NathanJ, are you referring to the 'dinner table socialist' with <<You talk about improvement? What type? The type you want at the dinner table?>> Just as not every christian can be a Mother Teresa, can every socialists be a great social reformer like Mahatma Gandhi. The contribution by any individual no matter how great, is puny when compared to the contribution of the total collective as a whole.
Many I know within my own party, as I'm sure there are many within both The Liberal and Labor Parties, do far more than simply sit around talking politics over dinner. These people are at the forefront of practical action within our community on a wide range of issues and causes. Obviously some, because of their position and wealth in society can be seen as doing more that others who do not hold such privilege, Is their contribution greater, in my opinion, no, contribution should be according to ones capacity to contribute, and by no other measure.

Nathan, the food we eat the vocations we conduct and the relationships we form all serve towards one purpose ...that is sustaining us for procreation and the means to conduct safe passage of our offspring to procreation age.

But the “meaning of life” to me revolves around the fact that we share the same genetic material with all forms of life on this planet..............except our consciousness.

Every living thing has an innate anti Kamikaze chip that prevents self harm and promotes longevity. Nature itself alters the structure of the living things to accommodate environmental change....but only humans were gifted (burdened) with a consciousness that understands the concept of mortality. Someone once argued with me that Elephants grieve so they understand mortality....I qualified that they understood loss, they understand the concept of animate and in animate, but do not relate it to their own being....they push and prod the dead carcass for hours hoping for a response...only humans have the pre cognition of mortality because of our unique consciousness.

If we discover why we have this human only "consciousness" the meaning to life may be answered.....that’s the best I can come up with Nathan.

There is no such thing as meaning in and of itself. Meaning is in the relationship of a thing to a person. So if "life" has a meaning, we must ask "meaning to whom?"

"How can we change humans minds that living elements on the planet called "Earth" and surrounds do have a purpose?"

Whose purpose? Whose intention? If it is not ourselves, then we must ask if this other person, who means and intends something by our lives, has our best interests at heart. If indeed our lives have a purpose, then I truly hope that purposer is not that bloke who drowned everyone in the world aside from eight people, who human-sacrificed his own son to himself to appease his own anger.

"How do get a message out there that we was humans "are" dependent on the natural world?"

Are we? Once we start living on algae that we grow in vats, will we really need nature at all anymore? Before working on getting the message out, it might be worthwhile spending a little time making sure that the message you are trying to get out is right.

PaulMurrayCbr,

Too many humans today in countries like Australia - are so anthropocentric, seeing humans as the central or most significant species on the planet, and assess day to day issues purely through a human perspective. This has been at the expense of the natural world.

It's not that I dislike humans, it's just that our 'living' environment (like water, soil, forests, beaches and bushland) - which does have does have a purpose - is something a lot of humans in general do not connect with.

Humans were not brought up in a nest in a large gum tree, were not a koala bred in native bushland or a seal born on an Australian beach.

Now living in 2014 - there are bigger challenges to face, life wise that connect to the natural world, that humans do need to recognise. After all we as humans now life in Australia, in a changing environment where in earlier times only Australian native animals lived on this continent.

Things to consider: The protection of soils, clean and rational use of water and environmental protection - for the benefit of all animal species.

This is essential for food production for example - after all animal species do like to eat and also like clean water for drinking - and these are only two pieces of important living natural elements.

Dear Nathan,

Caring for and protecting the environment is your forte - metaphysics is not, so you could achieve so much by writing on the former and not mixing it with the latter.

That's simply nonsense, NathanJ.

>>...our 'living' environment (like water, soil, forests, beaches and bushland) - which does have does have a purpose<<

If you ask a glass of water "what is your purpose", it would only be able to answer in terms of its relationship to you. Beaches do not have a "purpose", they are simply the result of water on rock.

>>Too many humans today... assess day to day issues purely through a human perspective.<<

This is absolutely no different to your "water, soil, forests, beaches and bushland", who also assess day to day issues purely through their own perspective, and selfishly exploit their surroundings in order to survive.

None of which indicates "purpose".