On Purpose

Majority of us know this quote ‘be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth” that’s from the Bible. The laid down instruction given to man on his creation.

Religion, generally, has always attempted to answer the question of purpose. Different faiths may give different answers about why we are here, who put us here, and what is expected of us.

Yet, the question itself seems universal. Man has always looked beyond his existence and wondered: Why am I here?

And philosophy took that question personal. Philosophers have spent centuries asking whether purpose is discovered, created, given by God, or merely invented by human beings to make existence meaningful. And perhaps the fact that we are still asking means that the question will continue to exist.

At one point or another, many people have asked themselves, What is my purpose? And sometime we got asked by people “what is your purpose”. A question that comes quietly in moments of reflection and other times, comes loudly after disappointment, failure, graduation, unemployment, success, or even a sudden realisation that one has been busy without being sure where one is going.

Interestingly, we ask the question of purpose even in the smallest settings. In school, we ask, What is the purpose of this course? At work, What is the purpose of this task? When something is created, we want to know what it is for. It appears that the human mind is naturally uncomfortable with things that simply exist without explanation.

Perhaps this is because everything around us seems to have a function. The eyes see. The ears hear. The heart pumps blood. The hands hold and build. Every part of the human body has a purpose, and when one part fails to perform its function, we immediately recognise that something is wrong.

Nature appears to speak the same language. Trees provide shade, bear fruits, and contribute to their environment. Rivers flow. Bees pollinate. Even the smallest things often have a role within a larger system. So, looking at ourselves in the middle of all these purposeful functions, it is understandable that we occasionally pause and ask: What about me? What exactly am I here for?

But perhaps purpose is not always as dramatic as we imagine. Not everyone will discover a cure for a disease, become famous, lead a nation, or have their name written in history books. Sometimes, purpose may simply be found in the lives we influence, the problems we solve, the work we do well, or the good that would have been missing if we were not there.

And maybe purpose is not just about finding one grand answer and relaxing afterwards. Maybe it is also about continually becoming useful.

Because if almost everything around us has a function, perhaps the question is not strange at all.

Perhaps it is only natural that we keep asking:
What is the purpose of this?
And eventually
What is the purpose of the write up?

 

[notification type=”default”]I submitted this entry late and it was not on purpose [/notification]