It’s estimated that we as a species have been around for 300,000 years. That of course depends on what you believe in. Science tells us that we’ve evolved and with that our purpose has as well. If you believe in a higher power then you might have a different idea on how long we’ve existed and why exactly we were put on this earth. No matter what your belief is, we all like to believe that we were put here for a specific reason. Is it simply nature, that we’re born, we grow, we reproduce and then we die? Or in our limited time here is there an objective that is supposed to be achieved? Were historical figures, whether they were good or bad here so that they could teach us a lesson? Maybe Einstein was here to help us make discoveries about our world. Perhaps Gandhi’s purpose was to empower people across the world to make change for the better. Most people have some sense of direction and purpose and live their lives in accordance with that. The people that don’t have direction tend to live their life more chaotically, however that doesn’t mean that’s not their purpose. Everyone has a purpose known or unknown during their short time on this earth.
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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 pic.twitter.com/41y0Y5uadG
— 💗 ραииιуα 🔆 (@ImperfectGirl07) January 11, 2018
It’s safe to say that most people know that one person with a more damp view on life that thinks we’re simply animals. That we’re here to reproduce and die to perpetuate life’s food chain. Now that might be the case at our core, but where’s the fun in that? It’s a grim way to live, believing that we’re born to do the same for another. A single purpose life is one with less meaning, the experiences you have are tainted by the thought that they aren’t your own. That you simply live, not to experience. Although this could be true to natural evolution it’s a way of living that lacks fulfillment.
A large portion of the world population would say that we are put here to experience. That the meaning of life is to experience as much of the world as we can in our limited time. To travel the world, try all kinds of food, meet people of all sorts. To make memories that will last until our final breath. In those experiences we are to leave a lasting mark on everything and everyone we encounter. Are you scared to do something? Does skydiving terrify you? Possibly bungee jumping is the one that gets your stomach turning. Those experiences are what gives life excitement. But it’s so much more than the experience of activities. It’s all of the feelings that you experience as well. The excitement and joy of getting married, having your first child, your favourite team winning a championship. What would those moments be without the experience of sadness and disparity? There’s a beauty to all of the emotions we feel in life. The feeling of losing a loved one. Have you ever felt the feeling of being overwhelmed by school, work, maybe a relationship or friendship? These feelings are important to feeling the gratitude and accomplishment of working hard, making your relationships work, graduating school. If all of these things were easy and had no hardship what would be the point? Nothing worth having isn’t worth fighting for and that goes for emotions as well. All of these experiences put together are what makes life worth living. The fight you face to have all these experiences are what makes it so special.
Do you believe that your life belongs to your god? It’s said that about 85 percent of the population identifies under a religion according to populationeducation.org. Not all of that population will of course devote their life to their respective religion, however there will be a sense of purpose there. Is the purpose to live your life by the word of God? Is the bible the end all be all of guidance through life. There’s a peace to living your life by God’s will. A lot of people who don’t grow up religious find religion as a way of feeling direction and purpose. It’s a fulfilling feeling to believe you’re living life the way God intended, and to serve a greater good.
To know, love, and serve God – this is the meaning of life.
— The Religious Hippie (@HippieReligious) September 21, 2024
A segment of people believe they have a singular purpose in life that isn’t reproduction. Similar to the examples earlier of Einstein and Gandhi, what if your purpose is to create or discover? If you were to create an invention that could change the world, would that have been your purpose in life? Now what if you created that invention and yet you believe your purpose in life is to experience? What would your true purpose in life be? Do you really have one singular? This begs the philosophical question of “is our life purpose what we choose it to be?”. Let’s take it a step further, what if you were to live through the most boring life ever. You created nothing, and discovered nothing, You experienced very little and nothing had any meaning to you. Does that mean that you had no purpose? If you believe that there’s no purpose to your life does that mean that there is none? It’s a tricky question that there isn’t any real answer to, and is based fully on your individual belief.
After going through some popular beliefs, it’s time to look at one that gets a little more niche. What if the purpose of life is to love. Not only love but to be loved as well. You could argue that love is just part of the human experience, but what if it’s so much more? It’s said in some religions that the purpose of creation was to share love. To love God, to love our neighbours, for everyone to love each other. To reflect God’s image and care for each other the way that God does. What do you think about this idea? I know you’ve been waiting for what I think the purpose of life is, any guesses? It’s exactly this, to love and be loved. Without love what would the world be? Of course experiences through life are important. Laughing, crying, but what’s at the root of all of those things? The most painful, and the most enjoyable moments in life are all caused by love. Some of the best moments in my life were; my brother being born, Christmas dinners with family, and meeting the love of my life. Some of the worst moments were losing grandparents, watching a parent slip into a spiral of depression and addiction, watching my friends lose important things to them. What do all of these instances have in common? Love is what made all of these experiences what they were. Without love any one of these examples would just be another human experience, and have no weight. I believe that love is something that all people inherently yearn for. Some people have a bigger capacity for it than others and maybe that’s what determines how it weighs in on the perceived purpose of life. To love and be loved unconditionally is the most beautiful, special feeling that one could experience in life and if it were to not exist then life would have less meaning and the world would be a worse place.