Does anyone use such language these days outside of archaic religiosity or fanatical devotion to a cause?

People talk about pursuing meaningful activities from which they derive satisfaction. Car collecting, helping at a charity, employment, parenting, study. I think this is normal. Some people might call this having a purpose.

What does it mean to give oneself purpose? — TiredThinker

Nothing more than "I gave myself an enema". :mask:

Has anyone heard of functional fixedness and the associated the candle problem?

What does it mean to give oneself purpose? — TiredThinker

Extending one's concerns beyond the limitations of the self. We are fundamentally social beings. Being stranded on an island of self-indulgent thoughts and actions can only lead to isolation. Believing that our actions contribute to an overall good, on the other hand, can be very rewarding in and of itself.

What does it mean to give oneself purpose? — TiredThinker

I assume you mean that someone sets a purpose for me (e.g., God, parents), which indeed is not a good idea at all and most probably it won't work. Otherwise, to set a purpose for myself, a goal, something to achieve, is a very good idea.

As for the "sense of purpose" I'm not sure what does that mean. Something indefinite, illusory, fake, etc. that can think of as a purpose? A purpose is generally something specific, concrete. It's not like, e.g. freedom, which is an abtract idea and a "sense of freedom" has indeed a meaning.

"sense of freedom" has indeed a meaning. — Alkis Piskas

Which kind of meaning? Are you referring to politics or democracy?

Does anyone use such language these days outside of archaic religiosity or fanatical devotion to a cause? — Tom Storm

A beautiful question! Hats off to you señor/señorita.

Which kind of meaning? Are you referring to politics or democracy? — javi2541997

(Re:"sense of freedom"). Democracy can be included too. But it has really a lot of applications. It is actually a very common phrase.

Here's one of the definitions DICTIONARY.COM offers for the word "sense", which pertains esp. to the meaning I used it with:
"A more or less vague perception or impression: a sense of security."

In fact, we always live with a "sense of fredom", i.e. an idea, a feeling that we are free (regarding something). We are never totally, absolutely or actually free, are we? Freedom is something relative.

We are never totally, absolutely or actually free, are we? Freedom is something relative. — Alkis Piskas

Agreed. Very good thought :up:

We are never totally, absolutely or actually free, are we? — Alkis Piskas

I see it that, as children we are mentally free but physically bound.
Then by the time we get physical freedom, are mentally bound

What does it mean to give oneself purpose? — TiredThinker

To know what one lives for.

Glad you agree. :smile:

as children we are mentally free but physically bound.
Then by the time we get physical freedom, are mentally bound — Yohan

Nice. :up:

What does it mean to give oneself purpose? — TiredThinker

Why do yo ask? Does misery seek company?

isn't "purpose" a bold thing to give to oneself? — TiredThinker

Yes. If you try, you can fail.

But look at your question; it takes a whole life, yours or mine, and abstracts it from anything personal, then reinserts the personal as an arbitrary "purpose", and demands that there should be some "meaning" of this abstract "life" for its impersonal "self". If you spend your life on meaningless questions, your life will indeed have little meaning. Find a more vital question for God's sake. Make that your purpose for a minute.

Dracula dead and loving it reference. Nice!!

We live with or without inventing a mental/behavioral occupation?

I was talking to a prospective date and she seeks someone with a strong sense of purpose. As far as I know Mr. Smith from The Matrix and Loki from Marvel movies are examples of being obsessed with purpose. Like everything needs to line up only too perfectly according to a predetermined design or else it is a failure.

Purpose has for the most part been associated with (joy &) life. What if someone's purpose is to (suffer &) die à la Jesus of Nazareth?

What if someone's purpose is to (suffer &) die à la Jesus of Nazareth? — Agent Smith

I even think suffering is inherent to us. It is not a "purpose" but a state of mind or at least an important chain of the human evolution and progress.

I even think suffering is inherent to us. It is not a "purpose" but a state of mind or at least an important chain of the human evolution and progress. — javi2541997

Well, that is a possibility that I didn't consider but isn't it true that when people sense a purpose in suffering, it kinda takes the sting out of it? Hence, I believe, the parallel quest to seek meaning in suffering.

What does it mean to give oneself purpose? — TiredThinker

What is it that you think you're here for? What are you meant to do? What do you want to do with your life?

When you answer these questions by yourself, without looking no further than your own values, you have given yourself a purpose.

Recall that Leibniz called our minds little gods; giving yourself a purpose is (a little) god self-assigning a task.

I was talking to a prospective date and she seeks someone with a strong sense of purpose. As far as I know Mr. Smith from The Matrix and Loki from Marvel movies are examples of being obsessed with purpose. — TiredThinker

Those are two different mindsets. I think your prospective date meant someone with ambition -- they have a plan and they're going to follow through with it.

Mr. Smith lives in a much more immediate, urgent, and universe-bending reality. They're lucky to have that kind of challenge that we don't have here on Earth.

What does it mean to give oneself purpose? — TiredThinker

It means you believe purpose is self created.

If I asked you to give yourself a cause for your existence, you'd likely tell me that whatever caused your existence existed without any effort from yourself.

I'd say the same for purpose. You have a purpose and it isn't created by you.

Recall that Leibniz called our minds little gods; giving yourself a purpose is (a little) god self-assigning a task. — Agent Smith

If desires are our purposes, why confuse the issue with the pesky term "purpose" and just instead say "desire"?

I think we have the separate terms because we mean different things by it.

Your invoking little gods here begs the question of why you don't invoke the big God here. If we're going to speak of God or gods, then why not ask what your divine task is, as opposed to your personal desire?

If desires are our purposes, why confuse the issue with the pesky term "purpose" and just instead say "desire"? — Hanover

Well, as far as I can tell, what God desires of us is what religious folks would consider our purpose. I just ran with that when I said what we want (to do with our lives) is our purpose.

why not ask what your divine task is, as opposed to your personal desire? — Hanover

Because, in my humble opinion, god provides us hints & clues as to what He wants us to do in what we want to do.

I don't know why I exist or what I was supposed to do. I don't know why I feel like throwing up pretty much all day everyday without a clear medical reason. Just added inflammation every year and nothing ever gets better in life.

You are just surviving, not living. Stay strong!

I will be strong if and only if medical advances focus on health span and not specific diseases when they show up inevitably due to poor preventive medicines.

I don't know why I exist or what I was supposed to do. — TiredThinker

[ ... ]After that, I understood the rules, I knew what I was supposed to do, but I didn't. I couldn't. I was compelled to stay, compelled to disobey. — Agent Smith

:grin: and bear it!

It means you believe purpose is self created. — Hanover

Would you say that the purpose of a virus is to replicate or to make humans ill or both?
Does a virus therefore have a purpose or perhaps even an intent?
I think some purpose IS inherent in humans and at its most basic level it must be 'to ask questions.'
From that our purpose or perhaps our intent seems to be to act as as agent of change.
We cause changes mostly deliberately but also sometimes, without intent on just due to our presence.
The presence of humans means that change is not completely dependent on random happenstance. Humans can be agents of intentional change. Could this be claimed to be their 'universal' or 'absolute' purpose? If not, then why not?