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clairemck's avatar

Does anyone ever question why we are here on earth?

Asked by clairemck (28points) June 17th, 2011

Hi all,

I dont know whether this sounds freaky, maybe someone else has questioned this, but every now and again I realise how insignificant we are as human beings, and it scares me. I look up at the sky and get this really overwhelming feeling which kinda freaks me out. Has anyone else ever exprienced this?

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17 Answers

tom_g's avatar

@clairemckHas anyone else ever experienced this?”

Absolutely! I probably haven’t gone a single day in the past 22 years that I haven’t thought about this.

If you are younger and just started experiencing this thought, don’t worry. What might seem like a depressing thought now may later seem like a thing of beauty. How amazing it is that we are able to live this life, tiny specks on a slightly larger speck, in a universe is nearly impossibly-large.

Dig into this question with a positive attitude. Good luck with what you find. You are not alone.

JilltheTooth's avatar

Philosophers have questioned this since the dawn of…well…philosophy.

jrpowell's avatar

What scares you about being insignificant in the big picture? The people you know still love you. You are still a big part of their little slice.

incendiary_dan's avatar

Joseph Campbell said something along the lines that culture and story exist to help us find and understand our place in the universe.

seperate_reality's avatar

I pretty much found out why we are here and I don’t discuss it much, because it’s not a very nice story. It’s a need to know, and very important, but it’s something each person has to find out on their own. We each do know very well why we are here, but we forgot..Overwhelm, fits here in the fullest sense of the word.

erichw1504's avatar

No, I believe the aliens are taking good care of us and stop by every now and then to test us and see how we’re doing.

Soubresaut's avatar

Another yes. I wish where I was, the stars were more visible.

For me, instead of insignificant, it’s : a tiny tiny piece of something incredible.

wundayatta's avatar

Most people have this question at one point or another in life. Some people look at the stars and feel insignificant. Other look at them and feel, ‘Wow. I’m a part of all that!’ I.e., you are one with everything, which means you aren’t insignificant at all. You just are.

Of the two feelings, I think the second is preferable. It gives you a context for your life, and can make you feel less lonely. When I first had this realization, I had the sense that all the stars were people and if I fell into the sky, I would be one with all the people. That was the first time I understood how all people are connected.

As to why—if you mean what was the process by which we got here—then you turn to science for answers. If you mean what is the purpose or meaning of why we exist at all, most people turn to religion or philosophy. I think those are fine places to start, but I will point out that in the end, everyone provides their own answer for those questions. In other words, we all make our own meaning.

mazingerz88's avatar

Everyday my friend, everyday.

Qingu's avatar

Considering we (earthlings in a broad sense) the only things that we can see in that vast expanse in the sky that have a consciousness, I’d say it’s pretty rad. We’re the candle of hope in the huge darkness of space. How lucky we are to exist, and have brains to know we exist, to see the patterns in the rest of the universe, and to build upon those patterns.

ucme's avatar

Sure they do, not me though. I’m one of those who’s perfectly happy living on this rock without ever wondering why or how. Just live in the now, it’s better that way.

flutherother's avatar

Philosophers have said for thousands of years that size is relative and doesn’t mean too much and today scientists agree and tell us that the entire Universe grew out of a tiny quantum fluctuation much smaller than grain of sand. Nevertheless the Universe is majestic and awesome and we are part of the Universe and we are pretty awesome too.

Jellie's avatar

Adam and Eve were probably thinking of it. No wait, they knew God put them there as punishment. But yes since the dawn of mankind,

Cruiser's avatar

No but I do question why some people are here on earth.

Coloma's avatar

I feel the infinite connection strongly.

I truly hope there is a conscious experience of my consciousness dissolving back into the totality upon death. ;-)

I can think of NOTHING more wonderful than to visualize a sense of, literally, being free of the body and reabsorbing into the mystery.

We shall see! ;-)

I just watched ” The Black Whole” by Nassim Haramien a Swedish physicist, far too much to share in a posting, but, highly reccomended watching!
Astounding work he has done that proves the truth of all interconnectedness right down to the black holes which ARE the very atoms of our bodies, and which contain the exact same formula for the entire universal structure.

Not to mention some very thought provoking connections between ancient symbols that support his theories.
One of my favorite things, exploring science and spiritual philosophies.

A very worthy watch!

BeckyKytty's avatar

I like to think we are God/dess
Experiencing and expressing itself
Outside of itself
In these tiny little snowflakes which are us

Berserker's avatar

It often feels to me that absolutely nothing matters, and that what seems to matter is just illusion for some greater purpose we’ll never know about. Probably some shitty purpose that compliments what we do best, skullfuck one another. And even worse, if there is a final purpose, we won’t be a part of it, we’re just stepping stones. Opinion, although greatly exaggerated.
I often ask, what’s the point? I don’t wanna be an ant. And then I forget all that when I’m drunk, because everything seems to matter then. Fuck, if you won’t give me a purpose, I’ll find my own lol. Ironic part is, that’s probably normal.

I question it a lot, since nothing ever makes any sense. Initially, it seems to me that we exist only to survive, then die, and then keep doing that. But why? Fucks if I know. Is there even a why? Do ants question why they exist? Does a dying gazelle go, ’‘why God WHY’’ when it’s getting owned by a lion?
Man everything is so complicated lol.

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