you have to have faith..and there's a purpose

[Ksa]

Got into a discussion and basically it was asserted that "No one can know whether or not God exists or that there is life after death,but we have to have faith"

Then I said I'd rather go by fact than faith.

then she said "You have faith I'm a good friend don't you? We all need to have faith in something."

then it went into---"How can you not believe that you were not here for a purpose? all the time you could have died or when "so and so" told me her brother pushed her out of a car on the free way during rush hour and she rolled to safety? I believe everyone is here for a reason and won't die until that is fulfilled."

Sister asks a very important question, she says that, there was plenty of times where she could have died, but she didn't and so, she must have a purpose to fulfill before she can die.

To answer this, first I'll say that if she died, we wouldn't be having this conversation first of all, and thus, it's very easy for a person to come up with reasons why she survived, including the fact that no car ran her over. And I also know that many people died without ever fulfilling their purpose such as Kennedy or Hitler. So no.

I believe that human beings are the result of the Universe trying to figure itself out. So our purpose as human beings are the following:

1) Figure out this Universe and attempt to preserve life by being in control.
2) Seek out a male/female sex partner that makes us want to settle down.
3) Eat, drink and posses that which matters to us and brings us joy.
4) Seek out the chemicals of bliss by all means, dopamine, 6-MAM, oxitocyn and cannabinoids without seriously compromising 1), 2) and 3).

To complete my answer, the sister seems to cover her anxiety with that theory. What she experiences is post traumatic stress. Same as when a soldier is shot in the scalp and some hair flies off, he/she can't help but wonder what would have happened if the bullet went a little lower. It is a pickle indeed. This is a psychiatric disorder that is treated with medication and not rumors or faith. I myself have faced that type of anxiety and have observed that chewing nicotine gum up into the sedation range permanently destroyed the neurons responsible for that terrible feeling. I believe that feeling is produced by the amygdala of the brain but a psychiatrist would provide a more detailed answer.