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Do We Really Need a Purpose For Life to Have Meaning?

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1 hour ago, khaosokman said:

You can't afford to drink or smoke.

Sounds like a personal choice at same level some enjoying free gyms and 400 baht hotels?

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6 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

My son, a 50-year old principal scientist in Big Pharma in USA, tells me every person in the US used to need a million dollars to retire. That means a couple need $2M!

Except that now, economists figure each American needs 1.5!

Who wants to live with the stress of that?

He figures he can retire in five years! Hope he can support the old man!

This is not really true.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/06/07/retire-without-a-million-dollars/73969717007/

.

“You Don’t Need to Be a Millionaire to Retire,” says the headline of a column by Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, and published in April in The Wall Street Journal.

Most Americans retire with nowhere near $1 million in savings. The notion that we need that much money to fund a secure retirement arises from opinion polls, personal finance columns and two or three rules of thumb that suffuse the financial planning business.

Just now, TedG said:

Most Americans retire with nowhere near $1 million in savings.

The 1 million dollar number is probably fake data to keep people afraid to retire early and working much longer than they really need to.

Then again, depends how lavish your lifestyle is.

4 hours ago, Hummin said:

You are supposed to fill your bucket when you young, and the more fun you have, slowly you start to take from your luck bucket, so you better stop in time.

While others starts to have fun later in life, getting lost or found, who knows what they are about?

Dare to make an AI poem on my little words above here

In youth, we are handed an invisible ledger of fortune — a finite inheritance of luck, time, and consequence yet unpaid. Every thrill, every reckless joy, every night that defies caution inscribes a debt against it. Pleasure is not innocent; it consumes what it cannot replace. The tragedy is not that we spend — it is that we rarely see the balance diminishing.

Some exhaust their share early, mistaking intensity for invincibility. Others postpone their descent, saving their transgressions for a later hour, when the illusion of control feels safer. But when they finally step beyond the line — are they awakening at last, or merely unraveling more slowly?

No one truly knows whether they are losing themselves or only meeting the self that was always waiting in the dark.

Solving diffcult tasks builds character and grows the front part of your brain. Pleasure does not do much at all.

4 hours ago, Hummin said:

You are supposed to fill your bucket when you young, and the more fun you have, slowly you start to take from your luck bucket, so you better stop in time.

While others starts to have fun later in life, getting lost or found, who knows what they are about?

Dare to make an AI poem on my little words above here

In youth, we are handed an invisible ledger of fortune — a finite inheritance of luck, time, and consequence yet unpaid. Every thrill, every reckless joy, every night that defies caution inscribes a debt against it. Pleasure is not innocent; it consumes what it cannot replace. The tragedy is not that we spend — it is that we rarely see the balance diminishing.

Some exhaust their share early, mistaking intensity for invincibility. Others postpone their descent, saving their transgressions for a later hour, when the illusion of control feels safer. But when they finally step beyond the line — are they awakening at last, or merely unraveling more slowly?

No one truly knows whether they are losing themselves or only meeting the self that was always waiting in the dark.

Solving diffcult tasks builds character and grows the front part of your brain. Pleasure does not do much at all.

3 minutes ago, TedG said:

This is not really true.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/06/07/retire-without-a-million-dollars/73969717007/

.

“You Don’t Need to Be a Millionaire to Retire,” says the headline of a column by Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, and published in April in The Wall Street Journal.

Most Americans retire with nowhere near $1 million in savings. The notion that we need that much money to fund a secure retirement arises from opinion polls, personal finance columns and two or three rules of thumb that suffuse the financial planning business.

3 divorces kills most money men have. My friend has $16,000 left.

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

The 1 million dollar number is probably fake data to keep people afraid to retire early and working much longer than they really need to.

Then again, depends how lavish your lifestyle is.

There is a lot of misinformation about how much one needs to retire which keeps people working longer. One rule of thumb is you need to replace 80% of your salary in retirement. This makes no sense if one retires with no debt. Retirement is all about planing and knowing your numbers.

3 minutes ago, khaosokman said:

3 divorces kills most money men have. My friend has $16,000 left.

I seeing a lot of divorces of people in their 50's. Which is a 401K killer.

4 minutes ago, TedG said:

There is a lot of misinformation about how much one needs to retire which keeps people working longer. One rule of thumb is you need to replace 80% of your salary in retirement. This makes no sense if one retires with no debt. Retirement is all about planing and knowing your numbers.

Stoping work only makes sense if you hate the work you do. Do the retired people that post on here do amazing things each day or basically nothing except basic living. If retired people followed the F1 circuit or went to the best live concerts their lives would be good but they don't.

5 minutes ago, khaosokman said:

Stoping work only makes sense if you hate the work you do.

Yep, that's why you won't catch Elon Musk dead sitting in a bar in Thailand.

No one would give up working if they were were working on interesting projects. It isn't about the money.

Same goes for Hollywood directors, etc ...

No way a retired life can match having an interesting job, which most of us don't have or never had.

Retirement can get boring, but boring is much better than a job you hate.

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

Yep, that's why you won't catch Elon Musk dead sitting in a bar in Thailand.

No one would give up working if they were were working on interesting projects. It isn't about the money.

Same goes for Hollywood directors, etc ...

No way a retired life can match having an interesting job, which most of us don't have or never had.

Retirement can get boring, but boring is much better than a job you hate.

But if you had money you go from diving off Lipe to Foo Fighters in Hungary to F1 in Monaco. But no retired person does that. They do gardening or drink beer and tell people how great retirement is 😄

22 minutes ago, khaosokman said:

Solving diffcult tasks builds character and grows the front part of your brain. Pleasure does not do much at all.

Pleasure combined with technical difficult tasks, and tasks that challenge you, takes focus and concentration, as well comes with consequences, do evolve your prefrontal cortex.

There is many ways to create fun and pleasure when younger and not matured yet.

Most sports takes intelligence to become good as well.

IMO life has meaning in the challenges we have when educating ourselves, working, in relationships, and after retirement.

I find meaning in setting myself targets in a couple of fields. Formerly, it was solving problems at work.

I don't understand people who are content to vegetate. That has no meaning to me.

25 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Yep, that's why you won't catch Elon Musk dead sitting in a bar in Thailand.

No one would give up working if they were were working on interesting projects. It isn't about the money.

Same goes for Hollywood directors, etc ...

No way a retired life can match having an interesting job, which most of us don't have or never had.

Retirement can get boring, but boring is much better than a job you hate.

I'm not sure quiting a job you hate will solve the problem. The problem maybe the things you do outside work. Most jobs are only 40 to 50 hours a week. I know people who kept changing jobs. To me the problem was their habits outside work, not the work.

25 minutes ago, khaosokman said:

I'm not sure quiting a job you hate will solve the problem. The problem maybe the things you do outside work. Most jobs are only 40 to 50 hours a week. I know people who kept changing jobs. To me the problem was their habits outside work, not the work.

Changed so many jobs, companies, workplaces, districts and countries all out my life and also activities and interests. Even changed type of ladies i liked. Life is all about new experiences until enough is enough and time to settle, while others is happy to live and work one place throughout their life, even interests and activities.

Some people need more stimulation than others

3 hours ago, khaosokman said:

Stoping work only makes sense if you hate the work you do. Do the retired people that post on here do amazing things each day or basically nothing except basic living. If retired people followed the F1 circuit or went to the best live concerts their lives would be good but they don't.

How many people do amazing things at work?

6 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Like all creatures on the planet the purpose of life is to reproduce. Most aspects of life revolve around this. Even if we and society wish to deny it.

the purpose of life is to increase entropy,

i really enjoyed this comment

So.. in the end... I really am an energy sink. Dad was right.

4 hours ago, TedG said:

“You Don’t Need to Be a Millionaire to Retire,” says the headline of a column by Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, and published in April in The Wall Street Journal.

Wait. That's no Thailand's Andrew Biggs, is it?

4 hours ago, khaosokman said:

Solving diffcult tasks builds character and grows the front part of your brain. Pleasure does not do much at all.

Fun, fun, fun, unless Daddy takes the T-bird away!

4 hours ago, TedG said:

I seeing a lot of divorces of people in their 50's. Which is a 401K killer.

My friend got married just before he retired for the g/f's health insurance.

3 hours ago, khaosokman said:

I'm not sure quiting a job you hate will solve the problem. The problem maybe the things you do outside work. Most jobs are only 40 to 50 hours a week. I know people who kept changing jobs. To me the problem was their habits outside work, not the work.

Most of those people were laid off by companies cutting benefits.

3 hours ago, mordothailand said:

the purpose of life is to increase entropy,

Life is dynamic order within constant transformation

23 hours ago, Hummin said:

You might need a purpose in life for it to have meaning, but I'd recommend you free yourself from the belief that life has to have meaning.

Just live!

Life needs a purpose, it is not just enough to exist!

Your perception of your life does not need a goal or purpose. In fact, if you do believe it does, it is because you believe “you” are a separate, distinct "self” instead of realizing the very idea of “you” is a delusion. There is no “you”; there is only Just This!

To help you realize this, I suggest you try sitting zazen. 🙏

4 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

Your perception of your life does not need a goal or purpose. In fact, if you do believe it does, it is because you believe “you” are a separate, distinct "self” instead of realizing the very idea of “you” is a delusion. There is no “you”; there is only Just This!

To help you realize this, I suggest you try sitting zazen. 🙏

I like suggestions so I can look it up if I do not have any knowledge about it from before, but I believe we did simular exercises when we training for free diving, with yoga and meditation exercises. Also whit skydiving team we did yoga in the morning with different gurus and masters, who took us on a journey where we become zero and just existed in the moment right now right there.

Still Im a physical guy, who need movement for the brain to function optimal, and a brain that always look for new experiences and possibilities.

I learned quite early in life at school, that every class we had outside lectures where we walked or moved, I could repeat every word from the teacher, and also managed to explain and understand what he/she said. I also learned better from male teachers than female teachers, while inside classroom forced to sitting down, I had problems with concentration no matter who teaching.

So sitting in a yoga position and just concentrate on breathing, yeah I can do for exercise purposes for something else, but just to sit down and be in the moment and observe ? Not possible. For free diving it was more control of the thoughts so you did not think at all, since it uses energy, and you do not want that while diving. There is many techniques to control mind and breaht which was essential for performing good in free diving.

I need a purpose for existing, and choose a different neurological presence and doorway, where zen is motion.

You Might Be Wired for Active Meditation

Zen itself includes walking meditation (kinhin). Martial arts, archery, swordsmanship — all are considered forms of moving meditation in Japan.

Think of:

  • Miyamoto Musashi — enlightenment through sword discipline

  • Wim Hof — breath mastery through cold and exposure

  • David Goggins — mental stillness through physical extremity

For some nervous systems, stillness comes after intensity — not before.

Aristotle was one philosopher who did walking classes, and discovered higher attention while walking form his students.

Exactly! That’s a great way to put it.

Aristotle noticed that walking while discussing helped his students focus better and retain ideas. The Peripatetic school literally comes from peripatetikos — “given to walking about.” Movement wasn’t just exercise; it enhanced attention, engagement, and memory.

Modern science supports this too: walking increases blood flow, stimulates the brain, and can improve creative thinking and recall. For Aristotle, walking was part of learning itself — a way to combine body and mind for higher attention.

In a sense, you’ve been tapping into the same principle with your freediving, skydiving, and farm work: movement amplifies cognition and presence.

If you want, I can explain why walking specifically improves attention and memory in the brain—it’s fascinating and connects directly to Aristotle’s insight.

21 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I like suggestions so I can look it up if I do not have any knowledge about it from before, but I believe we did simular exercises when we training for free diving, with yoga and meditation exercises. Also whit skydiving team we did yoga in the morning with different gurus and masters, who took us on a journey where we become zero and just existed in the moment right now right there.

Still Im a physical guy, who need movement for the brain to function optimal, and a brain that always look for new experiences and possibilities.

I learned quite early in life at school, that every class we had outside lectures where we walked or moved, I could repeat every word from the teacher, and also managed to explain and understand what he/she said. I also learned better from male teachers than female teachers, while inside classroom forced to sitting down, I had problems with concentration no matter who teaching.

So sitting in a yoga position and just concentrate on breathing, yeah I can do for exercise purposes for something else, but just to sit down and be in the moment and observe ? Not possible. For free diving it was more control of the thoughts so you did not think at all, since it uses energy, and you do not want that while diving. There is many techniques to control mind and breaht which was essential for performing good in free diving.

I need a purpose for existing, and choose a different neurological presence and doorway, where zen is motion.

You Might Be Wired for Active Meditation

Zen itself includes walking meditation (kinhin). Martial arts, archery, swordsmanship — all are considered forms of moving meditation in Japan.

Think of:

  • Miyamoto Musashi — enlightenment through sword discipline

  • Wim Hof — breath mastery through cold and exposure

  • David Goggins — mental stillness through physical extremity

For some nervous systems, stillness comes after intensity — not before.

Aristotle was one philosopher who did walking classes, and discovered higher attention while walking form his students.

Exactly! That’s a great way to put it.

Aristotle noticed that walking while discussing helped his students focus better and retain ideas. The Peripatetic school literally comes from peripatetikos — “given to walking about.” Movement wasn’t just exercise; it enhanced attention, engagement, and memory.

Modern science supports this too: walking increases blood flow, stimulates the brain, and can improve creative thinking and recall. For Aristotle, walking was part of learning itself — a way to combine body and mind for higher attention.

In a sense, you’ve been tapping into the same principle with your freediving, skydiving, and farm work: movement amplifies cognition and presence.

If you want, I can explain why walking specifically improves attention and memory in the brain—it’s fascinating and connects directly to Aristotle’s insight.

Yes, zen also has walking meditation. It's called "kinhin."

But no thanks on your offer to explain anything about any kind of mediation, for two reasons;


1. Meditation (of the kind I practice) doesn’t need “explaining.” That, in fact, is counterproductive to the activity. You don’t have to understand anything; you just need to sit (or walk, or do dishes, sweep the floor, etc.) to remove all intellectual activity (delusions) and “Just Be.”

  1. I’ve practiced this kind of meditation (zazen) for over fifty years.

11 hours ago, WDSmart said:

Yes, zen also has walking meditation. It's called "kinhin."

But no thanks on your offer to explain anything about any kind of mediation, for two reasons;


1. Meditation (of the kind I practice) doesn’t need “explaining.” That, in fact, is counterproductive to the activity. You don’t have to understand anything; you just need to sit (or walk, or do dishes, sweep the floor, etc.) to remove all intellectual activity (delusions) and “Just Be.”

  1. I’ve practiced this kind of meditation (zazen) for over fifty years.

It is common in Japan. Be absorbed in an activity.

14 hours ago, WDSmart said:

Your perception of your life does not need a goal or purpose. In fact, if you do believe it does, it is because you believe “you” are a separate, distinct "self” instead of realizing the very idea of “you” is a delusion. There is no “you”; there is only Just This!

To help you realize this, I suggest you try sitting zazen. 🙏

You have a body that needs food. Try not eating for a month.

On 2/25/2026 at 11:43 PM, unblocktheplanet said:

Most of those people were laid off by companies cutting benefits.

I know people who quit jobs a lot. A job is unlikely to make you happy for long. Find a good woman. Eat the foods you like.

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