Reassessing our “Purpose”
So many Human Beings think that pondering over the purpose of life is a fundamentally “deep” question. A lot of philosophy and politics seek out followers by trying to answer that very question. Hence, we often hear such followers claiming that “It gives purpose to [their] life”.
Before I say something controversial and get whacked, Imma list some common “purposes of life” that people preach :
- To be one with God (and the more aggressive, “to praise the Lord”)
- To produce offspring
- To overcome challenges (or “achieve success”)
- To live a “fulfilling life” (or “to be happy”, or “to do good”)
Now, when I go to the gym, I just need a work-out, not embarrassment and shame as I watch gym rats Pumping Iron next to me. But, I get it all anyway (except for the work-out bit). Fault is mine.
Similarly, when I ask people what my purpose is, I don’t get a good answer. Because I don’t really want to know the answer. If I actually wanted the answer, I would first ask myself that question, and only then, ask others.
Maybe, even then, I still would not know the correct answer, but I will be able to identify the wrong answers when I hear them. And even if every answer, in full, feels wrong, parts of it may seem right, and even that may flip or change around with time.
So, instead of focusing on the “wrongs”, cherry picking the “rights” and moving on may leave me with more satisfaction. Before I become the preacher that I demonized earlier, Imma list some common notions/experiences that seem to give people “satisfactory” answers.
- Love, Hate and Empathy
- Community (Family, Friends and Society)
- Self-Control/Discipline
- Morals, Values and Culture
- Knowledge/Ignorance and Courage/Fear
- Reason and Science (Logic, Genetics, Quantum Physics, etc.)
None of these alone can give one right answer, but they have a lot of power, together and they can control our quest to find the “purpose of life”.
Ultimately, the question is: Do we even want to know the purpose of life? Or do we just want to keep reflecting on it? Some say that “it is ultimately the journey that matters, and not the destination”. Could it be that there is no destination here and only a journey? Who knows? We have to keep trying to find out, regardless.
