Are we alone in the universe? Is there a greater intelligence than ours? Do we have a purpose? Why do we exist? Perhaps the Earth is a thought experiment, only that the computation is being done by the human mind. The search for the meaning of life is unique for each individual; while some of us do not prioritize it, others make a living out of it. But the need to know ‘why’ exists in almost every one of us. In my pursuit for purpose, I have taken different paths and I hope you will be happy to explore them with me.
Humans have asked the ‘why’ of their existence for centuries, but they have not agreed upon an answer. Many great minds seem to believe in many different hypotheses. Nihilism says humans have no purpose. Creationists believe that a God created us, but they don’t know why he did that. No holy scripture sets out an ultimate goal for humanity. Religion offers subtle guidelines of how to search for purpose, but for the most of it, religion preaches about the greater good. It leads to more questions, than to answers. What is good? Why do humans have to be good?
The philosophers of old have tried to answer some of the big questions and to define the purpose of human life. Socrates said that our very purpose is to think about why we are here; examination of life is the means as well as the end. Plato wanted us to reform society through selective reproduction and a sense of responsibility. Aristotle wanted us to chase the highest good and maximize our virtue. Mengzi believed we are born good but need to develop our innate goodness into greatness. Kant wanted us to act on our principles, but only if they are the right ones. And Nietzsche wanted us to just love our fate. All of them seem to agree that we must take ourselves seriously and that human intelligence is the greatest there is (as far as we know or as much as reality allows us to know).
The term Homo Sapiens loosely translates to wise man. Our species was defined by our thinking capabilities. Plants eat, grow and propagate. Animals eat, grow, reproduce and are capable of movement. Humans are capable of more : complex thought. To think is to be human. And according to Descartes “I think therefore I am” which means that we cannot be certain about anything unless we are certain that we exist; and we exist because we are thinking. This philosophy sounds complicated and unrelated to the questions we ask ourselves. But what we can take away from Descartes’ argument is that our ability to think is deeply connected to the fact that we exist. Philosophy is not only the path to find purpose, it is also an important part of the purpose. Philosophy cannot be separated from our existence.
We do exist and live without the active pursuit of purpose. Each person fights against the tides to swim to the shores of society, to be accepted instead of cast aside, to feel the soil of success beneath their toes rather than being set adrift aimlessly into the deep. But what inspires us to paddle forth with but a reed of hope? Is it our need to fulfill our purpose? The act of living itself becomes our purpose. Very few of us dedicate our lives solely to the greater good and altruism. Most of us, although occasionally philanthropic, are occupied with raising children, earning money or taking care of our families. Having spent some time of our lives alone, we crave the company of loved ones. We are more worried about being alone on Earth, than pondering if we are alone in the universe. We want to utilize the intelligence we have to compete with other humans and succeed in the rat race, we don’t spend time thinking about whether rats are intelligent ( unless we are specifically paid to think about that ). Other than a handful of scientists and a bunch of poets ( and maybe a couple of people on Reddit ), our lives become too busy for us to think about the big questions. A philosopher in today’s world can hardly make a living, what could she possibly have to contribute to our purpose? And slowly but surely, we begin to think that the reason we are here, on Earth, is to live within the norms of the society and surrender to our fate.
But is that so bad? Epicurus wanted us to enjoy life, he thought living with his friends was the best way to live. He suggested that we should strive to make a difference, but it was fine if our reach was only till our friends. Instead of struggling with society and publicizing virtue, Epicurus wanted us to concentrate on ourselves, to meditate and to study. Some spiritual leaders today will preach the same. Be it Taoism or Chakras, it is all about being one with the flow of the universe and emanating positive vibrations. Why worry about aliens or heaven and hell, when you can use the law of attraction and change the universe? All from the comfort of your crystal-studded, incense-suffused healing sanctuary ( or living room ). The hippies have adopted the Epicurean philosophy and made it their own. Sadly, this alienated a lot of people from the teachings of Epicurus. Spirituality in Hindu scriptures is about letting go of our material existence and to transcend to a higher plane of existence. Healers and Yogis have capitalized on such teachings. They guide their followers on a path to escape the physical world. I would love to become a hermit or live in a commune, given I had no social and familial obligations. This approach to spirituality did not fit in with the third world. Hunger, safety, lack of freedom and inequality cannot be overcome with expressions of gratitude. As a result, more and more people made technology their religion and their jobs their purpose. The pursuit of a greater purpose was abandoned.
Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality have become out of reach for many of us. But the calling for a purpose has not been completely silenced within us. Even today we want to make an impact in our field of work, we want to be celebrated and we want our loved ones and others to do well. But what about the big questions? Finally, I come to my two cents.
Aliens should be left to modern science, because there is little faith can help with when it comes to interplanetary peace. Conspiracy theories help no one. If the government is trying to hide something and you want to tell people about it, adopt a more professional approach. Present facts and findings. State hypotheses and make your case. As far as those of us who are at the receiving end of alien propaganda, we should use research and reason. We should demand explanations, not gossip. Science can be held accountable unlike faith. Aliens could be friendly, learned or stupid. Hopefully, Earthlings can unite as one and negotiate with them.
Intelligence should be respected and enhanced by kindness because cruelty is universally condemned. This is true because no one wants to face cruelty in their lives. Whether you choose to pray to a God, look inward for peace, become a metaphysics expert or practice pure science, change is constant and there is little we can do to change the world overnight. Cruelty can take shortcuts to bring about radical change, but kindness takes time. Be kind to yourself and others; this is a lesson that no discipline can refute. And then if we were to find about intelligent beings, we will be glad we were kind to them. If we discover a cruel higher intelligence, we fight it together. In our society, cruelty exists and we condemn it as one. Even if heaven and hell exist, kindness can only nudge us toward the better one.
Purpose should be defined and refined at regular intervals. Being an existentialist might seem cool and edgy, but why not intentionally add meaning to your life. Try to make a difference; no matter how small, no matter the radius of influence. You might be struggling to make ends meet in life, then your purpose should be putting food on the table. You might be lonely, then your purpose should be to find some company and retain it. You might have had many failures in a row, then your purpose should be to introspect and correct your approach. There is no one size fits all solution to finding your purpose. But if you are well fed, have shelter and loved ones, instead of pushing for more and chasing unnecessary pleasures, try chasing the meaning of life. Fame, power and glory doesn’t last. Sex and material wealth cannot fulfill your desire to make a difference. As far as the higher plane of existence is concerned, there is some merit in letting go of the material world but as long as it’s complementary to your chosen life goals. Keep on hustling and doing your best. But keep on asking ‘why’ because why not!
Humans have asked the ‘why’ of their existence for centuries, but they have not agreed upon an answer. Many great minds seem to believe in many different hypotheses. Nihilism says humans have no purpose. Creationists believe that a God created us, but they don’t know why he did that. No holy scripture sets out an ultimate goal for humanity. Religion offers subtle guidelines of how to search for purpose, but for the most of it, religion preaches about the greater good. It leads to more questions, than to answers. What is good? Why do humans have to be good?
The philosophers of old have tried to answer some of the big questions and to define the purpose of human life. Socrates said that our very purpose is to think about why we are here; examination of life is the means as well as the end. Plato wanted us to reform society through selective reproduction and a sense of responsibility. Aristotle wanted us to chase the highest good and maximize our virtue. Mengzi believed we are born good but need to develop our innate goodness into greatness. Kant wanted us to act on our principles, but only if they are the right ones. And Nietzsche wanted us to just love our fate. All of them seem to agree that we must take ourselves seriously and that human intelligence is the greatest there is (as far as we know or as much as reality allows us to know).
The term Homo Sapiens loosely translates to wise man. Our species was defined by our thinking capabilities. Plants eat, grow and propagate. Animals eat, grow, reproduce and are capable of movement. Humans are capable of more : complex thought. To think is to be human. And according to Descartes “I think therefore I am” which means that we cannot be certain about anything unless we are certain that we exist; and we exist because we are thinking. This philosophy sounds complicated and unrelated to the questions we ask ourselves. But what we can take away from Descartes’ argument is that our ability to think is deeply connected to the fact that we exist. Philosophy is not only the path to find purpose, it is also an important part of the purpose. Philosophy cannot be separated from our existence.
We do exist and live without the active pursuit of purpose. Each person fights against the tides to swim to the shores of society, to be accepted instead of cast aside, to feel the soil of success beneath their toes rather than being set adrift aimlessly into the deep. But what inspires us to paddle forth with but a reed of hope? Is it our need to fulfill our purpose? The act of living itself becomes our purpose. Very few of us dedicate our lives solely to the greater good and altruism. Most of us, although occasionally philanthropic, are occupied with raising children, earning money or taking care of our families. Having spent some time of our lives alone, we crave the company of loved ones. We are more worried about being alone on Earth, than pondering if we are alone in the universe. We want to utilize the intelligence we have to compete with other humans and succeed in the rat race, we don’t spend time thinking about whether rats are intelligent ( unless we are specifically paid to think about that ). Other than a handful of scientists and a bunch of poets ( and maybe a couple of people on Reddit ), our lives become too busy for us to think about the big questions. A philosopher in today’s world can hardly make a living, what could she possibly have to contribute to our purpose? And slowly but surely, we begin to think that the reason we are here, on Earth, is to live within the norms of the society and surrender to our fate.
But is that so bad? Epicurus wanted us to enjoy life, he thought living with his friends was the best way to live. He suggested that we should strive to make a difference, but it was fine if our reach was only till our friends. Instead of struggling with society and publicizing virtue, Epicurus wanted us to concentrate on ourselves, to meditate and to study. Some spiritual leaders today will preach the same. Be it Taoism or Chakras, it is all about being one with the flow of the universe and emanating positive vibrations. Why worry about aliens or heaven and hell, when you can use the law of attraction and change the universe? All from the comfort of your crystal-studded, incense-suffused healing sanctuary ( or living room ). The hippies have adopted the Epicurean philosophy and made it their own. Sadly, this alienated a lot of people from the teachings of Epicurus. Spirituality in Hindu scriptures is about letting go of our material existence and to transcend to a higher plane of existence. Healers and Yogis have capitalized on such teachings. They guide their followers on a path to escape the physical world. I would love to become a hermit or live in a commune, given I had no social and familial obligations. This approach to spirituality did not fit in with the third world. Hunger, safety, lack of freedom and inequality cannot be overcome with expressions of gratitude. As a result, more and more people made technology their religion and their jobs their purpose. The pursuit of a greater purpose was abandoned.
Philosophy, Religion and Spirituality have become out of reach for many of us. But the calling for a purpose has not been completely silenced within us. Even today we want to make an impact in our field of work, we want to be celebrated and we want our loved ones and others to do well. But what about the big questions? Finally, I come to my two cents.
Aliens should be left to modern science, because there is little faith can help with when it comes to interplanetary peace. Conspiracy theories help no one. If the government is trying to hide something and you want to tell people about it, adopt a more professional approach. Present facts and findings. State hypotheses and make your case. As far as those of us who are at the receiving end of alien propaganda, we should use research and reason. We should demand explanations, not gossip. Science can be held accountable unlike faith. Aliens could be friendly, learned or stupid. Hopefully, Earthlings can unite as one and negotiate with them.
Intelligence should be respected and enhanced by kindness because cruelty is universally condemned. This is true because no one wants to face cruelty in their lives. Whether you choose to pray to a God, look inward for peace, become a metaphysics expert or practice pure science, change is constant and there is little we can do to change the world overnight. Cruelty can take shortcuts to bring about radical change, but kindness takes time. Be kind to yourself and others; this is a lesson that no discipline can refute. And then if we were to find about intelligent beings, we will be glad we were kind to them. If we discover a cruel higher intelligence, we fight it together. In our society, cruelty exists and we condemn it as one. Even if heaven and hell exist, kindness can only nudge us toward the better one.
Purpose should be defined and refined at regular intervals. Being an existentialist might seem cool and edgy, but why not intentionally add meaning to your life. Try to make a difference; no matter how small, no matter the radius of influence. You might be struggling to make ends meet in life, then your purpose should be putting food on the table. You might be lonely, then your purpose should be to find some company and retain it. You might have had many failures in a row, then your purpose should be to introspect and correct your approach. There is no one size fits all solution to finding your purpose. But if you are well fed, have shelter and loved ones, instead of pushing for more and chasing unnecessary pleasures, try chasing the meaning of life. Fame, power and glory doesn’t last. Sex and material wealth cannot fulfill your desire to make a difference. As far as the higher plane of existence is concerned, there is some merit in letting go of the material world but as long as it’s complementary to your chosen life goals. Keep on hustling and doing your best. But keep on asking ‘why’ because why not!