Human beings have evolved with intelligence. We are successful because our brains are hard-wired to seek out patterns and look for reasons. This is why we see faces in clouds, rocks and tree trunks. We are hard-wired to find shapes we can recognise. We are very good at it.
We have not evolved for very long.
Our intelligent seeking of patterns and reasons was brilliant when it came to hunter-gathering. We reasoned out the way animals behaved, seasons and where to find food, escape predators and organise our lives.
Unfortunately our intelligence is limited and what works for nice tangible subjects such as leopards and antelope, the planting of wheat and how to construct a shack, does not work so well on the big stuff – like what is that big yellow ball in the sky? What is life? What happens after I die?
But we are inquisitive and inventive. We made up reasons. Some of them were plain daft. Some we still believe.
I am an atheist. I do not believe there is any god, afterlife or mysterious purpose. That is all a product of our need to find patterns and reasons. Much of our religious and spiritual believe is nothing more than Skinnerian psychology. We repeat the patterns we have been indoctrinated with and the reward is security.
Hence – there is no purpose to life! – Sorry!
But then that is not quite true. What it means is that there is no purpose coming from outside ourselves. The purpose of life is the one we create for ourselves. It can be very fulfilling.
I would suggest the following are good purposes to adopt:
a. To save the planet from destruction by human beings – to deal with overpopulation, pollution, destruction of rainforest, cruelty, eradication of habitat and wild-life.
b. Creativity – writing, art, poetry, music, dance, film or design
The purpose of life is to live a fulfilling life, creating beauty, espousing passion, achieving personal goals and making the world a better place in the process.
Every single person needs a purpose and the pursuit of pleasure is never going to be sufficient in itself. Life does have purpose. We provide that purpose.