Our Purpose

Before I start, let me tell you that, although raised catholic, I am not religious in the slightest.
As so many others who are interested in deeper mysteries of life, ranging from spiritualism to the paranormal etc. occasionally such questions pop up like "What is the purpose of our life?", "Did someone 'create' us?" and so on.

Some of the more interesting theories are pretty "far out", for example if you examine NDE (Near Death Experiences) and even some stories of UFO "abductees". There is one common factor in all those experiences, it's the repeated notion that there is deeper purpose behind our existence as opposed to "just exist". Some see our life as some sort of "test", a way of learning something in our (physical) existence. (An example for this would be Karma, just as a side-note). But i never really gave too much thought about it what this "test" is supposed to be or what the deeper meaning behind it really is.

As many, I often can not make sense of all those things and somehow try to see a bigger picture there. The teachings of major religions and spiritual schools should also be more or less common knowledge.

Anyway, yesterday I had sort of a mini epiphany, and it came up entirely unexpected while i was doing something entirely unrelated on the computer. I realize this is speculative, but I like that by looking at this "philosophy" many things actually make sense and fit in a bigger picture. Furthermore, this sudden flash of "insight" is something extremely profound and has already be taught and speculated about for ages.

My realization was that our "purpose" in life is to do good to others.

This is so profound but all of a sudden made extreme sense to me. We live in a world which is overtaken by greed and where the UTMOST highest priority is personal gain and satisfying of the own desires and urges. This starts with wanting money and riches, health, food etc. People are looking at THEIR OWN needs first. If you are sick and in pain, you want to be healthy and without pain. If you are poor, you want to be rich. If you are hungry, you want food. If you are lonely, you want to be loved. And so on and so on.

Ironically, we humans (all beings, in fact) are born to depend on the satisfaction of our own needs from the very first second on. We need to breath, we need this and we need that just to live, for example.

Now do some thinking, and maybe you could start with what feelings you get when you satisfy your own urges and desires, as opposed to when you do something good for SOMEONE ELSE.

Is it better that you eat when you feel hungry, or is it better to feed someone else who is starving?
Is it better to constantly think about yourself and how you can do "good things" for yourself, or is better do look at the other person and do something for them instead? What is the difference if we take some random people where one person is always a positive influence and enrichment to other people's lives - as opposed to a person who does the exact opposite and is only driven by its own egotism for their own benefit?

The fact that we humans are having needs and desires constantly is almost "suspicious" since it doesn't make sense if we would believe in something like creationism. Why would we be born with the constant need to have desires and needs fulfilled - why are we born in this "physical existence" in the first place, with all its "negatives" such as pain, diseases, needs, wishes.

Is it maybe really a test - to be brought into a "harsh" physical existence, to experience the hardships of what life can be?

If it is a test and a part of something greater, what is the purpose?

From a spiritual and "religious" perspective, the idea makes a lot of sense to me that the ultimate test and our actual purpose is to LEARN and to, at some point, abandon our own egotism. AGAINST our own, personal needs and desires. And we need to learn and realize that maybe the positive outcome of this "test" is to learn to look at other people first, maybe even with the goal at the cost of entirely abandoning our very own desires and needs. This is, by the way, the classic definition of a "Saint", if we take the religious definition.

For me, this sudden realization made a lot of sense and amazingly this is also at the core of most spiritual beliefs and religions. MAYBE, after all, some religions are not even that far off?

The other astonishing realization is that if we WERE to live in a world where everyone is concerned about the other, it would be a true paradise. A sick person would not need to worry, he/she would always know that the next person will care for them. Poor persons would not exist since any other person would help them. A hungry person would not need to worry about food. And so on, and so on.

From all the spiritual beliefs, the ones which propose our physical existence as some sort of test have always fascinated me. Because it makes you wonder and ask, what is *really* the meaning of and the true origin of us humans? Are we maybe in some sort of a "virtual reality" game, working towards a certain goal? Are there maybe "higher beings" which watch over us? Such reports do, as you might maybe know, indeed exist. Why would "beings" watch over us, what is their purpose? Some even claim they can control the direction of our life and intervene. From a "logical" point of view this doesn't make sense - but it would make sense if there is a purpose for our existence where "life" is a merely a means to learn something.

Of course, thinking about all this and speculating further, it makes you wonder what comes after someone has passed the test and has realized this true meaning of "all of it". MAYBE, after what we call death, our higher being or self is notified that we passed the test. MAYBE, if we failed, we have to do it over again. (Karma). But if we finally learned to abandon all personal needs and requirements for the sake of others, MAYBE this is sort of a ticket to gain entrance into some sort of collective consciousness. Only those "souls" or beings can be part of the collective consciousness who learned (in their physicality) that it is important to be "of good use" for all the others. This is the only way a collective consciousness/being could exist, IMHO. If souls are not mature enough, they need to go back again and experience hardships of physical life, NOT as a punishment but as an important part in that lesson which needs to be learned before being allowed to progress to a "higher" stage of existence.

(Ok, sorry this got long!)

reply to post by flexy123


I think it's also to get to know your creator before you die. The bible is the a good start.

I have to agree as the only time in my life I have felt truly happy and fufilled was when I was working in a hospital and helping other people, the happiness I felt was incredible, so I do believe that our purpose is to help others.....can you imagine a world where everyone gets up in the morning with the main goal throughout their day would be to help another person or people.......

reply to post by flexy123
I see what you mean, but for me its not so much about helping others but helping yourself. there are no others and if there are no others? really there is no you. So at that point you, me, everybody is helping themselves or hindering their self. As for good, I would say if you are truly helping and that is what you call good then go ahead. But its not as easy as just being good it about helping and to do that you will need wisdom and compassion. Wisdom and compassion requires that you cut through the good and bad view. Why? because wisdom and compassion are eternal masters. Good, bad and ugly if you like are all actors.

It seems to me that a person who is good only to themselves can never satisfy themselves but when one gives to others it appears that something is set free....and it unlocks a chain of happiness throughout many. You know how doing one good deed may encourage more good deeds.

reply to post by RainingDreams
Yes I do know what you mean and I do believe that what you say is so.primarily we all look after ourselves first and because of that we are able to help others.The thing is we also know what help we are giving our self and when we receive it from others there is the surprise element which can have a ripple effect. But viewed from another level, it still means we are helping one self.Just look at what you said, My interpretation " there is more pleasure in helping someone else, is it not you who experiences more pleasure because of others experiencing pleasure" The ripple effect comes back to you, be it positive or negative. Some people you do the smallest act of kindness to and they take it as the greatest thing.