Here is an excerpt from my recent writing. It stems from reflecting on exactly what "purpose" is.
What is a purpose? Is this a purely human concept? Do all things "just exist"?
Purpose is the answer to a "why does this exist".
Why do humans exist? To perpetuate? Is the difficulty caused by separating humanity from the rest of life?
Why does life exist?
Life is a work of art. The purpose of art is to be beautiful. It is not utilitarian - it is not required to have any justification of it's form other than pleasing the senses.
The biological aspects of life - the mundane - are only requirements for the art to stand - it is like the metal girding inside a delicate statue.
Where does the beauty of life come from? In the delicate balance of all it's parts. Life is beautiful in and of itself because of the internal balance it provides. Sometimes it is vicious - the she-lion killing and eating the gazelle. But look at the lines of the lion - the rippling muscles, the focus of purpose - look at the power and grace of the gazelle. Marvel at the dance of life that allows the sun to feed the grasses that they run through - that the gazelle eats and makes part of it's body - that fuels it's lifeblood as it runs - that becomes the nourishment of the lion - that when it dies becomes the nourishment of the lowest of animals - and returns it all to the soil - from where the grass spouts - which they run through.
The purpose of life is to be beautiful. If it were all pleasant - all the happy smile of a child in a painting - then it would lack the depth of beauty that is possible - the beauty of an enigmatic smirk or a sideways glance. Without dark, how can you know what light truly is?
Whenever I have thought about my inner composition and what I was good at, I always come up with the fact that I can admire beauty. So what does applying this theory - that the purpose of life is to be beautiful - mean when applied to humans? We fight wars amongst ourselves - is this the dark side of beauty? Is man breaking the natural beauty of life's system?
Is man able to bring unknown beauty to the world, but also have the power to destroy the beauty that already exists?
If I accept all things as beautiful - the bright orange and turquoise of strip-mine runoff - what does that imply for my purpose?
In summary this excerpt says "yes, there is no real reason for life to exist - so it's purpose is that of art - to be beautiful". Your thoughts?
Saturday, December 22, 2007
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3 comments:
So you're saying that there is no purpose to life apart from that of which we decide to make purposeful? And that your particular manifestation of this self assigned purpose is the admiration of beauty.
Furthermore this beauty is brought about through juxtaposition?
Is this reasoning brought about by the parallels of existence lacking a distinct utilitarian purpose, and art (beauty) also lacking this same aspect?
Oh, and no ship that’s not crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil, hell itself spat him back out could possibly have black sails and so couldn’t possibly be any other ship than the Black Pearl. Is that what you’re saying?
I agree that much of what is considered beautiful is brought about by an interesting mix of balance and contrast. But I believe I may need more clarification on this point. Certainly this isn't anything like an objective reason. I do not mean to sound disparaging, just trying to gain better understanding.
If life's purpose is beauty, what drives this purpose. It would seem more plausible that life's purpose is to create and in so doing beauty is born and/or destroyed, actions that, initofthemselves, would also be considered beautiful.
One could argue that man creating war - and in so doing destroying beauty - is also paving the way for the creation of future beauty, thereby continuing the cycle of life's beauty... But can war not be seen as beautiful when looking through a gaged eye? Not that I am pro-war or violence for that matter, as I am surely not; however, is one soldier fighting for his own survival against another whose death will ensure the survival of the first any different than the beauty you see in the lioness's kill? Or the passion of a soldier's choice for fight or the soldier who gives all of himself so that others may have a chance to live their fullest...could that not be deemed as beautiful even if it is a deeper darker beauty?
Though I have never truly been able to comprehend how beauty can be seen in suffering, be it human or any living creature/environment. Perhaps beauty is merely a perception - what is beautiful to one may not be to another - or is everything beautiful on one level or another and only a choice few are able to perceive said beauty with gifts bestowed by the life they are admiring?
my random late night ramblings...
the only thing i can think of that separates humans from most, if not all other known life forms, is choice. beauty is choice. animals act upon inbreed instinct, not concerned with choice of what is good or evil. humans can choose to think of anything as good or bad, or ask why or why we are here. when humans fail to think of no good reason why we are here, i think we feel the need to ..invent..i dare say..reasons why we are here...gods and such are chosen to give meaning to life here on this small blue planet. not to say religion is bad, it does give hope when there is none and reason to madness to those who need it, but its a choice..same as believing there is no fate or reason why we are here and thats a choice as well..if that makes any sense. and now i choose to get some sleep as all that just made my head spin.
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