The purpose of living

Living selflessly to benefit others is the true purpose of life, says Darshan Goswami. This, in turn, leads to the ultimate goal of God-realisation the realisation of one's true nature as pure consciousness.

- Darshan Goswami

Have you ever asked yourself: Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose in life? Is life more than just a brief span of time on earth? Such questions have baffled the greatest thinkers and philosophers down the ages.

Living, in itself, is not enough; it is not the goal. Most of us are so busy with our day-to-day existence that we do not have time to think about the purpose of living. It seems that our lives revolve around daily routines and worldly demands rather than the striving for fulfilment. Consequently, the eternal purpose of life eludes us. All our pondering, technology, and sophistication still haven’t solved the fundamental riddle posed by the two indelible facts of human existence—life and death.

In this article, I will attempt to share with you my thoughts on the purpose of living. We are all created to be happy and have purposeful lives. As human beings, we are blessed with a brain and conscience, so we can decide what we want to make out of our life. Often, a purpose is imposed on an individual by their family, culture, government, or even by individuals who seek to control others for their own selfish motives. As we strive to learn the purpose of our life here on earth, we must remember that true fulfilment is not found in our outward achievements, but in what we accomplish within ourselves.

A human being is a citizen of two worlds. The world within and the world without are two entirely separate realities. The external world dissipates energy, but the internal world showers blessings that fill the vacuum created by the [outer] world. Conquering the inner world is more difficult than succeeding in the kingdom of life in the external world.

Why would you want to know your purpose?