To ask oneself the question: “What is the purpose of life?” seems
to be an unavoidable process in everyone’s existence. Perhaps it happens
in different stage of life: in deep frustration, amidst severe suffering, on
the day of your retirement, of your graduation from alma mater, etc.
There is countless possibility of occasions.
The action of asking, though, is aligned with the human
instinctive need to seek the truth, as there is a whole branch of philosophy
named Epistemology devotes to such appetite. In order to make sense of
the world and our existence, human beings labor to develop logic, look for the
truth, recognize reality, formulate beliefs, design and practice moral values,
cultivate skill of arts.
Was there any good answer?
Skimming through the list of prominent philosophers such as Plato,
Aristotle, Cynic, Cyrene... one common characteristic in searching for the
purpose of life is to look for the meaning of "Happiness". Does
the purpose of life entail therefore being happy?
Different schools of thought have their own recipe: Plato
encourages the pursuits of knowledge; Aristotle advocates virtue; Cynic is a
believer of a life free of possessions; Cyrene thinks that pleasure is the
final goal of life;
Modern philosophers suggest that life is ultimately meaningless
and absurd. To seek for a meaning and purpose in this absurdity,
naturally, again, is absurd. They encourage therefore the
"acceptance" of the absurdities and suggest that everyone should live
and not opt for a suicide because of the argument: "Why is death any
better than living?"
What do I think?
The word "purpose" is often associated with an object
that is created for a specific use. Why do we create a sofa? So
that one can sit there and relax, watch TV with their legs properly extended; what
is the purpose of the Pythagoras theorem? So that one side of the
triangle can be ascertained when you know the lengths of the other two;
There is often a need or a problem, followed by a specific
"creation" that aims to fulfill that need or to solve that problem
(The purpose of X is because of or for Y). To have
a designated purpose, is a characteristic belongs to a derived solution to
a problem or a need.
We human being are different.
Not any of us was "created" in this world because there were
not enough people already. Human beings' proliferation (assuming that we
all live in an ideal world) is a by-product of love and the physical act of
love. Before anyone is conceived, there was a moment of intense feeling
and excitement, and a sense of gratification of that excitement.
Any parent (again, let's assume that we are living in an ideal
world) will understand the inner turmoil of having children. On the one
hand it is the most sensational experience to receive love and see the
development and growth of your child from a helpless miniature human being to
someone who possesses his or her own identity, preference and dreams; On the
other hand any problems associate with parenting and education can create the
counter balancing fear, worries, sadness or even sense of regrets. One
thing, however, is universal amongst all loving parents: if they were to
answer to themselves the question "What do I want most for my child?"
they reply: "I want them to be happy, wildly happy".
The purpose of life is therefore, to be happy. Agreement duly expressed to the list of
philosophers above..
If all mortals are designed by nature to have the inescapable
death as the final destiny, what is the meaning of a "purpose"
anyway? Life, therefore, is a journey similar to a holiday to Japan, or
Cuba, anywhere in the world of your choice. You know such journey would
come to an end but yet it does not extinguish your desire to embark on one.
The purpose of having a holiday is to experience, to explore, to test
limits, to try things that you had not tried before.....in order to be happy.
On return, we ask ourselves: "Did I have fun?” which should probably
be the very question we ask ourselves at the end of our brief existence.
What constitutes happiness is totally subjective and individual.
Same as religion and sexual orientation, what makes one happy is a
private business. We only need to make up our minds and go after it.
May it be a happy family, a fulfilling career, to make contributions to a
cause and make the world a better place, a tranquil life in the mountains,
colors, music, beauty, dance...
There is no limit, which is one of the wonder of our world.
All is up to imagination and creativity.
Bon courage!
23 March 2012
Brussels / Belgium.
