Man attains his highest distinction only when he leads a purposeful life. This does not mean that by taking up just any task which is apparently significant, man’s life becomes truly purposeful. A really purposeful life is one in which man discovers his supreme status.
A life in which his personality will bloom into creative channels, Man’s true purpose in life can only be one, which reflects the higher side of his personality, one which projects him as the superior being that he is.
When a person works, makes money, builds a house, makes an effort to improve his standard of living, he appears to be engaged in efforts towards some worthy end. But a life of this nature cannot be called a purposeful life.
Man realises that there are certain material necessities without which he cannot live. He requires food, clothes, a place to live; he requires a reliable source of income to sustain himself throughout his life.
He is forced by these considerations to obtain such things. Then he sees that those who have an abundance of these material things enjoying respect apparently possess every form of happiness and luxury in this world. Thus, he is driven to do more than just seek a livelihood; he desires to earn to a degree greatly in excess of his actual requirements.
In bustling markets, grandiose offices, opulent buildings, he is not really guided by deliberate thought, rather he is being guided by inflated ideas of his own needs, desires, longings, ambitions to achieve fame and high status in this world.
Man’s true purpose in life can only be to seek the pleasure of God. When man seeks the pleasure of his Lord, his human qualities find full manifestation.
The Bhagavad Gita says the real purpose of life is to constantly serve the supreme Lord. Knowing this, he completely engages his mind, body and senses in the service of the Lord. He dedicates his life to the pleasure of the Lord and has only one aspiration i.e., to become a humble servant of God.
The Quran says the purpose of creation for all men and women at all times has been to know and worship God.
In Christianity, the meaning of life is rooted in the faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
(Published 13 November 2023, 21:07 IST)