Most of us cannot decipher till our last breath the purpose of our existence or what is the objective behind our creation. It’s mainly because all our lives we remain engaged in making both ends meet. And amidst we fail to realise the purpose of our lives. However, the aim is to discuss this topic in terms of religious, philosophical, and worldly perspective, so that we can fathom the objective of our lives.
Being Muslims we firmly believe that the purpose of our lives hinges on following God’s orders and injunctions in this world. Besides, we consider Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the last Prophet of God and take his words and acts as a practical demonstration of Islam.
We also believe that this universe is God’s creation and he has hidden a considerable treasure trove of knowledge in it. Now being His creation, we ought to explore the universe. We need to contemplate over the creation of this universe and infinite treasures of knowledge and wisdom embedded in it. As Muslims, our lives revolve around this religious philosophy.
Philosophically, Aristotle’s argument can be considered when he categorised the living things in four parts and gauged their capability against the concept of Ergon (functions) and Arete (excellence). He rated humans above plants and animals on the basis of their capability to reason and communicate (language). He stated that the ultimate purpose of human existence is to do philosophy.
To go a bit deeper, Aristotle argued so because he realised that through these unique capabilities, humans cultivate social relations and make friendships, control their appetite and emotions, and inculcate intellectual and moral virtues.
According to him, these are highest and unique capabilities which make humans as rational beings. Thus, the purpose of humans is to carry forward philosophy (reason & language).
From a worldly perspective, the purpose of one’s life ought to propagate positivity through serving humanity, communication and understanding. There is nothing as satisfying as serving people and taking care of them. Besides, imparting knowledge and wisdom through communication is unmatchable in terms of its impact on society. Last but not least, understanding others opinion and perspective is worth everything as it solaces them and lightens up their hearts. All these virtuous acts should be one’s purpose of life.
Imparting knowledge and wisdom through communication is unmatchable in terms of its impact on society
Lastly, religiously the core of our existence is to propagate the teachings of God. And philosophically embedding reason in our lives makes us rational beings and distinguishes us from rest of the living things.
While worldly we ought to make serving humanity, interaction and understanding the purpose of our lives. Indeed, the presence of all these positives in our character makes us a complete human being. And its attainment should be our purpose of life.
The writer can be contacted at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, May 13th 2018.