Achieving Goals

What is the Purpose of Life—Part Two

When Arun and Vishal came to see me today, after some casual conversation, they asked, “What is the purpose of life?”

“The purpose of life is to live it,” I replied.

“But don’t we need to understand the purpose of life first and set goals to achieve it?” they asked. “Otherwise, we won’t find satisfaction, and at the end of life, we may feel we haven’t lived well.”

“The purpose is already set for you when you’re born,” I responded. “Your family and society provide the foundation from which you launch. Of course, we need to plan, but we cannot execute everything at once. And as we start executing our plans, they may change and be shaped by other factors. So, we cannot wait to live until we fully understand life. As we live, we begin to understand it. Based on that experience, we set our purpose and goals, guided by our temperament, personality, character, nature, vision, and ideology.

However, our experience alone should not dictate the course of our life. Here, the guidance and advice of family, community, and society come to our aid. Although peer pressure and others’ expectations—such as those of parents and family—may influence us, we cannot simply blame others for our failures. We are part of society, shaped by it, and in turn, we shape it. Blaming society as though we are separate from it is pointless. Only when we accept personal responsibility can we truly understand the pressures and contributions of society. To achieve this understanding, we must stop the blame game and take ownership of our struggles with life’s purpose and goals. Naturally, as members of society, we will face various pressures, but others can only influence us to the extent that we allow.

Finally, while we should strive for what is called ‘job satisfaction,’ we should not be satisfied in our job or life. The day one feels satisfied with any achievement is the day their decline begins. A person who is content with their achievements becomes stagnant, like a dead fish carried by the current to rot on the riverbed. A living fish, on the other hand, always swims against the current. Never be fully satisfied in any area of your life. When you achieve something, set a higher goal. However, be mindful that your higher goals are practical, motivating, and achievable. Dreaming is good, but without a clear vision, merely dreaming is like fighting the air.”

Arun then said, “I had a good childhood, received a good education, got a nice job. Now I’m expected to get married, have children, earn money, take care of my family, retire, settle my children, and then die. Is this the purpose of life?”

I replied, “Yes, that is life. No one can escape this cycle. But those who understand each stage, enjoy that part of life, serve others, and accept help in return, achieve the purpose of life. Within this routine is where we choose our goals. Even concepts like ‘mukti’ and ‘moksha’ fall within this routine.”

So, the purpose of life is to live, and also to realize that you are living it by receiving help from others and helping others to live. In short, ‘live and let live’ summarizes the purpose of life.

Dayanand Bharati, Gurukulam, November 21, 2009