THE PURPOSE OF LIFE
Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth.- Shirley Anita Chisholm
Have you had one of those nights? You know one when sleep eludes you although you desperately want and need it. But your brain keeps talking, sometimes it rants! and counting sheep just won't do it.
It touches on a myriad of issues, lingers on some then clings tenaciously to one, and would not let go until you promise to resolve it immediately or pledge to do all within your power, to tackle it the next day. Filing it in your already mile-long "to-do list".
I had one of those nights a couple of weeks ago.
Thoughts that plagued me, bordered on "what is the real purpose of our existence" A question am sure intimidates us all.
This is not the first time I would be losing sleep over the same matter.
The first time was 23 years ago after the sudden passing of a dear friend. It was a rude awakening. I was unprepared and vulnerable.
I know people pass on all the time, but when it is someone so close, you cannot help but question your mortality again. I started to research more on life, living, and the hereafter. Research has become a continuous effort. I got some insight from reading a couple of books by the British philosopher, mathematician, and historian —Bertrand Russell.
As we journey along in life, events happen and ever so often, we are forced to pause and take more than a cursory look at our lives before soldiering forward. Some of us grew up with parents who constantly told us the purpose of life was to work hard at school and become something in life.
When they said "Become something in life", for us from developing countries, that meant becoming a professional in a high-paying job, a medical doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. And that also went with "To serve God" which meant attending church or mosque regularly like clockwork.
When they said "Become something in life", for us from developing countries, that meant becoming a professional in a high-paying job, a medical doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer. And that also went with "To serve God" which meant attending church or mosque regularly like clockwork.
Where it was drummed into your head that, If you did good, you went to heaven and if you did bad, you would wind up in hell.
A part of doing good was of course attending Sunday school, most church activities, and paying your tithes and offerings.
In retrospect, I shudder when I recall movies like "Burning Hell ' that we were subjected to watch as young children and teenagers, something I now call "Child abuse" a sure way of coercing one to stay on the straight and narrow path.
However, I have since found out that heaven and hell are here with us and one can create either as one wishes.
I vividly remember my "Born again" cousin (Bless her soul) and her mantra song which to this day rings in my head "It is not an easy road, there are trials and troubles"
It certainly was not an easy road for her, for, in her church, women were not allowed to wear jewelry, pantsuits, or boyfriends. (Oh! the things that are said and done in the name of religion!)
Let's put the advice "To serve God" in a proper perspective
My take on the matter is that to Serve God means to serve Humanity. It does not necessarily mean being some Church, Mosque, or Temple attendee. Or a carrier of some "Holy Book" The holiest book and guidance is in all of us. It is engraved in our consciousness and if we are still we can hear it every time.
It is that "still small voice" that reprimands us when we are about to steal from our neighbor or even tell a lie.
It keeps you up at the end of the day sometimes, when you have erred.
Now let me be more inclusive, to serve humanity would mean mankind and nature- flora and Fauna, without which we would not survive.
In my opinion, the purpose of life is to serve the universe for therein lies the salvation of man.
For whatever service you render you get the same in return so to serve humanity/universe, you are actually serving yourself and creating your own heaven.
Sometimes we wait until it is too late. It should be the mantra of every living being. Children should be taught this from birth.
Because after you have studied hard at school and become this fancy professional. You get into the real world and realize there is more to life than your six-figure salary.
You acquire the trophies of life; a Big house, big cars, and fat bank balances. Yet you know this cannot possibly be it there has to be more to life.
We are all connected and our work is not done if others are in need or are suffering.
When someone in Southeast Asia is suffering, it impacts those in Europe, North America, Africa, South America, Caribbean.
In the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu, "My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama says thus;
"We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives.
If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life."
Paul Kurtz in his opinion relates "The meaning of life is not to be discovered only after death in some hidden, mysterious realm; on the contrary, it can be found by eating the succulent fruit of the Tree of Life and by living in the here and now as fully and creatively as we can.
"To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
A part of doing good was of course attending Sunday school, most church activities, and paying your tithes and offerings.
In retrospect, I shudder when I recall movies like "Burning Hell ' that we were subjected to watch as young children and teenagers, something I now call "Child abuse" a sure way of coercing one to stay on the straight and narrow path.
However, I have since found out that heaven and hell are here with us and one can create either as one wishes.
I vividly remember my "Born again" cousin (Bless her soul) and her mantra song which to this day rings in my head "It is not an easy road, there are trials and troubles"
It certainly was not an easy road for her, for, in her church, women were not allowed to wear jewelry, pantsuits, or boyfriends. (Oh! the things that are said and done in the name of religion!)
Let's put the advice "To serve God" in a proper perspective
My take on the matter is that to Serve God means to serve Humanity. It does not necessarily mean being some Church, Mosque, or Temple attendee. Or a carrier of some "Holy Book" The holiest book and guidance is in all of us. It is engraved in our consciousness and if we are still we can hear it every time.
It is that "still small voice" that reprimands us when we are about to steal from our neighbor or even tell a lie.
It keeps you up at the end of the day sometimes, when you have erred.
Now let me be more inclusive, to serve humanity would mean mankind and nature- flora and Fauna, without which we would not survive.
In my opinion, the purpose of life is to serve the universe for therein lies the salvation of man.
For whatever service you render you get the same in return so to serve humanity/universe, you are actually serving yourself and creating your own heaven.
Sometimes we wait until it is too late. It should be the mantra of every living being. Children should be taught this from birth.
Because after you have studied hard at school and become this fancy professional. You get into the real world and realize there is more to life than your six-figure salary.
You acquire the trophies of life; a Big house, big cars, and fat bank balances. Yet you know this cannot possibly be it there has to be more to life.
We are all connected and our work is not done if others are in need or are suffering.
When someone in Southeast Asia is suffering, it impacts those in Europe, North America, Africa, South America, Caribbean.
In the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu, "My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together."
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama says thus;
"We are visitors on this planet. We are here for ninety or one hundred years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful, with our lives.
If you contribute to other people's happiness, you will find the true goal, the true meaning of life."
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