Purpose of Life

Purpose of Life

“What is the purpose of life?” was the question posed to me. My response: “Life is there to LIVE.” However, how we live that life isn’t merely a matter of personal choice; it is guided by ‘dharma’—which encompasses both our privileges and responsibilities in our relationships with others, both human and non-human.

There’s nothing particularly new in my response, nor in the question. Yet, sometimes, it is beneficial to be reminded of such fundamental questions about life. The following reflection from Bimal Krishna Matilal offers a deeper understanding:

“‘Life is devoid of any value’ may be an evaluative statement. It may also be a factual one. I think it is both. And ‘Life is duhkha (suffering) and it is utterly unsatisfying’ falls into the same category. For a mouse, ‘Life is meaningless or devoid of value’ is a factual statement and false. But for those among us who have taken the crucial backward step and self-consciously searched for value, this is a factual statement and true. However, for those who refuse to search for ultimate values or meanings, and instead find purpose in serving something larger than themselves—whether it be society, the state, the revolution, science, religion, or the glory of God—this is only a value-judgment. It is true only for those who do not question the larger purposes that give meaning, value, and justification to their life activities. Such standards for conferring value and meaning can simply be called into question and dismissed.” (p. 386)

“The absurdity of our situation is heightened by the fact that, even though we may realize that what we do in life is arbitrary and meaningless, we cannot disengage ourselves from life because of this awareness. In Indian terms, we recognize the Truth while we remain, as we must, immersed in the ocean of untruths…

What sustains us in this unreason is a mystery—perhaps the ‘inertial force’ of taking life and the world for granted, or perhaps the ‘animal’ instinct that dominates part of our being. (Remember, ants and rats do not face this problem, and we have eaten not only from the tree of Knowledge but also from the tree of Life.) For if we relied entirely on reason and pressed it too hard, our lives and beliefs would collapse entirely—psychosis would take over. ‘How does the wise man behave?’ The Indian mystic answers, ‘The wise man behaves as the fools do. There is no difference in their external behavior.’”

—The Collected Essays of Bimal Krishna Matilal: *Ethics and Epics*, ed. Jonardon Ganeri, New Delhi, Oxford, 2002, p. 387

DB 

16-02-2013