Director Roger Nygard went across the entire world asking theologians, ministers, priests, imams, rabbis, scientists, physicists, biologists, and skeptics 85 questions to try to understand The Nature of Existence!
Now that he’s asked the experts, it’s now YOUR TURN! Every day we’re going to ask YOU one of the very same questions Roger asked in his award-winning documentary. To offer your own insight into today’s question, “Why do we exist?” click the “Leave a Response” button and type away!
Imagine if we were actually robots under control. With people watching our every move. We could be apart of a major exsperiment controlled by a ape . . .
We exist to question the nature of our own existence
What is we are actually goldfish with legs. Which live on land!!
We exist to try and find out why we exsist. And we exsist to experoence things. Like meeting Killer Wales and being eaten by them!! Existance is lushems.
We exist to feed Goldfish and give them love. Exsistance is Epic!! Like Noodles . . ..
We exist because of evolution. We are, in a very basic sense, the universe becoming aware of itself.
“we are all free to believe what we want, and its my view that the simplest explanation is, there is no god. No one created the universe and no one directs out fate, this leads me to a profound realisation, there is probably no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe” – Stephen hawking.
I’m with him ^
and adding to that who cares how we came to exist, the chance of your life existing is 1 in 10^2,685,000 in other words you are extremely lucky.
what makes life exciting is wondering how we came to exist maybe we aren’t meant to know or find out
Random thought: The human race survives still to make an accomplishment that is not stated anywhere and the moment “WE” make said accomplishment the living universe will “feel whole” and cease life existence as it will be no longer needed.
We exist because a God of love cannot be stagnant, Love must expand. We ourselves, fall in love, raise or desire to raise families. Friends are accumulated and we as a species are designed to return God’s love. Love continually grows and desires others to respond in kind. What some construe as random mutations is, in truth, a grand design. I ask this, when does a series of accidents cease to become accidents after they continually point toward awareness? We return love, that is why we actually exist.
We exist, simply, because we do. 180,000 years ago other organisms existed. At some point in the future, others will replace us. We are simply another series of accidents in the life cycle of the universe. We are not special, and we are made in no one’s image. That being said, because we have this big brain which generates what Jung called “the mind.” the mind is responsible for self-consciousness, ego and the subjective view of the world which we all have. It is this mind that creates the myths by which we guide our lives.
There is an answer … but just talking doesn’t go anywhere.
Talk, talk, talk … deep down you know that talking doesn’t go anywhere.
You need to be a bit more courageous if you want to find the answer.
Meditation is one way.
We exist as an individualized soul the Atma, Logos-Thymos-Eros, Seele, Anima, Ame in order to become fully aware gather experience, and wisdom for our return journey back to our original home the heart of all life the ocean of love.
If there is nothing after life but death,no afterlife,then we have never existed and why would we want to experience all we can in this life if there is nothing but death awaiting us.
What if we are just illusions or we are in a giant dolls house. What if we are not real at all?????
to become ourself
The answer to the question of “Why do I exist?” is that you don’t “exist.” Actually, nothing “exists” — not even the “universe” itself — as we like to fathom.
The word “existence” derives from the Latin word “sistere,” meaning “to stand out,” and this naturally translates to: something that can be seen, touched, heard, or identified in some way and named as a “thing” of some kind. Over the course of evolution, humans have developed a symbolic form of communication — language– a good thing for solving problems and attaining what one desires within a highly organized society. Symbolism allowed humans not only to communicate with others, it also allowed an individual to communicate with himself — “to think.” All he’s doing is tossing those symbols around in his head and continually rearranging them to make thoughts.
With the advance to lanquage came the “dualities” in life. Do you remember from English Class what “prepositions” are? Those are the things that come in pairs — that’s two “positions” that are opposit of each other: over & under, above & below. Some are not preposisions: black & white, cold & hot, day & night, yin & yang. Before you were born you were whole — after birth you entered the world of duality. The one preposition that is at the core of existentialist philosophy is “in & out.” Our human experience is that we have such a keen sense of being separate from everything outside of our bodies. Lower animals don’t have this. When you are driving along the highway with your pet dog, you have a sense that your “location” with respect to the Earth is changing; what you comprehend is that the Earth doesn’t move and that you are moving to a different location every moment that your car advances along the road. For your dog, the trip along the road is a bit different in that he sees it as the Earth moving past him. To your dog, his position/location never changes — to him there are no addresses, no longitudes & latitudes; he is always at the center of the world wherever he finds himself; even when he’s just walking or running his sense is that he’s making the world move around him by working his legs.
Lower animals do show separation anxiety, like when a social animal has been trapped and isolated, or has gotten stranded alone– or a fear reaction when encountering immediate danger, but the deer that’s being eaten alive by tigers does not have any sense of what death is — what the tigers are doing to him is causing a lot of pain but he has no idea that he will be dead soon. A human in the same situation, on the other hand, not only feels the pain but also has the mental terror of losing one’s self entirely (existentiality).
The first, necessary verb (in any language) is “to be.” (to exist, to stand out) but you should keep in mind that this is only a “linqual convenience” — perhaps a lingual necessesity. We like to say that “I am,” “He is,” “They are,” but the verb “to be,” is merely a mechanical convenience in order to make language function usefully, it doesn’t mean anything in and of itself.
When you die you simply go back to the way you were before you were born. You were good to go for an eternity before your birth, and you don’t remember anything from all that time. You’ll be dead for another eternity after you’re gone and you won’t be wanting for anything, just like it was before your birth — It was the best sleep you’ve ever had and you should be looking forward to sleeping like that again.
— Jeffrey Russell
remember the old time s when aryabhatta created 0 ? thats the reason we have graduate courses in mathematics today. we must always remember that existance and non existance is simultaneous. and one more thing , this dumb brain of ours really cannot or ever will understand what life , death, illusions etc.. ever are . so just chill and live life .
Why do we exist?Well…why not? after all what is real? Are the body and mind one or our we (consciousness) simply driving? one thing is for sure, at some point in time, whether in the beginning or sometime after, the first form of conscious came into existence. perhaps not intelligent but aware… the source, the origin of all consciousness… and you know what? it had the same exact question… why do i exist? after all how could it possibly know why it exists. before it existed. so why do we exist? why not? something obviously has to exist or nothing would exist…
In the beginning, sometime either before or the instant the first lifeform came into being. Something , perhaps not intelligent, but conscious, awoke. The root, the core,, the source, the origin of all life. Here we are who knows how long since the beginning. Highly evolved and intelligent (at least by comparison) with the ability to effect the world around us in ways we have yet to fathom. Maybe we should all stop searching for the meaning of life and focus more on the gift of life. Wake up, turn on, tune in, and drop out. Become truly aware and utilize your full potential. Realize that we are gods and goddesses that have awoken from the darkness and brought into the light in a world that is ours to make of it what we will. All living things are connected. How? Who knows! Energy, DMT, perhaps even our DNA. We are not just individuals but also apart of a greater whole. There really is no I; only we, and we are everything that is, everything that has ever been, and everything that will one day be. We are not just gods… we are god. Ya dig?
well i think there is no reason why.
We don’t exhist. why would we? What would be beyond reality. Why did exhistence just all of a sudden exhist? I just don’t undertsand.
Both space and time should not exist. i just don’t understand how do we even have a feeling of existence. how can this all come from nothing? guess i don’t understand anything….
What amazes me in this video series is the absolute certainty that many of the people interviewed make statements. They say things as if they are a matter of fact, when there are over seven billion of us on Earth who may have come to different conclusions for perfectly valid reasons. My answer is that the question should be asked of oneself, and when an answer satisfies us, we are free to share it, but we must own it. On the one hand people want to be heard and understood – at least that has been my experience. I am happy to listen and share my thoughts, but I don’t believe I have a right to say that others are wrong. On the other hand some people want to coerce others into believing as they do, and I can’t help but suspect that those folks are insecure about what they believe, since they themselves would resist control if it were foisted upon them.
Now, given all of that, I will take a stand, and it is with those who don’t believe we would just show up here without knowledge of any previous existence, and then just vanish after death. That seems so absurd to me.
At the same time, I am not an exclusionist. Whatever anyone else believes is fine with me, and just for the record – I am an engineer, scientist, physicist, and an artist, and I believe the earth is over 4 billion years old. My beliefs probably coincide fairly well with the late Carl Sagan.
– Mark.
i believe that we exist to grow into a more advanced civilization and to understand the universe so we may eventually find some of the big answers to the big questions.
Simply Guessing or playing with words will not solve the problem.if we really want to know the reality-we should make an active group to find out the answer(absolutely non-religious) ………….rest on next day…………
I believe we exist for the same reason other animals, plants, rocks, soil, water, gases, planets, the sun, space etc. That is, we are simply part of the process that started billions of years ago. I don’t think human’s are more special just because our brains allow us to ponder these type of questions.
So, does there need to be a reason?
Their are many reasons for our existence, to share love with one another, to give good laughs, to be a care giver, to help one another, to believe, to focus, To argue, to fight, to do bad, to do good and many more reasons.
We exist just because we do. There is no reason for existence and no purpose for it. We exist only because we have the intellectual capacity to contemplate the nature of existence. That said, I doubt bacteria or other life forms are able to contemplate the nature of existence let alone a reason for it. They, like us, just exist because they/we do, by happenstance, occupy a part of space-time.
Good comment Jeggers
We exist for the same reason as everything else does, planets, galaxy’s other universes and civilisations. Listen to your higher self if you want the real answer. It’s there to understand but beware what you wish for.
We live to destroy, like everything else. We’re only alive because we consume things, by doing that we destroy them. We slowly corrode our planet. We’re not evil, but like any other living thing we’re selfish in the way that we take another’s life, be it plant or animal and consume it, for the one reason to exten our own.
To exist is to contemplate our origin.
Here we are: In an infinite whole among an infinite number of finite parts. The whole could be empty, but it’s not; there’s not nothing. So, there’s everything: An infinite number of dimensions with infinite number of possibilities.
the question we need to ask is why does anything exist? otherwize it would be easy to answer that question on why we exist as we evolve to harness the universe, but why? …. we could be a part of a computer generated simulation but the question comes up again why are we in a simulation? … being aware is what frustrates me as I gaze up to the stars only to realise that yes there must be more life in the universe but also we are so small, we dont really matter in the large scale of things.
We CANNOT understand why anything started and why it started as our minds were created within the universe and cannot think outside it even if we adapted to singularity we still couldnt answer that question as that as that process was made inside the universe and even if we did think outside the universe we could live inside another universe, a bubble within a bubble connected to a bubble forever
As everything in existence, there is a simple answer to your question. There is light, there is dark. But which one actually exists? Some scientists argue that light is mass because it has characteristics that define mass. Darkness does not. Everything is based off of this code, positive vs negative, 1′s, 0′s, light dark, etc. All your computer knows are 1′s and 0′s, translated into different patterns in different sequences, the human interface allows us to compute with these machines. We can analyze the relationship between light and dark, comparing and contrasting, and see that there are relevant points, and irrelevant ones. And then Einstein’s theory of relativity comes into play, how your perception is effected from the origin of your question, or intent.
I believe that when I look up into the night sky, that the universe exists. Not because it’s all dark, or completely black, but because there are many stars. You can literally see life, if you believe that fire is a form of life. Our sun gives life to the entire Earth, and it’s perfect balance with our solar system was no accident. We exists because each human mind IS a universe. Each human mind is just as great, large, and vast as the universe as we know it. And like our universe, we’re constantly expanding. This means that as “space” grows, darkness spreads. So if darkness doesn’t actually exists, and is identified only as the absence of light, then what fills the space as our universe grows?
The Source: Energy. The phenomenon of electricity exists and we can do many things with it, although we cannot explain it’s origin, where it comes from. That’s because it exists in a different dimension then the one we live in, aka what our senses perceive. As a light bulb acts as a conduit it converts completely invisible energy flowing through the wires to the filament and wa-la, let there be light! As it is such a violent process for a birth of a star, it is the same with humans.
I do believe in one God, “our” God, like I believe we have one sun, our sun. But when you look up at all the stars, there is proof of many more. So I believe in many Gods, however they all connect to the same source, like one being, like one mind with many thoughts, emotions, wants, cares, desires etc. In the “Energy realm” each star gets their energy from the same source, as the electricity we “generate” is simply taken from. Our existence is a process, one that has been formed like a seed being planted will germinate a new star, a new God. In this realm, Time, we relate to all the energies of the universe in order to refine the seed into a strong healthy immune seedling. In the energy realm, we are the seedling, not yet the plant. Before our existence, God made Lucifer, in the energy realm the great angle as the seed, which was planted before our time. The dinosaurs were the radicle and we are the cotyledons. Currently, our era is reaching the senescence. Just as no star last forever, new stars take their place.
Death vs life, compare and contrast. Which one truly exists? There are many aspects in both that do and don’t. Death it’s self doesn’t exists, it is simply the absence of life. Evil doesn’t exist, it is the absence of good. When a star parishes, the relevant factor is not that it no longer exists, but what it created during it’s existence, that continues long after it’s “death”.
In conclusion, we exists to spread love, spread goodness, so that after we parish, what we’ve created will continue to exists. Since darkness spreads, so shall light.
as a human we still require tools to fly right and pretty much do everything right? so consider us imperfect. do not humanize the word god. that will lead to misinterpretation. how could the creation of all things be human?
currently our most analytical tool is mathematics. math is very good at measuring matter. what is matter? anything that occupies space. you might quickly think that everything occupies space right? how about emotion? express love with math? fear? anticipation? anxiety? how about the soul? can math measure the soul?
there is purpose in ALL things, consider the honey bee for starters. now imagine the trickle down effect if we removed it from the beautiful equation of life. so don’t listen to these comments saying life has no purpose, or that there is no answer. we just haven’t found it yet. we create and accomplish things that were previously impossible on a regular basis. we still haven’t studied everything. as far as i know the core of the earth is just a theory. nobody has seen it. we don’t know what it’s made of. just trust that the answer will come when it’s ready to reveal its self.
everything works entirely too perfect in the grand scheme of things to consider it an accident. learn everything the sciences have to offer, remain humble, meditate on the good and bad for self direction but never forget the duality of the big yin/yang of life.
here are some studying tips to consider. biology/geology to understand planets and their creatures, psychology to see through the illusions and trickery. alchemy to understand the purification of the self and other matter supported by chemistry because the things around you are fundamentally chemical (most living things consist of around 25 major chemicals, do you know what they are?) kabbalah to remind you of who you are really doing this for. zolar the ancient wisdom concealed by superstition. we could go for days, this should help but most importantly magic. science has a nasty habit of removing magic from the world. but you are here because you don’t know the facts of why you are here. until it’s explained……. MAGIC
Everyone has an opinion about our existence. The fact is we are all only speculating. No one has or ever will have a clear answer. Our simple minds can not explain it. If there is a god we will know when when we die, If there is no god we will never know. If you accept the big bang theory, then that is what created the universe and eventually life on Earth. The question we are trying to answer is how and why do we exist. The fact is we do.
we exist to heirarch our inhabitance, to be higher or lower, so play your cards right.
I can understand the how we got here after the Big Bang (if it indeed happened that way). The elements that were made because of chemical reaction of heat and cooling down of to make something else. The amino acids, water and everything came together to spark LIFE. I think Humans would like to know The Why if there is a Why it ALL happened. Is there some kind of a Maker of ALL of this (a spirit, thing or whatever you wish to call IT)? Time has no meaning other then what a Being or thinking Entity gives it. So before it all Time had no meaning and did not exist. So the whatever happened 13-14 Billion of our years ago have an ending? Will it someday happen again or has it been going on what we call forever and never actually ending? The Why I can’t understand but again does there need to be a why or did it just happen for no particular reason other then it did?
We exist to be over looked by a creator and see how life is made by us and how we treat consequences and evolve and how smart we are to do nothing and find an answer to nothing but nothing is something so there is never nothing.
Well,Nygard has obvioulsy never studied Nietzsche or Schopenhauer very closely,but does aspire,in these tough economic times,to tread in the footsteps of Og Mandino.Most people these days are concerned with:how do we pay the mortgage? How do I find,much less keep,a job when job security has gone the way of the Cathars?
we can not live without nature ,we can not exist without .air,food,water,sleep and some biological need which nature fulfill.man has been told “Rational Animal” one more thing he possesses “mind” this is the most mysterious thing nature has ever produced.the only mystery is mind ,which has no one general answer..mind does not exist without body.it allways need a medium whether it is its own body or some other material.
i have talked several times with “mind’ or soul with material things.when living human body was made medium then it was talking in human voice.but it stay for very short time..it says that we have another world which human being can not share.
you too can do it .No rigorous practice is needed atall .a cirtain type of concentration is needed.which you can learn with some special effort.
but it does not solve the problem of our existence.it may be stepping stone to the problem………..i am trying to find out the answer in my own way…..it is my strong belief that armchair philosophy will not yield any answer,some crucial experiment is needed ………rest on next sitting……….
I think that we exist because simply, we were supposed to, and that we are all part of the ultimate cosmic plan of the universe. ‘Nuff said
We may ever know why we exist untill the one/ones/it/Gods that designed us tells us why and how? maybe the question should be what for? as in nature everything has a reason to exist. Its possible that Gods made us or evolution, I say both they designed our blood type DNA and evolution shaped us as we are now. just another theory.
Einstein said “As the radius of a ball of light (knowledge) increases so does the circumference of darkness (mystery) around it”
I am sick-to-figurative-death of people who try to answer the question of life with ‘why humans are part of the trippy universe’ or worst of all ‘dont worry about it bro just enjoy life.’ Please stop acting like you have any valuable perspective. I wish someone would take a step out of their own species’ shoes and ask the bigger questions, like ‘why is there any form of life, and why would a thing pop into existence and deside to propigate?’ ‘If energy can’t be created then what sourced the original energy that fueled the big bang?’ Yes we are real, and we are really shortsighted. Thanks god, you dick.
We exist for no reason. When you compare the human race to the scale of the universe, we are nothing. We should have never even existed.
What and why are we here for I have been reading some of the comments and one says we are extremely lucky to be here how does that work after we have grown from a young age got married the dog the children watched them grow have there own children loved and lost then we all die how are we lucky. My wife asked me the other day if we can have more children I said no and my reasons were because I don’t want them to be born to die I have 3 beautiful children and it tears me apart to think that one day they will all die. So what’s life about ?
I believe we exist because God created life and everything around us. Please save all your attacks and harsh words, I already know the drill. “Prove there’s a God” “Who created God? ” On and on you could go with all the questions that make my faith seem so lame to you. My choice is to believe in God. Your choice is to believe in nothing. Seems to me that if there is no reason or logic, we really shouldn’t be here at all. But here we are. Bottom line… if I’m wrong, so what? If you’re wrong…
We exist for nothing. We are the result of incredible chance. I have heard people say that the possibility exists of us just being the experiment of a higher order. Even if this is true, we still exist for nothing because the higher order would exist for nothing. We would inherit the purpose of life from them. Life, to me, has only one meaning. Fill ourselves with happiness and to never regret. Regret only slows our fulfillment of happiness. It is a fact that we will all die in one way or another. Our offspring will as well. There is no reason to exist other than to exist with a good clean heart and improve others lives and help them in their quest for happiness. If one day we do some how find why we exist, that will be the day we cease to exist. Once we are completed in that manner, we may never have the will to live again. Let us not look for why we live but how we live. The day we find that out, we will truly be alive.
We don’t.
We are just a fucked up dream of some strange entity. We are vaguely aware of this entity, we call this entity God.