The Purpose of Life
November 2022
Philosophers pontificate it. Dreamers chase it. Scores of books have been written about it. Yet many of us struggle with it. It is still the world's most unanswered question,
"What is the purpose of life?"
Theologians assert that our purpose is duty. The Book of Ecclesiastes says, "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." The Qu'ran states that Allah created man to serve and to worship him. According to Buddah, man's purpose is to end suffering because we bring sorrow upon ourselves when misprioritize money, health, or relationships. Atheists who do not believe in a diety must find purpose through self-realization. Despite a deluge of doctrines and dogmas, human beings still find ambiguity in duty and servitude, especially when our talent or sacrifices seem intangible or bear no fruit. We may hope our purpose outlives our existence in the afterlife. We may believe that life has no meaning at all. It is against this broad mixture of interpretations that contemplative men have founded world religions and movements that others continue to follow.
But where is purpose really found? Is it found in the ideologies of others, or is it found deep within ourselves?
Sometimes finding our individual purpose is difficult. We tend to measure humanity in terms of good and evil, but however moral or immoral the aspirations we set for ourselves, it is generally accepted that true purpose is not found in materialism, self-gratification, or murder and mayhem. It is found in progress and perserverance. Purpose is not idle or destructive, it is movement toward a goal. As Ludwig Wittgenstein suggests, "The purpose of life is a life of purpose."
The Milestones of Purpose are Goals
In order to control outcomes whether personal or collective, we must set goals or risk 'entropy.' Entropy is a physics term which means that unless there is control over a process, there is chaos. Some know this as the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The law says without intervention, all things will deteriorate. Like entropy, if life exists without controls, it will become chaotic. We will risk aimlessly circling our desires without landing. Oftentimes we lack vision or feel overwhelmed. For instance, how many times have we asked, "What the use?"
Without a sense of direction, without focus, our goals take distracting turns and we wind up caught in senseless drifts rather than traversing the skies. We become slaves to survival rather than masters of possibility and we expend more energy sustaining the status quo or doubting ourselves than acheiving new heights. We can avoid these drifts by understanding something about ourselves.
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For the entire essay, find me on Medium.