The Purpose of Life.

The Purpose of Life

Everything we do has a purpose. If an activity does not seem to have one, perhaps we need to find one for it. After all, an activity that we continue to pursue over time is likely to acquire a definite purpose through experience.

The purpose of eating is to satisfy the need of hunger.

The purpose of drinking is to satisfy the need of thirst.

The purpose of reading is to satisfy the higher needs of the mind.

The purpose of writing is to satisfy the need for self-expression.

On the basis of the same analogy, what then should be the purpose of life?

One reflection says that the purpose of life is to make life “worth living”. But then, how do we make life worth living?

Here, the answer varies from mind to mind. Such variation has a deep connection with the environment in which one grows, the upbringing one receives, what destiny brings, the choices one makes, and the resources one happens to have.

For many, the entire endeavour of life revolves around making life happy. This may mean earning more money, making more friends, achieving success, or pursuing whatever else is believed to bring happiness. Yet, after pursuing these things relentlessly, one may ultimately discover that the happiness expected from them is still missing.

Why does this happen?

Perhaps the absence of happiness, or the persistent feeling of its insufficiency, lies in keeping the soul in a state of perpetual hunger. We try to satisfy the needs of the body and the demands of the mind, while the deeper hunger of the soul remains unattended.

So, perhaps, the purpose of life should ultimately be to satisfy not only the hunger of the body and the needs of the mind, but also the hunger of the soul.

R.R.P.