Purpose of life

Invest in yourself. We are living in the best times ever known to humanity. Of course, there are a lot of crazy problems out there and everything is changing fast. Problems and changes are constants in life. As long as we are alive, problems and changes will be always with us. We are better off enjoying the challenge of becoming problem solvers and learning to adapt to constant and rapid change. Ride the waves. Enjoy the ups and downs. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

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The purpose of life

No one knows what life is, much less what its purpose may be, if any. For sure, many people have theories and beliefs. Religion is an ancient coping mechanism to deal with the uncertainties of life. Typically the power of the gods begin where human knowledge ends. 

The more we learn the more we know we know nothing. Therefore, the psychological needs for believing in super natural forces tend to increase. Not believing is more rational than believing. However, rationality alone can leave you feeling lost and confused in life. 

Faith 

Believing in god or gods is a personal decision with pros and cons. Religious beliefs are faith-based, and impossible to prove by definition. To belief in god or gods you have to suspend disbelief. If you think rationally about what are the chances that there is are gods out there who communicated with primitive / ancient humans, you may become an atheist. 

If you prefer having the power of faith as part of your arsenal, you may be better off not thinking scientifically or mathematically about religion. Belief for the joy of it and the many psychological rewards available to believers vs non-believers. Believing that an almighty has your back, and that everything will be alright, works like medicine in the human brain. It is the lack of that psychological safety net of religion what seems to break down many atheists. It is easy to get lost forcing rationality onto life when we don't even know for sure what life is or what may be its fundamental purpose, if any. 

Good vs. Evil

Many people suggest that the purpose of life is to fight evil. They divide the world in "us vs them", seeing themselves as the "good" ones fighting the "evil" ones. Funny thing is that each side believes that they are the "good" ones, which shows that splitting the world in us vs them, good vs evil, is a silly mental trap. First, "good" or "evil" are opinions. Then this is just political or about who has more power than the other. Therefore, it is not good vs evil, but rather convenient vs inconvenient; pleasurable vs painful.   

While it should be okay to support what you believe is right while opposing what you believe is wrong, it is important to know that your beliefs may be wrong. Whatever is connected in your neural synapses feels "true" to you, but that does not mean that it is really true or even useful for you. Politics is a mental trap that makes us see the world as a zero sum game where if the "others" win, we lose. Get into politics if you enjoy it, but do not fall for the trap of believing that your side is always the "good" one and that it has a monopoly on the "truth".  

Flourishing

Flourishing refers to growing and developing in a healthy and constructive way. If you observe what all forms of life try to do, you may notice a simple patter. All life tries to do is flourish. From weeds to roaches, from rats to humans, everything is the same: life trying to flourish. 

Every living organism is an organic computer programmed to try to survive and flourish. If you are into flourishing, TakeSlap's food for thought can help you. A hack for flourishing is developing constructive habits (i.e. virtues) while avoiding / replacing destructive habits (vices). 

Virtues vs Vices

Think of virtues and vices are opposite habits; two sides of the same coin. Virtues edify you. Vices destroy you. A fundamental key to flourishing is replacing vices with virtues. The brain gets used to whatever you practice and do routinely, whether it is a virtue or a vice. You are better off rising into virtues than falling into vices.

All existing vices can be replaced with virtues when you master the pain / pleasure mechanism of life. All living organisms, yourself included, are controlled by a binary pan / pleasure algorithm. Animals survive by avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. All your ancestors survived by avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. The pain / pleasure "trait" survived in you. 

Mental Associations

Mastering pain and pleasure is the ultimate hack for optimizing flourishing. It is all about playing with our pain / pleasure associations. We humans are smart enough to learn how to associate physical pain with mental pleasure, and vice versa. With that simple hack of creating effective pain / pleasure mental associations we can accomplish anything within our human potential. 

Take working out as an example. For some people working out is a painful experience. For others, working out is a pleasure. Who do you think works out routinely? Think about studying as another example. Some people see it as a punishment, while others enjoy it. Who do you think study routinely? Take financial investing as a another example. For some people building their financial portfolio is a pleasure so they invest time, energy, and money into making it happen. 

More to follow

We'll cover more of the same in future posts. Stay tuned. Let us know what you think.

Slap is food for thought. Take out at TakeSlap.com