Dear Future Centenarian,
We’re going to wind up our “Purpose
of Life” discussion. Last week’s issue triggered some reader responses. Here are
two of them:
Josh Kyle discussed the topic with
his rabbi, who expanded on the Jewish slant on life’s purpose. He said
“__another answer that is part of normative Jewish belief is that we are
obligated to improve/repair the world while we are part of
it.”
Simple and elegant. Can you argue
with that? I can’t. I don’t know anyone who would. Do
you?
The Mark Joyner added “In relation
to worldviews, I’ve developed one that I think gives us the most freedom and
power: Utilitarian Model Flexibility.”
“To sum up: Given that we don’t have
any way of knowing any true objective reality (at least there is no universally
agreed upon way of determining one), we can then look at different worldviews,
theories, etc. as ‘models’ of the world that serve a greater or lesser level of
practical value in our lives. Newtonian Physics has great utility if you’re
firing an artillery shell. It has little if you’re trying to split an atom.
Based on what we want in any given moment, we are flexible with our model and
adopt one that serves whatever our utility is in that
moment.”
Utilititarian—serving some purpose
or aim.
Model—your model of the
world.
Flexibility – changeable at
will.
“If we make that our starting point
it prevents a lot of conflict (both mental and external) that results from our
erroneous notion that dogma is possible.”
Thanks Mark. This is more complex
and stimulating. I’d like to debate the fact that “we don’t have any way of
knowing any true objective reality” the next time you visit the
U.S. We may end up agreeing in
principal once we agree on definitions. One way to bring everyone closer to
universal agreement on any given issue is to have precise
definitions.
Now to wrap up the other dozen major
philosophies.
Christian view.
Christians
draw many of their beliefs from the Holy Bible,
and believe that loving God is the meaning of life.
Islamic view.
In Islam the
ultimate objective of man is to seek the pleasure of Allah by
living in accordance with the Divine guidelines as stated in the Qur'an and
the Tradition of the Prophet. The
Qur'an states that the whole purpose behind the creation of man was for
glorifying and worshipping Allah.
Bahá'í view.
The purpose of human life, say
Bahá'ís, is spiritual growth. This is conceived almost as an organic process,
like the development of a fetus, and continues after death.
Hindu views.
The notion of lila
(literally, "play") refers to the idea of the universe as a cosmic game, and
meaning as a "play of significance". This "play" is what gives us the key to the
meaning of life, and the meaning of life is to achieve Moksha through love
towards God and on God's grace.
Jain view.
Its ethical system
promotes self-discipline above all else. Happiness is the result of
self-conquest and freedom from external objects. The meaning of life may then be
said to be to use the physical body to achieve self-realization and
bliss.
Buddhist views.
One of the central views in Buddhism is a
nondual
worldview, in which subject and object are the same, and the sense of doer-ship
is illusionary. On this account, the meaning of life is to become enlightened as
to the nature and oneness of the universe.
Sikh view.
"Sikh" means student, which denotes
that followers will lead their lives forever learning. They interpret God as the
Universe
itself. Sikhism thus sees life as an opportunity to understand this God as well
as to discover the divinity which lies in each individual. They seek union with
God and liberation from rebirth in the material world.
Taoist views.
The Taoists cosmogony
emphasizes the need for all sentient beings and all man to return to the
primordial or to rejoin with the
Oneness of the Universe by way of
self-correction and self realization.
Shinto views.
Shinto wants
life to live, not to die. Shinto sees death as pollution and regards life as the
realm where the divine spirit seeks to purify itself by rightful
self-development. Shinto wants individual human life to be prolonged forever on
earth as a victory of the divine spirit in preserving its objective personality
in its highest forms.
Confucian views.
Confucianism
recognizes human nature in accordance with the need for discipline and
education. Confucianists see a goal in achieving the good nature through
strong relationships and reasoning as
well as minimizing the negative energy. They can realize the ultimate meaning of
life in ordinary human existence.
Zoroastrian view.
For those who chose good actions, a
blissful afterlife is
promised, as well as a return to earth to continue life in a physical form.
Scientific
approaches. The primary aim of the scientific
approach to the meaning of life is to describe the empirical
facts about human existence. Claims that empirical science can shed light on
issues such as the meaning of life are highly disputed within the scientific and
philosophy-of-science
communities, and have been from the very beginning of science. Biologists have suggested that
insofar as there may be a primary function to life, it may be the survival of genes.
WOW! Amazing diversity,
like life itself. No wonder war doesn’t work. You can force people to submit but
not to believe.
32 years ago, I
heard a definition of the Purpose of Life that made the most sense to
me. It was from Dr. Andrew Galambos
who defined the Purpose of Life as reversing
entropy.
According to the
2nd Law of Thermodynamics, systems, including our universe fall apart
with the passage of time. It’s called entropy and is what many say will be the
cause of the end of life… the gradual death of the universe. Without
intervention, the universe will most likely go from order to disorder, cool off,
wind down and finally collapse. Reversing entropy, or creating order out of
disorder, is conscious life’s grandest challenge according to Galambos. So my Purpose of Life
is…
…to preserve
life.
Pure and simple. A universal truth?
You can adhere to almost any philosophy and not argue with that. Can’t you? If
you disagree, let me know.
David A. Kekich
Maximum Life
Foundation
714-641-0700/Fax
714-464-4135
www.MaxLife.org
"Where Biotech, Infotech and
Nanotech
Meet to Reverse Aging by
2029"