Why are we here?

[@devarshidave68]

Dear professor your videos have helped me a lot in difficult times so thank you so much!

[@Raven28Pisces]

*"because we're born into this world"~Eren Jäger*

[@dlloydy5356]

Great topic Eric. I personally don’t think the fundamental questions are talked about enough. Too often it’s about what we have compared to what they have instead of simply being grateful to be here in this time and for what we have already. If you’re not happy with what you have now…why would you be happy with more? Alan Watts summed things up nicely for me. “The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” - Alan Watts.

[@CoreyAnton]

Great vid. Thanks

[@donniewest1760]

Dear Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Thanks for uploading! Love the videos!

[@ericdodson2644]

Ha ha... nice acronym! Anyhow... you're welcome. ERIC Control Central, over and out.

[@charmedprince]

We're here to know that being here isn't such big of a deal.

[@MirzaKapanadze-y7h]

I can listen to your videos for all day. So so wise and insightful! Really appreciate you ! Thank you for helping us!

[@satanickmukhuty2579]

Hello sir, This is Satanick all the way from Kolkata, India. I have been listening to you (on both your KZbin channels) for the past several months, and I must say, you are the best thing I have discovered on the internet in recent times. Honestly, I have become a fan of both your eloquence and erudition. With this comment, I would like to let you know that you're truly touching lives and the light of your wisdom is reaching places you would perhaps least expect of. However, I have also a question to ask: since you have dwelled a lot on the topic of addiction - how it is the single most pressing crisis facing humanity today - would you say that this need to explore the fundamental questions of existence can itself become a form of fixation in a person? Once we open ourselves to the indifferent and contingent nature of the universe, true that it can induce a degree of anxiety and a sort of restlessness to "know" the unknowable that lies beyond, but can it not also make us profoundly disinterested in the functioning of day-to-day life, disconnecting us from everyone and everything as we know of? I love the metaphor of the stallion you have used in this video. I guess my question is what happens when that galloping horse suddenly falls into the proverbial "existential slough" and finds himself, like an addict, quite inexorably stuck? How does he flex his powerful sinews all over again knowing that the wild race he was running is "pointless" in the first place? I am not sure if I am really getting the point across, but if you understood my predicament and gave it some consideration would be grateful. Much regards and love, and a happy new year, too, in advance! A fellow student of life.

[@sajadtorkamani9399]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This question has been plaguing me for the past few years and I always find solace when listening to your thoughts on it. Thinking about why we are here or why anything exists has such a dizzying effect that it makes me want to laugh, cry, scream, rage, dance at different times. What a life!

[@irenehigginbotham6392]

Thank you! Excellent!

[@XenosbioZ]

Happy New Years to you too! Literally closed my eyes as you spoke and felt the weight of the universe! Wow!

[@LuzCCs]

Beautiful, thank you!

[@torquesjr]

Dear Eric, I've been watching/lurking for a while now and really been enjoying your content, but holy moly this was such a good video! However, I have had trouble distilling why I feel this way.. After having pondered this for a considerable amount of time (probably too much at that) I decided simply to state how much it resonated with me. Hope you have enjoyed your Christmas and thank you so much for this gem of a video! Greetings from Denmark and a fellow computer scientist, gone hobby (for now) student of psychology.

[@ericdodson2644]

Ha ha... how did you know that I was a computer scientist during my tremendously misspent youth? Do I bear the marks that obviously? Does my English sound a little too much like JAVA? Anyhow... yeah, I'm happy that you liked this video, and that it spoke to you on a fairly deep level. That's hella cool! And yeah, greetings from Georgia, U.S.A., which is in the Southeastern part of the country. By the way, do they teach you phrases like, "Holy moly" in English classes in Denmark? If so, I'm definitely impressed. I can imagine an entire room of young students saying it over and over in unison... "Holy moly... Holy moly... Holy moly" Ha ha... Anyhow, take care. And thanks for taking the time to listen. Gratitude. Eric D.

[@koniu1111ful]

​@@ericdodson2644People learn English not only in classes. I, personally, have learnt the most from movies and other media.

[@jtetteroo2919]

Thank you.

[@frank480]

The turning point for me came when I realized that my life experience is meaning enough. I don't need to look outside of my existence to know why I am here.

[@shalomlynch]

Your video makes me feel in tremendous solitude and company !! Thank you so much for share your thoughts with us .

[@kiddogonzalez4408]

These videos are much appreciated, thank you,

[@cwitch81]

Thanks as always, Eric!

[@BlackWolf6420]

Thank you! Great video as always! And as always, take care of yourself Eric 👌🏻

[@magickfire81]

Thank you, professor, for sharing your wisdom with us. It is greatly appreciated. Have a great year in 2022!

[@Bazzo61]

I love the style and content of your videos. Incredibly thought provoking and inspiring. Long may they continue.

[@saleban1]

Thank you very much

[@unusualpond]

Happy new year fellow travellers ✌🏼

[@nasar8480]

Happy New Year, Mr Dodson. Grateful, as always, for every single video of yours. Much love and appreciation :)

[@haniffhaniff5764]

Another masterpiece. Keep up prof. Belated merry christmas

[@HieuNguyen-bx3lo]

Appreciate your works. This video and “The Holism …” video are so wonderfully helpful to me. Thanks

[@docjohnson2874]

The physicist version of this is "why is there something, as opposed to nothing".......Roger Penrose and others have taken a shot at it......not sure the cosmos cares one way or another, but I am solidly with General Klink...." I KNOW NOTHING!!!!".....thanks again for your thoughtfulness and time.

[@redsparks2025]

brilliant lecture.

[@johndawson680]

Thanks for this. Your personal view on things reminded me of Camus' view in the Myth of Sisyphus.

[@innercityhoops4949]

Once again, thank you for the video, professor! These, really are amazing points of view. That said, I would really love to hear your thoughts on misanthropy, the hatred of human existence, and the validates of its stance. Thanks a lot!

[@alimirzamani979]

Thank you! Listening to you made me think that this question "why are we here?" can be viewed in two different and fundamental ways. In other words there are Actually two questions here - or can be interpreted in two ways. "Why are we here" as in to do what, and "why are we here" as in the purpose of existence. I always thought of this question as latter case. Why universe exists? Or why there is anything at all?

[@hughjanus7176]

I have never realized why anxiety? Why not laugh at the face of the abyss? 14:01 though :P

[@myblackaura]

Another great one, professor. Happy New Year! ^_^

[@dainius9264]

Do we actually want to know or do we just love to ponder these questions? Because at this point in time i can explain most things here on earth regarding our existence, but my only question is that do people actually want to know or do they just love to restle with these questions to feel smarter and better to everyone else or not.

[@MUSABBPT]

Woow

[@christophervj4369]

The answer narrated at the end only touch upon the offshoot question ' what would we do once we are here' rather than answer to ' why are we here'.

[@kingpineda5135]

Hi there sir Eric! I have been watching a lot of your videos in the past few days and I am kind of curious about your views/opinions about the philosophy of Daoism/Taoism..

[@hunivan7672]

I'm here to find a way to affirm life, and love God. Its very difficult as a homosexual. I'm always torn apart at the seams, twisted between two things that I feel I need, but for now seem to be mutually exclusive. Im really looking forward to death, that will end my torment. There is nothign enjoyable to me about not knowing things, the anxiety is crushing. I used to be suicidal before I realized that God is not out there to get me. Many christians seem to use God as a boogeyman who will crush you for your trespasses and I had to get over that false image.

[@camargorafael420]

❤

[@stevepowsinger733]

A psychologist might have a relevant observation: society is divided into introverts and extroverts. Introverts might ask why but extroverts dismiss the deep thinking as useless and unnecessary. Further, religionists tell you, at a very young age, that the question has been already answered by the Bible (or other sacred txt). Asking too many questions becomes a act of rebelliousness and must be suppressed.

[@shawnburnham1]

I think so (ride or die) {gangster poetry prof}

[@Sannidor]

We're here to seek for what is best in life through struggle and conquer To crush our enemies See them driven before us and hear the lamentation of their women That is Good

[@charlesrb3898]

Are you a Republican?

[@Sannidor]

@@charlesrb3898 Absolutely not. Res Publica belongs to everyone and nobody and is vulnerable to degeneracy of corporate communism. This land is mine. Here's the border. Cross it = your head on a spike.

[@charlesrb3898]

@@Sannidor That's why we avoid going to Detroit.

[@arkansastrey9694]

Eat, drink and be satisfied with a day's labor

[@christopherbek8882]

What about our responsibility to make the fifteen percent commitment to God?

[@lillysnet9345]

Our life is 100% to God... life itself...

[@christopherbek8882]

@@lillysnet9345 what about making the fifteen percent commitment to God the Mathematician?

[@Bobotv1000]

I'm here to watch Eric Dodson videos

[@bradrandel1408]

Love you I would love to build a community around you…🦋🕊🌹

[@georgerasmussen2318]

Why are we here? Trial and punishment.

[@trucid2]

A question like "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" presupposes facts that might not be true. Philosophical 'why' questions are often of this character. Before attempting to answer one has to figure out what the question is asking, and reject the false premise if necessary. A 'why' implies a purpose and a purpose implies a creator, and the 'why' question asks us to delve into the mind of that creator. Without supporting evidence a creator belongs in the supernatural, and once you delve into the supernatural you are faced with an infinitude of hypotheses with no way to tell the truth value of one apart from another. It might be comforting to pick one and pretend like it's true, as religions tend to do, but that merely reveals our personal preference and not an objective truth. There is another approach to the question. A creation does not need an intelligent creator. From the evolutionary lens our purpose is clear: To survive and reproduce. It might not be a satisfactory answer to some, but it is the only answer based in science.

[@joshtheegotist]

Neil Peart hands down wins this answer. Even over Alan Watts. "Why are we here? Because we're here, roll the bones. Why does it happen, Because it happens, roll the bones."

[@siyaindagulag.]

'Cos if we weren't, we'd be "there". Ha ! Just messin with yas...😂

[@shawnburnham1]

people blithely ignoring obvious questions

[@MrJohn348]

The fact that this video only got 315 views tells it's own story, not that I think the video is bad.

[@intejimmy652]

Plastic?

[@XenosbioZ]

“Plastic! Assholes!”

[@robharrell-xd2pi]

You are assuming that none of us knows why we are here? How do you know that? You don’t. I found this video particularly insipid; to say that religion is simply psychologically advantageous is bogus. Naturalist is utterly vacuous there is so much compelling reason to consider the Christian faith beyond your scoffing presentation, it’s not worth even addressing.

[@josephreynolds1220]

Waiter, this conversation isn’t very good.

[@joseandrada264]

Life doesn"t make sense