I think the purpose of life is a unique, different, and even sometimes, an unusual journey of "experience."

I believe experience (in whatever way we label it, good, bad, or neutral) is why we focus our consciousness to create these physical bodies.

Just like every single person on a roller coaster will have a generally similar experience, they will also have an experience that is completely unique to themselves, even in the most subtle of ways.

Life Is, We Are...what other purpose or validation is needed?

You summed it up very well with this sentence. There is no other purpose or validation needed. We exist right now and that is really all that matters. To exist in the first place is validation enough for me. We as individuals just have to sift and sort through all the conflicting beliefs systems that exist on this planet and try to figure out who we prefer to actually truly be when it's all said and done.

Our purpose is simply to live and experience in whatever way that may be, and be at peace with whatever may occur.

No matter if we live a life that is seen as bad, good, wasteful, or abundant, in the end we just are what we are in every single now moment. This really is a giant spinning blue and green sphere of neutrality until individuals attach labels and beliefs onto particular situations or events.

We are all as abundant as we will ever be no matter what. So in every now moment, if we get into a mode of allowing and releasing the blockage of resistance, we will always be synchronistically matched up with whatever "current now moment purpose" that we need to be matched up with.

Each and every one of us will die one day. I personally believe these physical bodies are just a very small part of the infinite cosmic ride. When our true self (or eternal consciousness) takes the focus from the physical body, the only thing left will be a recorded account of a human experience. Which I believe will be reviewed in a neutral way as an experience to help grow and expend our consciousness for the next ride, whatever that may be.

Can we ever really know the purpose to Life?

I know that the purpose I choose at this time on this earth is to follow my highest excitement, my joy, my bliss, at very given moment I can. I know that if I follow the path of what feels right to me at every given moment, all the other experiences in this life will work out just fine, at just the right place, and just the right timing.

Great question, @Michaela. "...life continues to show me that daily and always provides me with exactly what I need in the moment when I trust it implicitly."

To me, it all pivots on trust. Learning to trust that a part of me has a higher, guiding perspective, that I am loved and watched over, that I am safe, and all is well, is a pure joy for me. Trusting that I am perfect, just as I am - I need only ensure that I don't hold on to what I don't want holding on to me, has been a revelation to me, and has set me on a path to living the life of joy and light that I believe was intended for me.

I agree with @Cory; I think that life is about having the experience of living, so I figure my best course is to enjoy everything I can, much as I can, in every way I can. :)

None of it is possible without that trust.

:)

Yes we can

Joy.............and Now..........

Those two words for me sum it up. The now moment, because that's all there ever has been or ever will be, and joy, because whats better than joy.

I thing the answer depends on your perspective, as the answers seem to suggest. When we look at the physical aspect of life, the purpose to life is to discover our gifts so that we create/work/do something to buy shelter, food, clothing, education, etc. On a metaphysical level, it is in finding answers to this question that we see that love, joy, being in the now, and other principles help us to find peace when things get a little bumpy on the physical level (death, loss, illness etc.). As I see it the purpose to life is to be God manifested on this physical plane. What would God do? Well, It would find and employ Its gifts, help others, be joyful, happy, engage in right speech and actions, taking care of the physical body, the mind, and spirit.

When you dance, your purpose is not to get to a certain place on the floor. It's to enjoy each step along the way. ~ Wayne Dyer

If you are truly living in the present, than life has no purpose. Purpose is future oriented & by living a life with purpose, you are setting limits. The only purpose of life is living in the 'Now'. Being fully present, being happy & living life to the fullest with love & laughter moment by moment...

Michaela, I really cannot believe that you believe that just "being" is enough for you or anyone. It seems to me to be a sort of symbiotic, living-off-others way of feeling...and that is just not for me. Wade called this "neo-cheating"- you have to read Neo-Tech to understand Neo-Cheating...but basically, it is living off the fat of others, doing your thing, being totally alive for yourself.

I agree with Wade on this one. This is a sybaritic and selfish way to live. There are great rewards in doing things- both for others and for humanity. I spent the day straightening out our messy bedroom, and that felt wonderful. It is nice to see the books lined up in the bookcase, the movies in their jackets all put away, the garbage bagged up, dirty clothes put out for washing- it seems so simple, but I enjoyed making order out chaos. Now I wasn't making a better light bulb or pushing nanotechnology forward, but you see, it is all the same. Living for a Higher Purpose makes us feel genuinely good and really alive.

I guess I'll wait til I'm 98 and in a nursing home to "just be".

Jai

The only purpose is to just be? That seems so empty almost depressing even.

Well I can't find my purpose so I give up I'll just be. It is like saying I'm as useless as a rock. I should rephrase that since rocks are useful for healing. As useless as dirt, actually dirt is used a lot for plants and more. The more I think of "as useless as" the more it is depressing because most everything else has purpose other than just being.

Think of this if Edison and Tesla said, "I think I'll just be." how our world would be today. I Benjamin Franklin wasn't driven to invent electricity we would not even have electricity today. If the men that designed our rail road system said, "I think I'll just be, we would never had moved past horse and buggy. Also if the man that designed the buggy would have said, "I'll just be." we would never have had wheels. So when it comes to just being or creating value, you are doing a far greater service to humanity if instead of just being you are driven to make the earth better easier and faster than you found it.

I'm sorry the just being part has me steamed, it is probably because I know what a Neo-Cheater is. It reminds me too much of "advice" I heard that Timothy Leary said in the sixties that ruined generations of potential human progress. Drop out and take drugs, just be. We will never know how much progress and value we could have had from those many that took that advice. Maybe a cure for aids, a manned space ship to Mars, a moon base, a holographic interface, a cure for death ageing? Who knows, all we do know is those people didn't progress humanity, they never created value. You have no idea what you can do for humanity, every step even little is progress and valuable to humanity. But if you just choose to be, you'll be facing when you die wondering what you could have been, what you could have achieved if only you applied yourself.

I just fixed my garden hose, it was leaking like a sieve! I could have choose to lay around and just be, but my hose would sill be leaking.

I may disagree but I up voted you for a good question.