent of winning the Mega Millions jackpot.

 

[mikeyb]

If you read enough absurdist fiction you will come to understand that objectively, we cannot ascribe a purpose to life. That is of course irrelevant, because what matters is the subjective purpose that gets you out of bed in the morning.

So, if you believe procreating makes your life worthwhile, go have some kids. If you believe that the experience, the journey, is the purpose in itself, then go travel, tick off items on your bucket list, learn new things. No one can tell you what the purpose of life is, only what purpose they have given it themselves.

 

[Ranger]

That would depend on your personal beliefs and philosophy. Are you just a body or is one a mind, body and spirit?

Those would have two different end games.

 

[Reyaj]

We are all going to die!