Of course there's "how do you define yourself" but I discover it every day and it changes spectrally every few weeks (it better) so my definition is wrong over and over again. And I'm right over and over again too. Am I drunk?
It's hard to define in words, since words lose meaning and are imperfect when they leave your mouth.
But I feel well-defined when I turn a gun game into a tea party. Or a tea party into a gun game.
When I stay up wake to grab an extra bite of time, or when I do jack shit to stare at cool red cirrus clouds. I'm defined when I fuck up but bite my way up the wall into a standing position.
When I write something down and look back at it later -- "wow, I was smart" or "wow, I was braindead" -- then do it again.
Decorate my room, or make my lock screen pretty, or reanimate a useless skill.
I'm only a little opinionated though. If I download a personality, that's still me. If I 180, that's still me. If I'm dead wrong and eat advice, that's still me.
I'm not gonna carpe diem into a crime spree but my time is fucking mine so fuck everything (romantically/derogatorily)
Me too, but I started from the context of AGI safety: eventually we will make a superintelligent machine without any wisdom, that could be given any moral system, even making paperclips.
Spend your life enjoying it and helping others enjoy theirs. As the universe unfolds, we've only got this one brief moment of consciousness before we disappear, we have to make our life filled with as much happiness as we can. And help others fill theirs.
It's to overcome challenges and become a better person. To not live like an animal, to have morals, strength of character, treat others well, help other people.
Basically the opposite of what the TV and social media is telling us.
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!
Pretty sure that's what everyone is doing. It helps to help others, where we can, in my experience. Focus on love, beauty, goodness. We can hyperfocus on the ugliness and easily fall into the abyss of despair, rather than the abyss of freedom (within personal constraints, obvs).
My purpose in life is to produce poop and pee. I work hard so that I can afford food and water so that I can eventually poo and pee. I have an urge to reproduce so that my children can also poop and pee.
Not necessarily them personally but previous generations of British colonialism really (deliberately) screwed over the indigenous people in my country in a multitude of ways.
Every descendant generation since has benefitted from that to the detriment of indigenous generations. I, and my children, benefit from it daily with superior schooling, housing, health, wealth, etc.
Even the smallest things (e.g. voting for progressive government, volunteering, learning the language and culture, advocacy) that I can do to helps mitigate some of that harm.
You decide it yourself, thus it's for you to figure out. Personally, I like little things. Like pop rocks I bought earlier. I think they worth living a little, aren't they?
Nothing. Purpose implies the potential for failure and while there are certainly circumstances that I would consider personal failures, there are none so great that they would invalidate my existence.
That said, I have a vision for my life and the state of the world that I would like to see realized. I want to see a world where climate change is taken seriously and recognized as the imminent threat that it is. It will be waiting on the other side of every economic crisis or war that man chooses to wage.
The Great Work. Hermetic kabbalah makes sense (psychology cloaked as religion, since humans are adverse we may be a little messed up and inner work is the only way through, and out). I'm just now scratching the surface but I'm digging it.
Pretending that working my ass off to make a ton of money (not for the sake of it, but because I don’t want to work my entire life) will eventually pay off.
To cut all ties, live in a penthouse, and never go onto the ground again until my body is found after dozens of amazon boxes at my door prompts a wellness check. I refuse to live as a permanent victim used to inspire actual people to not be outdone by something below them. I refuse to be marijuana and nicotine users' emotional punching bag. That's all I'll ever be in society if I don't cut ties or die.
I try to follow a set of rules which define how i should live my life written in my own words, which essentially restate the golden rule/10 commandments/fundamental tenets/etc. I read them as myself, as if I'm giving advice to myself. Pronouns can be tricky.
I don't follow them perfectly and often will tweak the wording, hoping to avoid misinterpretation.
I call them my veritaclaritives. (veritas + clarus = loud and clear truth; probably bad latin)
Always look out for #1
Always be prepared for a #2 (e.g. romance, friendships, shit)
Only desire what you require
It's only theft if they need it more than you (emphasis on NEED)
Create more than you consume
Help people up, more and before you put anyone down
Treat everyone as a friend until they prove otherwise (emphasis on both THEY and PROVE; the golden rule)
Make amends with your friends, before an unexpected end (r.i.p. Nivec)
Keep your friends close, be your own worst enemy
If thoughts of any enemy anger you, you've already lost (note plural)
Destroy enemies until they are unable to do you harm
All enemies can be defeated through unconditional love.