PURPOSE OF LIFE ON EARTH
Outline:
I.
Introduction:
"Life resembles a theater stage where we showcase our
abilities."
Thesis Statement: Man's existence on Earth is a journey of self-discovery
and understanding the vastness of the world around him, both of which are to be
utilized for the betterment of humanity.
II.
Various perspectives:
• In Hinduism and Buddhism, life is perceived as a realm of suffering
from which one seeks liberation (nirvana).
• Nihilism (Schopenhauer) and Existentialism (Kierkegaard) view life as
inherently meaningless.
III.
The genuine purpose of
human life lies in introspection and the nurturing of inherent capabilities.
• Cicero and Bacon advocate self-reflection and personal growth.
• Islam emphasizes self-awareness with the dictum "Know
thyself."
IV.
Additionally, one must
explore and learn from the natural environment.
• Socrates champions observation with his famous adage "An
unexamined life is not worth living."
• Islam underscores contemplation of the universe with the question
"Do you not reflect?"
V.
Furthermore, individuals
are urged to utilize their potential for the benefit of others.
• Utilitarianism (Bentham and J.S. Mill) advocates promoting the greatest
happiness for the greatest number.
• Islam's fundamental principle is "The best among you is the one
who is beneficial to others."
VI.
Exploring the concept of
Authentic Being (Sartre) and 'Mard e Kamil' (Iqbal).
VII.
Conclusion:
The purpose of life lies within, akin to a budding flower waiting to bloom. Nourish it with your efforts, and once it flourishes, let its essence permeate everywhere, as depicted by the wisdom of Rumi.
"Life is a theatre where we must exhibit our skills."
Ivan Karamazov in the novel “The
Brothers Karamazov” by Fyodor
Dostoyevsky uttered these words. Throughout
history, various thinkers, scholars, and philosophers have tried to explain the
meaning and purpose of human life. Some had out rightly remarked life as an
inexplicable phenomenon, while others considered it a bed of thorns. Even some
religious ideologies are based on the premise that life is a tale of misery and
misfortunes, trials and tribulations, and difficulties and dangers. In Buddhism
and Hinduism, turning away from life is considered a virtue. The purpose of
life is to end it. On the contrary, few thinkers had expounded views similar to
the aforementioned statement of Ian Karamazov. Thinkers like Socrates and
Cicero considered life a game in which win or loss is dependent upon a man's
potential and skills. Therefore, a person should develop his mental and
physical abilities. He should get an education and learn technical skills.
Moreover, he should also take care of his physical well being and health.
Furthermore, a person should observe nature and draw lessons from it. Finally,
he should employ all of his acquired knowledge and skills for the welfare of
all humanity. A person cannot lead a meaningful and purposeful life unless he
serves others using his abilities. In short, the purpose of man's life is to
examine the depth of his inner self, and his natural surroundings and use
lessons from such examination, for the welfare of others.
Some wrongly believe that life is
futile and purposeless. Religions like Hinduism and Buddhism promote asceticism
and defeatism. They consider life a quagmire of misery out of which a person
must extricate himself. According to Rig-Veda, “Live your life as if you were
never born.’1 These religions teach Some good lessons like modesty, simplicity,
and humility, but they fail to explain the true purpose of life on Earth. They
focus only on methodologies to achieve Nirvana and to get rid of a masterful
life. Hence, ways to lead a purposeful life are completely ignored.
Similarly, some Western
philosophers also considered life absurd. Arthur Schopenhauer believed was life
absurd. Arthur Schopenhauer was a famous German philosopher. He was very much
impressed with Buddhism and even called his dog 'Aatma'. He wrote extensively
on life. He believed that life is masterful and is always like life in
Hobbesian ‘state of nature' which is 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and
short1. He said that as life is short it can't have any purpose. Another Western philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard
considered life despicable and absurd. He argues that life is existence and the
existence of humans is just a coincidence, hence it is absurd. His whole
Existentialist thought is based on the aforementioned argument. He expounded
the view that life has no purpose and we should not try to find any purpose in
it. In short, both Schopen Haver and Kirkegaard argued in favor of futility of
the life.
However, life is not without
purpose. The purpose of life consists of various segments. The first segment of
the purpose of man's life is to examine his inner self and to develop his
innate faculties. Marcus Tullius Cicero and Francis Bacon were famous Roman and
English Statesmen respectively. Both of them stressed self-examination and
self-edification. One should ferret out secrets of one's inner self. After
self-examination, a person should pay attention to the development of his
mental and physical faculties. He should acquire education and learn techniques
of logical reasoning. He should discover his tastes and interests. Similarly,
Islamic texts are replete with advice like 'Know thyself and ‘Trust thy self
Islam encourages human beings to suppress their bestial instincts and elevate
their angelic tendencies like love and compassion. Islam urges humankind to
attain education so that they can lead a purposeful life. Islamic teachings
about life are summed up as follows.
Solve the mystery of life by
understanding yourself if you don't become My follower, at least follow
yourself.
Secondly, after self-examination,
a person should examine his natural surroundings. Socrates held the view that a
man should examine both his inner self and his natural surroundings. Nature is
only an image of one’s inner self. If one praises and relishes nature, it means
one has comprehended the importance of nature One who does not examine and
observe surroundings, it means his life is not worth living as Socrates said
“An unexamined life is not worth living." Life becomes worth living if a
person examines and appreciates the beauty of Mother nature
Furthermore, Islam also
emphasizes the examination of nature. Many verses in the Holy Quran motivate
its readers to observe and try to solve the intricacies of the universe. Allah
says in the Quran, don't you look into the universe?” “Don’t you think or observe?"
“Don't you use your eyes, ears, and understanding, or your hearts are locked
up?* Islam is a rational religion that promotes scientific inquiry and
research. Islam emphatically teaches humankind to understand natural phenomena
and then to use them for the benefit of the whole of humanity. A man can lead a
purposeful life if he harnesses the winds to travel in the air, utilizes the
soil to grow crops, and uses the water to quench his thirst In brief, life
becomes not only purposeful but also colorful if a person indulges himself in
exploring the largesse of nature.
Finally, a person should utilize
his potential and skills acquired after the examination of his inner self and
the exploration of nature for the welfare of all humanity. Utilitarianism of
Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill is based on this thesis. Utilitarianism
aims to spread “greater happiness for the greater number of people." The
utilitarian conception of happiness is not that of the Hedonistic
interpretation of happiness. The utilitarian conception of happiness is not
pleasure-seeking but the prevention of pain. Pain and suffering have to be
prevented by using either human skills or natural items. J.S Mill explained
this concept in his book Utilitarianism. He wrote that a thunderstorm is a form
of pain for humanity. A man can avoid this pain by building a house of wood (a
natural item) using his skills. In such a manner, he achieves happiness. But
the purpose of his life will not be fulfilled, if others suffer the pain. So,
he should pass on his skills to others and help others in the attainment of happiness.
Only then, the purpose of life can be accomplished.
Likewise, Islam also promotes
altruism and public service. The basic premise of Islam is "Best among you
is he who is good to others." Islam pays great attention to courtesy and
good behavior. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had said, “A courteous deed will be the
heaviest on the Day of Judgement." In the Quran, it is said, “We have
created you for the worship of Allah" and most of the Islamic jurists hold
the opinion that service to humanity is a form of worship. This is why the Holy
Prophet (SAW) said, “If you want yourself to be forgiven by Allah, first
forgive others." There is no denying the fact that Islam considers service
to humanity a desideratum of human life.
One who comprehends the true
purpose of life becomes an “Authentic Being" of Sartre and
“Mard-e-Kamil" of Iqbal. Authentic Being and Mard-e-Kamil are not like an
amoral “Superman” of Nietzsche. They are compassionate and kind human beings
who have delved deep into their ‘Khudi* and have managed to develop their
inherent abilities. A ‘Mard-e-Kamil’ can be a professor, doctor, engineer, or
farmer. The basic condition of being a 'Mard-e-Kail' is not some specific
social rank but the ability to grasp the reality of life. A simple farmer can
be an 'Authentic Being’ if he utilizes his potential to grow the best crop
according to his abilities. If he. is truthful, modest, sincere, and loving, if
he ponders over the reality of life, if he abstains himself from the evils, if
he has a fire of learning in his heart, he can be a ‘Mard-e-Kamil’ of Iqbal.
Islam promises heaven in the afterlife for such a person. Even in practical
life, a person who has an informed opinion about life and has understood the
meaning of life, “there shall be no Alps" in front of him. He can excel in
every walk of life, even the sky is not the limit and life becomes a ladder for
him to reach the heights of skies.'
In conclusion, life is
meaningless without the comprehension of the purpose of life. The purpose of
life consists of an array of phases. All those segments constitute the true
purpose of life. Although, various thinkers had their conceptions of life, yet
true purpose of life lies within a human being. The purpose of life is like a
pearl which can be extracted only after diving deep Into the human soul. This
act of searching and Introspection is the primary purpose of life. However,
this purpose remains incomplete if a person does not apply his lessons for the
welfare of other human beings. Happiness contentment and success in life are
manifestations of the true purpose of life. In brief, the purpose and meaning
of life is to realize one's true hidden potential and to use It for the world
at large.
The purpose of your
life Is hidden within you, like a budding flower.
Water it with your
sweat and tears once it blossoms, spread its fragrance everywhere.
Julauddin Rumi
