The Purpose of Life
Mon - 08/20/2007 00:33
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| Mrs. Đỗ Hoàng Nghĩa ( right) |
The whole universe is a vast battlefield. Existence is nothing but a continuous struggle, molecules against molecules, atoms against atoms, electrons against electrons and so on and within the physical system itself it is a big battleground. The mind itself is the biggest battlefield.
The man who is not at peace with him cannot be at peace with the world, and external wars have to continue in order to hide the fact from individuals that the real war is within. The most importance prayer of mankind today is for peace, but there can be no peace in this war-torn world until the conflicts of man with himself are ended.
People who are thirsty for power, wealth and are intoxicated with jealousy and greed always create troubles and often try to justify their cruel acts by taking nonsense in the name of peace and justice. We are living in a make-believe world, which appears physical united but mentally divided, and at times mentally united but physically divided.
"Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live", says one learned man. "Sickness, old age, and miseries are the payment we are making for occupying this body of ours as a house". Then, "we have to pay the price of fear and worry for creating selfish desire" or "Birth of a person is the birth of sorrow. The longer he lives the more stupid he becomes. His thirst for survival in the future makes him incapable of living in the present", say another Chinese philosopher.
So, what is the purpose of LIFE? Is this a common question that people often ask?
It is not easy to give a satisfactory answer to this apparently simple and yet complex question. Although some people have given certain answers, according to their way of thinking, it seems that they are not very satisfactory answer to the intellectuals. The reason is that they have not learned to see life objectively and to understand the proper perspective of life. They have created imaginations in their own minds about life according to their understanding capacity. At the same time we also know that many religious teachers, great philosophers, well-known poets and great thinkers are also not satisfied about life. When we read what they have to say about life, it would appear that some of them, too, are unable to give a clear picture of life.
Some people say that there is no specific purpose in life and that it can be utilized for any purpose. Based on this theory there is something for us to ponder over wisely: To make use of life for the purposes beneficial to ourselves as well as to others instead of wasting it for unnecessary things. In this manner, the purpose of life can be said to be dependant on the way we handle and use it. If we mis-use it by violating good humane qualities, by disgracing human dignity and committing immoral practices, or by giving in to our human weaknesses, it is impossible for us to achieve something worth-while in our life. But on the other hand, if we act wisely by observing universally accepted moral and ethical principles such as exercising patience, tolerance, sympathy, humility and kindness, as well as renders some service to others and train the mind to be unbiased, then we should be able to achieve something noble and beneficial to all. Those who cultivate such virtues would experience peace, happiness, calmness and satisfaction. Life would then be worthwhile living! That type of life would be more meaningful and beneficial to everybody.
Đỗ Hoàng Nghĩa (Copy Vovinam-via.org) |
