My Little son asked me this question, saying nature could easily do without us.
From many different fields we do Research. But it seems to me that this Basic question is involving us all and is to be reconsidered from time to time?
Dear Thomas,
What an insightful question of your little boy! I hope his path of life will be blessed and long, and he will meet many good people. I believe he will find out that It is worthy to be here, and admire the wondrousness of life, love and forgive, learn and create...
My best wishes,
N.F.
Dear Thomas Heise,
Man looking for in this world of happiness and contentment. But a lasting and permanent happiness and contentment does not find, although searches for insistently and persistently. More and more he acquires knowledge, improves form the hostel, is acquiring power over nature. Would not it be a time when people, because of greater development, finally acquire happiness on earth
Regards, Shafagat
To find an answer, we may go further back on this issue and alternatively ask: "Why god created the universe and all that is in it (including us?" This way man would not be the greatest act of creation, because the universe is far more complex and far more magnificent than man. Possible answers: within this context one may argue "man was given a special place and mission", or "god created the universe as a test for us", ....
We are here to do good and enjoy the experience. If one decides to do bad, one suffers from the punishment, so changes the mind and follows the good road.
Dear Thomas,
considering this question is a must! Thank you for asking.
At the beginning of the univers the developement and progress in both directions, good or bad, advantageous or disadvantageous for the System, has been implanted.
Therefore nature can not live without human beeings on a low developing level because the Evolution row from air, water, plants, animals to mankind is installed in the System. And the System corrects miss developments by it self. The time of the dinosauriers f.e. has been finished by a Meteorite Crash and only smal animals survived. May be that mankind is an other miss development and we destroy ourselfes or reduce our number dramatically and a next step of higher developement will happen or we find a way to live in paece. It does not look like that.But the System, some call it good or Allah or Budda will survive.
Thank you again for the question.
Peter
Dear All,
Regarding the history of mankind and our relationship to nature, Josef’s opinion seems to be right. However, it is only the result of the bad way of humanity (or better expressed the corrupt and guilty leaders or human behaviour generators). What humanity has done against nature and against our own existence cannot be our practical and moral task. The ethical and practical task of humanity may be to find mutual happiness and harmony. To find the good, the beautiful and the justice. The trouble is that people are not able to understand this.
I have mused a little.
And I have to add - we are "pretty dangerous" parasites.
I believe are here for relationships. To love the Creator and to nurture, care for, and be in relationship with that which has been created (broadly/inclusively defined)--including, but not limited to, humankind. Unfortunately, why we are here and what we have done/are doing are all too often misaligned.
I believe we are here for relationships. To love the Creator and to nurture, care for, and be in relationship with that which has been created (broadly/inclusively defined)--including, but not limited to, humankind. Unfortunately, why we are here and what we have done/are doing are all too often misaligned.
In 1973 the philosopher Arne Næss invented Deep Ecology. Næss basically states that all living beings have the right to live, and that this right is universal and cannot be quantified. Therefore Man, like all other species, cannot benefit from any particular right to live and reproduce. This philosophy places man like all other living things. While, by always, at least for Western philosophies, man is seen as if it were the "God on Earth" and therefore is absolute arbiter of life and death for all other beings and to dispose of it at will. Very briefly, the man reigns over nature and to dispose of it at will, including Martians i.e. reigns over the Universe.
Dear Thomas,
What an insightful question of your little boy! I hope his path of life will be blessed and long, and he will meet many good people. I believe he will find out that It is worthy to be here, and admire the wondrousness of life, love and forgive, learn and create...
My best wishes,
N.F.
Dear Thomas,
We are here on earth by mere accident as every physical object that exists in the universe, but because of special capability to think and consciousness we posses, we create purpose, give meanings and put values to our existence here on earth. The reason for the existence of a star out there is far away galaxy and its eventual collapse to a black hole and the fate of every thing in it and the existence of our planet earth, its fate and everything on it including we humans are the same. There is no a unique law that governs particular galactic objects and there are no special reasons and purposes of particular places but universal and arbitrary.
every human has been created by GOD to worship him which includes the dealing with other humans and following GOD's orders. GOD has set few living parameters, which we have to follow. Which are mentioned in QURAN if you read it.
The one who has good deeds will be rewarded and who posses bad will not be rewarded.
Life is process to learn from each creation, search for hidden things, analyze the system, think about how and why. You will be surprised to find that each and every thing in the world is to serve the human being. For example, animals, sky, clouds, trees etc.
What are we here for on earth?
This question to me is analogous to a scenario - one day we wake up from the open trunk in the rear of a car, we will try to ask where we came from, what was the last thing happened & how come we ended into this place? If we don't have any answer, we will focus on things / issues which are more pertinent e.g. what we need to do next from here, what is our goal and plan, what we need to achieve, how to achieve them etc. We might focus / emphasize on things that we can do rather than on things that we can't find the answer (they might also put those unanswered questions into placeholder at a later stage of life to seek further answer).
For some people who believe in God, they know there is a purpose God position them into this world to know and to do His Will, they also know where they will be going after departing from this world etc. This can change their perspectives on life which can prompt them to live their lives differently.
To populate the world, to grow, to make meaningful contribution and to die in order to give space for others to do the same once you did.
There is, I would say, no one single answer to this question. Nearly everyone thinks his or her own sense for being here on Earth. s long as we contribute to enhance life, to enlarge the space of love, and to make life as much as possible, any answer would be more than reasonable.
Dear Thomas, you have a jewel with your son. Congratulations!
I thank all of you for your warm and thoughtfull answers, given with intelligence and HEART!
I will try to explain this as good as possible not only to this son, but to all my children (and who wants to know).
I am just thinking as some of you (including Messages that have been send to me) say this question and the answers are not scientifical, what this means to me and us.
Talking about paradigms and underlying ethics on which our concepts of science are based, should be a part of it in some way. But of course there are may be different leveks of science and sciences to be defined, just like you have the Newtonian physics, the one of the Planck, Einstein etc. And obviously there are links, as has been published, between some parts of most modern physics and psychological-philosophical-Buddhist aspects that seem to come from two sides, meeting in the middle and thus creating new scientifical dimensions?
"Why are we on Earth?"
- To love and not to maim each other.
Vladimir Makanin. Underground, or A Hero of Our Time (1996-1997).
We are on this earth to find out / work out what we are on this earth for.
Do you know John Lennon's Instant Karma?
"Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on earth are you there
When you're ev'rywhere
Come and get your share"
Dear All,
This question is a principal question for everybody. Each thinking man should ask himself about it and an answer is obligatory. Life and conditions are so deformed that most people cannot approach this fundamental question of human existence. I think that not the sent answers matter but the answers we give – secretly - ourselves.
Dear Thomas,
Thanks for your question. As I said in another thread of discussion, this type of question is linked to the purpose of life.
I resonated with what Rick Warren (2002) discussed in his bestseller The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Earth-Here-Purpose-Driven/dp/0310264839
https://www.ted.com/talks/rick_warren_on_a_life_of_purpose?language=en
Please tell your son that we are here to think, to keep on thinking and, explicitly like the great thinkers Socrates and Einstein, to keep on asking questions. One day there may be answers, but will they come from the physical sciences, or from metaphysical understanding?
When our daughter was 3 or 4 [before starting school in the UK], she asked me if her room was real or a dream. How often since then have I asked the same about 'material existence' in general? Can anyone tell me: has there ever been scientific proof of Descartes' axiom, Je pense, donc je suis?
I agree, Roland! But I am one of those for whom thinking and feeling are intertwined. Thinking is thus a joy and deep appreciation [as with the stars], but can also be a deep sadness... So, for me, to think is to feel. To live - and to live life on a more meaningful level.
Like the flowers and everything that is natural that is here, we are here because of natural reasons. Maybe nature needs to be appreciated and to be understood and it is why it invented us. Maybe it is because it want us to take care of all this life, to design tools that could protect this planet from devastating meteorite impacts. Nature is probably sad that we are almost as devastating than an meteorite impact.
Hi Nader
And are we always able to clearly separate humans and animals? And vice versa ?
I think human is different from animals for his / her wisdom. I am not sure some of them use it!
Something I had in mind. Behave, people always wisely? "More wisely" than animals?
Dear Thomas,
This type of questions can not be answered neither by human thought nor by nature itself. Simply because its neither us nor nature who invented/created us on earth. There should be a superpower who has invented both; nature and us. For the believers, such a superpower is God. And because our mind can not encompass the nature of God, He sent prophets to us to know Him and to teach us about Him. In Islam, Allah (God) said in Quran (the meaning of chapter 51, verse 56): "And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me". This is the answer to your little son's question (from a believer view point). Worship is not just doing some rituals. It include all aspects of your life that it is a blessing from Allah to us, its to help others, to be generous to others, to do what is good and to abstain what is bad ...."
As a scientist, I wonder how people (scientists) believe in electron, quark, ...., and many things alike that they never see, and do not believe in Allah (God). A simple bedouin (man live in desert) said: "heaven with constellations and earth with streams, isn't it a proof on the existence of Allah (God)!
Read about Islam, and you will find answers about all your question.
you can read more about the answer of your little son's question at this link: http://islamqa.info/en/45529
Regards!
Mostafa
Thank you, Mostafa, for your insightful comment which relates to the dichotomy between materiality and spirituality. I wish that more people here in Britain, including scientists but also politicians, saw things from a similar perspective. Seeing the sublime truth of Life, and knowing that we are one universal family of Mankind, would our world not be changed 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye'?
With respect,
Margaret
You are most welcome Margaret,
ِActually, what you said is exactly the message of all prophets: Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaaq, Jacob, ...., Moses, Jesus, and Mohamed, peace and blessing be upon them all. That we are one family, we all are the sons of Adam and Eve.
Allah said in Quran (Meaning of Ch. 4: ver 1): "O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah , through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever, over you, an Observer."
Unfortunately, we judge religions based on the behavior of its followers not by its teachings.
Regards!
Mostafa
Yes, Mustafa, sadly here in the UK, we know all too many un-Christian Christians. In my personal experience, some who act and think in the most charitable 'Christian' way are amongst those who consider themselves 'non-believers'. They do not believe in xenophobia, war or even petty aggression on a daily level. But they practise peace and harmony: love. And God is Love. I trust that Thomas's little son will find that to believe in which will benefit both himself and all those whom he encounters in life. With right thinking, the future will assuredly be good.
Thanks again to all of you for your refreshing comments. I tried to translate a big deal to my son (and the other 2) and he was really astonished about the impact of his question "wordwide" and is now thinking to go into "research" as well when communication can bring benefits like this.
We are here to save the planet, to perform the good professionals, to do the kind works, and to help the others.
We are here to serve together as a kind human and show that we are different from other creatures by doing wonderful acts and being a real human. We should remind that the life is purposeful!
Dear Thomas,
I am happy to find this question of your son, even it is 3 years ago. But this question is timeless.
I am used to think in 4 aspects: technical (as an engineer), economical, environmental, social
Let me try to give 4 answers to your question:
technical: to enable 10 or 12 billions of people to live healthy and peaceful on our planet; (The opposit is often the case, unfortunately)
economical: to create work and earnings for all of us
environmental: to save our only one planet for us
social: to strengthen us together
How far away we are from these answers.
Let us struggle to improve our childrens life on earth.
Peter
I believe that the main objective of us humans in the world is to develop ourselves as such, to know about ourselves and the world, although it has been thousands of years, we have not yet achieved, we continue to discriminate, living criticizing the other, and Conflict without relevance.
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