The purpose of life. The question that has plagued humanity for ages past, and will for ages yet to come. For some of us, our purpose in life could consist of the following: gain a good education, purchase a car, graduate university, establish a career, meet our future partner, get married, take out a mortgage, set up a home, find success and gain promotion in our chosen career, take out a healthcare policy, start a family, set up a savings plan for the children, take out a loan, upgrade the car, take regular vacations, raise the children, establish and maintain friendships, pursue our hobbies and passions, establish a retirement plan and save for retirement, take care of our parents as they grow elderly, retire, enjoy our long overdue chance to relax, and finally and inevitably, to die.
That's quite a list and I only picked the main ones that came to my mind. There is so much more that could be added, if you really sit down and think on it. There is certainly a lot of things that we have to deal with in our lives. Does this list define the purpose of life? Does this list represent the reason why we are here on this planet? Well, for me, I'd say yes and no.
For me, there is only one purpose to life. It is simply to make more life. It is our duty as members of the human species, to make more humans. That is it. That is why we exist. It is that simple. Dress it up however you wish, but the bottom line is that all of life, every single species, whether it be flora or fauna, exists to propagate it's own species, to survive. For humans, that means becoming a parent, becoming a father or a mother to a child. Everything else that we do is just window dressing around this one simple purpose. Becoming a parent. That is our purpose in life.
I am not a parent. I am yet to fulfill my true purpose in life. I would like very much to become a parent, I believe strongly that I will be one day. I hope that day is not too far off though, because I am now rapidly approaching my 43rd birthday. I know that everything that I do now, everything that I have done, has been a prelude to this one thing. As I am not a father, I am able to exercise my freedom, my lack of responsibility for another human being, and this has enabled me to pursue my dreams. I had to do that, because if I had not, and I was still not a father, then I would have achieved nothing with my life of any meaning. A major factor in my decision to quit my old life, was based around the fact that I was not yet a parent, and that I wanted to be one. Therefore, if I were to pursue my dreams of travel and a more simple lifestyle, then I needed to act before that happened.
You see, when it comes down to it, life really is very simple. As humans, we tend to believe that there must be something more to life, there has to be a mystery to resolve, an answer as to why we exist. What makes us different to all other life on this planet (as far as we are aware) is that as humans, we have developed conscious thought and self awareness. Because of this, we struggle with the question of why we are here. We believe that there must be something more to life. There isn't. Get over it.
Perhaps my view is too simplistic. Perhaps there is a greater power and mystery that exists and that determines our life events and what happens after. All I know is that I would like to be a father, as my father is and his father was before him. I want to see the blood of my fathers continue in my own children. I want to share all that I have learned with my own children, to give them love, to watch them grow, to witness their mistakes, to share in their joy and in their pain, to make sure that they know they are loved, and to always be there for them.
The purpose of life is simple. Everything else is just a complication. If I never become a father, I will look back on my life not with regret. I shall look back upon my life knowing that I did what I had to do, that I pursued my dreams and my passions, that I gave of myself to others freely, that I loved fiercely, and that I always followed my heart. I will look back and know that I did what I did because I was driven to do it, and that I never let fear stop me from taking the next step on my path. I will look back and I will smile on a life that existed because I chose the direction of my path, not a life that was lived because of a path that I was not of my own making. But what I do know in my heart, is that I will become a father. I have to hold on to that belief, because if I think otherwise, then I will have failed in the one true purpose of life: to create new life.
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If you lay in your death bed tomorrow, and feel 'what if' is the question furthest from your lips, the you have truly lived and that is all.
ReplyDeleteHi Beccy,
DeleteThanks for taking the time to read my blog. I completely agree with you. To reach the end of all things and to have a regret or to wonder what could have been, would be devastating. I wonder how many people reach that point and ask themselves those things? Do they get another chance to try again? I don't want to take that risk, do you?
Andy.