The key to the real purpose of anything is to understand the reason why it is made.
Would you agree that any tool that's improperly used will result in poor performance?
Here lies the key into our understanding of our very own purpose as a human being.
I once tried to use a wrench to drive a nail into a woodwork I was repairing, because I can't find the hammer that day. While I finally buried the nail, the whole incident is filled with missed target, damaged wood and a hit on my finger - resulting in excruciating pain. Talk about wrong tool for the wrong job.
It is the same with our lives, we usually manage to get through life haphazardly missing the real purpose of our existence. Resulting in unspeakable pain and hardship for everyone. Yes, we insist on using our lives on things that are not meant to occupy our time and existence.
Hence human lives have this common narrative:
- born
- struggle
- struggle
- struggle
- die
No matter how much a man may attain over the years of his productive life- the struggle and die part are always there at the latter part, the only exception are those who were stillborn, skipping the struggling while living part.
While we are young, we take pride with ourselves and our abilities..we dream and work hard to reach our dreams. We dont take notice, nay, we refuse to take notice of how short our life really is. We may spend our days having fun and doing the things we like. We would like to feel free and unshackled by anything...whether that shackle is discipline, laws or institutions. Today's generation is encouraged by the entertainment industry to be "happy and free" without regards to anything else but his/her own feelings. It's a "my body, my decision" generation.
Until the day comes when we realize, we need more than ourselves...when diseases start to creep into our lives(which can even happen when someone is young), when a person start to lose his ability to use his body efficiently..when body parts start to fail to work, when some become crippled, while others can't use their arms. Eyesight begins to blur and the music is not as beautiful to hear as before..when even the memory is not that dependable anymore. When being alone in itself has become dangerous. Then we can start to wonder, is this all there is to life? Is this why we are here? Is it possible to have used my life BETTER?
These events happen to the rich and the famous and much more so to the poor and the unknown. Lives are stories of tragedies waiting to happen. The longer we exist the more people are suffering those conditions, the number of those who suffer from these frailties increase exponentially...sadly the next generation who are still young have the same pervasive selfish mindset as the generations before them. The youth would like to be happy and carefree too, like their elders before them. So the cycle continues, only this time on a much larger scale. Until they themselves realize how brief this life really is.
Is this all there is to our life? Are we here just to repeat the cycle of tragedies of our ancestors? Is there any other choice? - Yes, we have to ask the questions before it is too late: What is our purpose? Why are we HERE?
But who can give the answer to these important questions? Even if a person realize that these questions are essential to be answered, oftentimes, people don't know WHERE TO FIND THE ANSWER.
Can we hope that a group of people know the answer? Can we hope a Nobel Prize winner know the answers? If
not, should we hope that some ALIENS give us the answer? No.
While it is true that out of desperation, many people do turn to those kinds of sources for answer, we can easily see that they too fail to find what we need to find. The people who have been seeking the means to end the tragic cycle of life have tried religion, even multiple religions, just to be disappointed to find that "good religions" are just facade of bad-wolf-like people wearing sheep's clothing. Others, turn to science, both true and pseudo sciences, but scientists are seeking things too. Disappointments after disappointments. Some people think; humanity might as well decimate itself thru a nuclear devastation.
Does this mean there is no other answer? Do we really just have live to struggle and then die?
Do not lose hope. There is a better answer. To appreciate the answer let me tell you a story first.
There was a guy who found an electronic shop, selling cheaper-than-usual branded TV's. Since he wanted to have another TV, he bought one. Upon arriving home, he set up the TV, installed the antenna and plugged it to the mains. At the instant he turned ON the TV by remote control, a pop was heard inside the TV, there was some hissing sound and then some smoke. He immediately pulled the plug to avoid further shorting and a possible break out of fire. He scratched his head and wondered; What went wrong? He examined the wire for cuts on the insulator thinking maybe electrical shorts were the reason, but there is non to be seen.
That is the time he looked inside the TV packing box. There, he found a thin USER's MANUAL, neatly tucked on one of the side. There it is clearly written 110V only. His mains is 220V.
In a way, humanity is similar to the situation of that guy. We come into this world without any idea on the most important things about our lives and we go on living without seeking the proper way to live. User's manual of electronic appliances are provided by the manufacturers. This manual usually contain; safety precautions, proper use and even some trouble shooting tips, if and when the user experience some common and expected behavior which can deem the appliance not working in optimum manner. Without regards to these information, the life span of our appliances may shorten and our satisfaction in its use will be greatly reduced. Very much like with our own lives.
So do we have a "manufacturer" too? Someone who can provide a "user's manual" for our lives?
We do, we do have a "manufacturer" the one who made humanity and we usually call Him God.
I will share what His "user's manual" say on the purpose of the creation of man on the third part of this topic.
Thank you for your interest and I hope that someone like you may find more meaning in our lives through this small contribution of mine. -east