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The Purpose of Life Is Not Happiness: It’s Usefulness
- EddieDante 4y agoThe purpose of this guy's life is "usefulness", but he never bothers to ask, "useful to whom"? What good is usefulness if you're useful to people who will ultimately make things worse? Your life is yours to live as you alone see fit. If you want to make yourself "useful", knock yourself out. But if somebody tells you you could "do more" and are "wasting your potential", they're no friend of yours; they're just trying to use you for their own ends.
- manuelabeledo 4y agoI don't think I get the author's take. He is essentially saying that happiness is indeed a goal, and usefulness is the means to it. But then there is this truism: > Happiness can’t be a goal in itself. Why not? And the following non sequitur: > Therefore, it’s not something that’s achievable. Just because something is not a goal, that does not mean it is not achievable, because a goal is just the expression of desire. Anything could be a goal, like going to Mars, but that does not mean it is achievable. Anyway, it may be that I'm not quite into this self help trend. I in fact think it could be toxic, even.
- IceMetalPunk 4y agoI recommend watching "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once". It highlights a philosophy that I fully subscribe to: there is no purpose of life or anything else, other than what we make of it. Someone's purpose is whatever they decide it is. As long as you're not hurting anyone in your pursuit or enjoyment of a thing, that thing can be your goal if you want. You want to be useful to someone? Go do that. You want to be happy? Figure out how to do that. You want to swim naked with sharks and try not to get bitten? Have fun! But you don't get to decide what someone else's purpose is.