Is there ever a truly useless life?

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Anonymous Fri May 10 22:28:01 2013 No.3745097 [Reply] [Original]

Is there ever a truly useless life?

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 22:29:00 2013 No.3745101 the one i'm living.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 22:30:00 2013 No.3745103 >>3745101 3edgy5me

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 22:33:00 2013 No.3745107 David Foster Wallace's life is one example.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 22:34:00 2013 No.3745110 every life has conatus

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 22:35:00 2013 No.3745114 Useless to oneself? The unexamined life. Useless to others? The superfluous man.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 22:42:00 2013 No.3745122 One spent in servitude to another person.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 22:43:00 2013 No.3745124 >>3745097 When you die your corpse will rot and feed many living organisms.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 22:54:00 2013 No.3745137 >>3745110 What is conatus, in the sense that you are using it?

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 23:15:00 2013 No.3745159 >>3745122 how edgy

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 23:21:00 2013 No.3745169 All life is useless.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 23:22:00 2013 No.3745173 File: 27 KB, 503x335, 1351228663536.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>3745122 A slave is the opposite of useless

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 23:24:00 2013 No.3745176 File: 1018 KB, 500x700, wu wei.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >tfw living beyond useful/useless dichotomy

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 23:28:01 2013 No.3745187 >>3745176 In the future please place a [TRIGGER WARNING] on running water gifs because not I have to urinate.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 23:36:00 2013 No.3745201 >>3745187 Urinating is good. I'm glad I'm reminding you of your bodily needs.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 23:41:00 2013 No.3745212 >>3745201 Your perception that urinating is good is subject. My preferred bodily functions are relative to me, and I'd appreciate if you did not dictate them for me. Reported.

>>	Anonymous Fri May 10 23:43:00 2013 No.3745215 >>3745212 I laughed quite a bit

Anonymous Fri May 10 23:58:00 2013 No.3745248

"I've lived so little that I tend to imagine I'm not going to die; it seems improbable that human existence can be reduced to so little; one imagines, in spite of oneself, that sooner or later something is bound to happen. A big mistake. A life can just as well be both empty and short. The days slip by indifferently, leaving neither trace nor memory; and then all of a sudden they stop." - WHATEVER, Michel Houellebecq

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:11:00 2013 No.3745276 >>3745097 >Is there ever a truly useless life? No. Unless someone has set out to be useless. It would be rather funny to be wholly and intentionally useless and I wonder how that would be.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:14:00 2013 No.3745280 File: 14 KB, 225x299, calvin.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] No. All life serves to glorify God, either through his justice in the punishment of the reprobate, or his mercy in the salvation of his elect.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:15:00 2013 No.3745282 >>3745280 Is that a fact?

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:15:00 2013 No.3745283 >>3745280 my nigga

>>	None !!lZetafI6z8s Sat May 11 00:15:00 2013 No.3745285 >>3745280 tru

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:16:00 2013 No.3745286 File: 27 KB, 350x453, beza.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>3745282 Yes.

Anonymous Sat May 11 00:23:01 2013 No.3745297

>>3745097
I disagree with the idea that we should judge lives by their "usefulness". I think it is better to think of them in terms of meaning or meaninglessness. Thinking of it in terms of usefulness implies that I should live my life in a way that I can be used by others. I certainly choose to help others and assist others. Not the same thing.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:25:01 2013 No.3745299 >>3745297 Do you prefer play over work?

Anonymous Sat May 11 00:25:01 2013 No.3745301

>>3745283
>>3745285
>>3745286
>2013
>Uses a pathetic and wrong cheat sheet of a book to answer philosophical questions rather than having an honest dialogue with oneself and the universe.
You guys are pathetic. I'm sure you are all very useful, because you are being used by the religion you follow.

>>	None !!lZetafI6z8s Sat May 11 00:26:01 2013 No.3745304 >>3745301 i was just being snarky

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:30:01 2013 No.3745309 How about: A mime pretending to be nothing but a rag doll with his actual genitals removed (or her vagina cement-filled).

Anonymous Sat May 11 00:33:01 2013 No.3745311

>>3745299
False dichotomy, I think. I do whatever I think is appropriate to meet the obligations I have to myself, to others, and to humanity. I work to establish fun things to do with friends so I can build relationships that will last a long time. I play with facts and information so that I can achieve and understand things of value to myself or others. I'm just living my life the way I want to live it. A life exclusively of one or the other and a lack of inbetweens is not that life.

Anonymous Sat May 11 00:34:00 2013 No.3745314
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>>3745301
Why would I attempt to answer philosophical questions by my own understanding when their answers have been revealed to us by the Lord God of Truth? Man does not know his being or his universe better than his Creator does. Would you like to know the meaning life?

Anonymous Sat May 11 00:34:00 2013 No.3745316
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>>3745301
>tfw I dont even follow religion
>mfw that quote is very close to something you'd realize if you actually did have an "honest dialogue" with yourself and the universe
>implying you know shit

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:34:00 2013 No.3745317 >>3745314 of life*

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:37:00 2013 No.3745320 >>3745311 So "work" and "play" are false designations. What are some activities of yours that fall outside those two definitions? Rest, is one, for me.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:37:00 2013 No.3745321 >>3745317 >>3745314 delete and repost, please

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:38:00 2013 No.3745322 >>3745321 Why?

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:39:01 2013 No.3745326 >>3745322 sloppy and lazy are not dichotomies, dear

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:41:00 2013 No.3745328 >>3745326 I've found it's better not to delete and repost because often someone will respond to your first post while it's still visible to them, and then they will have to correct themselves and it just becomes a mess.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:41:00 2013 No.3745329 >>3745328 Glad you saved it from being a mess!

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:42:00 2013 No.3745331 >>3745329 Can we continue talking about philosophy now?

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:43:01 2013 No.3745332 >>3745331 I was pondering the neatness of this thread.

Anonymous Sat May 11 00:51:00 2013 No.3745341

>>3745320
It is a little difficult think of things that do fall strictly in those categories actually.. There are monotonous tasks that I have to perform everyday that I would definitely categorize at work. But that is part of establishing a career and doing what I want to do, which is work, but work I enjoy. Reading and literature is a pleasure, but it is part of my intellectual development and becoming the kind of person I want to be. I bike ride all the time because I enjoy it, but it also allows me to maintain my health and let me live a long life.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:52:00 2013 No.3745343 >>3745309 that wouldn't be useless. that would be damn good performance art

Anonymous Sat May 11 00:52:00 2013 No.3745342
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>>3745314
Well, here is the answer, as perhaps it may serve another. It is actually quite simple, and in secular discourse has been clouded by human foolishness. The Westminster Larger Catechism answers it succinctly:

Q. What is the chief and highest end of man?
A. Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

This is the meaning of your life, to glorify God, and if you of his elect, to fully enjoy him forever.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:53:00 2013 No.3745344 >>3745342 well shit. guess i lose at life

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:53:00 2013 No.3745346 >>3745320 I think it would be best put as a spectrum, not a one or other choice. Some definitely fall into one extreme or the other, but most are not so clear cut.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:53:00 2013 No.3745345 >>3745341 Do you accomplish anything, such as an end product. That would be work-related categorically. Play is just silliness and fun. Some people "work" but they never really focus and so never really get anything "done."

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:54:00 2013 No.3745347 >>3745343 What would be the message?

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:55:00 2013 No.3745349 >>3745346 >there is no choice >some activities definitely fall into one category or the other >eyes-crossed

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:56:00 2013 No.3745350 >>3745347 "look at me! my pussy's all full of cement!" it's not a strong message but the piece would be captivating nonetheless

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:58:00 2013 No.3745355 >>3745345 There is always an end product. Some are certainly more tangible than others and some are better than others. A more knowledgeable mind. A better friendship. A better spouse. A well written paper. Excellent marks. etc.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:58:00 2013 No.3745356 >>3745350 the genital preparation is not part of the performance. the message is a human life as a rag doll. what does that entail?

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 00:59:00 2013 No.3745361 >>3745355 Calling certain things an "end product" is offensive to actual products.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:00:00 2013 No.3745363 File: 28 KB, 243x311, zwingli.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>3745344 Why is that? Not currently professing faith in Christ does not mark one as reprobate.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:02:00 2013 No.3745366 >>3745363 but i also do not plan on ever professing or having faith in Christ. so i suppose is should have said i WILL lose at life.

Anonymous Sat May 11 01:03:00 2013 No.3745369

>>3745349
Not completely, but for the purposes of discussion they may be referred to as one of the other. For example, you may go to a job, but you may enjoy parts of it at some level and part of it is to serve other parts of your life you might call play. It's complicated. But I don't think it makes sense to classify things in terms of completely useless activities and useful activities. I think there is something the saying that time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:04:00 2013 No.3745377 File: 292 KB, 427x600, ursinus.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>3745366 Many a fool has said these words and eaten them. If you are effectually called you will be regenerated, as God's decretal will cannot be resisted by man.

>>	None !!lZetafI6z8s Sat May 11 01:04:00 2013 No.3745378 >>3745363 how do I become a Christian

Anonymous Sat May 11 01:05:00 2013 No.3745379

>>3745349
The only reason the dichotomy exists in the first place is to create a feeling of superiority. Say with faggots like yourself. If your action serves your purpose for life, you succeed. If your action doesn't, you fail. But you don't fail to others. You fail yourself.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:05:00 2013 No.3745380 >>3745369 If there are no true designations, then it's not complicated (in writing) at all. However, I agree it would make life complicated to "think" this way. (Or to "not think," really..)

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:06:00 2013 No.3745382 >>3745378 Go to a Christian Church. Request Confirmation.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:07:00 2013 No.3745383 >>3745379 Aren't you creating a false dichotomy against yourself and me? Gotcha.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:07:00 2013 No.3745385 >>3745377 So you're saying if one were to glorify god in some way, then they'd be reincarnated? or by "regenerated" do you mean coming back to life and leaving the grave like Christ did?

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:08:00 2013 No.3745388 >>3745383 No. I'm not.

>>	None !!lZetafI6z8s Sat May 11 01:09:00 2013 No.3745389 >>3745382 that's a lot more boring than I thought it'd be, geez

Anonymous Sat May 11 01:11:01 2013 No.3745395
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>>3745378
Place your faith in the completed work of Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins, repent of them, and obey the commandments of God. Here are a few short tracts which may interest you:

http://www.opc.org/cce/tracts/people.html
http://www.opc.org/cce/tracts/doctor.html
http://www.opc.org/cce/tracts/lawyer.html

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:12:01 2013 No.3745396 >>3745385 i think he is referencing rebirth as in "born again Christians"

Anonymous Sat May 11 01:13:00 2013 No.3745399

>>3745380
Perhaps you are just oversimplifying the complications behind our own motivations and actions. Our actions have complicated results and we have complicated reasons for doing them. The only reason you want some sort of absolutism to it is to try to objectively assert your superiority over others.
See >>3745349

Anonymous Sat May 11 01:13:00 2013 No.3745401
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>>3745385
>So you're saying if one were to glorify god in some way, then they'd be reincarnated?

Glorifying God is an end which all men will perform, whatever their role may be. God is glorified in both the salvation and punishment of man.

>or by "regenerated" do you mean coming back to life and leaving the grave like Christ did?

Regeneration is the act of the Holy Spirit inside of a person which gives them a new heart which desires forgiveness and closeness with God. A regenerated person will repent of their sins, place their faith in Christ, and become a Christian willingly.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:14:00 2013 No.3745403 >>3745399 Sorry meant >>3745379

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:17:00 2013 No.3745412 >>3745399 Results can be definitive. However, if you try to understand the minutiae of every domino effect in the universe, I can understand why you would find that complicated.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:18:00 2013 No.3745413 >>3745403 >>3745379 Please delete and repost.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:21:00 2013 No.3745422 >>3745385 Also if you have other questions do not hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to answer them.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:25:00 2013 No.3745442 >>3745422 Okay, if people feel fulfilled by following the commandments of God, why are a lot of the ones I know depressed drunks?

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:26:00 2013 No.3745443 >>3745442 Because people have dual natures.

Anonymous Sat May 11 01:33:00 2013 No.3745455
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>>3745442
Assuming that the people you refer to are indeed Christians (I have no way to know), the life of a Christian, while we are on this earth, is not one of perfect happiness. The world is rife with suffering and sin, and these things do not disappear when one becomes a Christian. A proper relationship with God brings us joy, hope, and many other blessings, but we are not perfectly cleansed in this world. We still have sin in our lives, such as some dealing with drunkenness as you mention, and these things do grieve God and our souls. For our disobedience God chastens us, as a loving father, to bring us back to obedience. I cannot say exactly what is going on in the lives of the Christians you know, but if they are wallowing in depression then something is amiss with them spiritually and they should seek aid from the minister of God which has been given account of them.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:35:00 2013 No.3745461 >>3745455 ...or, in some cases, an actual doctor.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:41:00 2013 No.3745473 >>3745455 wow this post actually made me wish god was real

Anonymous Sat May 11 01:53:00 2013 No.3745501
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>>3745473
God is very real. Let not the vanity of this world cloud your understanding, to lead you into the path of despair. Our faculties without God grasp fruitlessly in darkness, searching for the truth but never attaining it, an argument without end or resolution. God's existence has been made clear to man, if only man will open his eyes to see.

Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 01:55:00 2013 No.3745508 >>3745097 I think a human can only take so much suffering before a certain threshold is reached and it changes them forever. i think those people are doomed to live a useless life. sure.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 02:36:00 2013 No.3745569 /lit/ - Christianity

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 02:37:00 2013 No.3745571 well there's T— L—

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 02:43:00 2013 No.3745577 >>3745508 That seems a rather ridiculous thing to say. A lot of the people who have made a mark on the world only did so AFTER they reached a threshold of suffering and were changed forever.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 03:18:01 2013 No.3745659 >>3745577 That is fantasy, not reality.

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 03:21:00 2013 No.3745665 >>3745659 What do you mean?

>>	Anonymous Sat May 11 06:31:00 2013 No.3745914 yes, all life is useless, untill some form of life finds a way to exploit another in which case the former will consider the latter useful

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