Purpose, Meaning, and Direction of Our Lives

What are we to do in this world?

The Quest

Every human being would have questions like "Why anything exists", "What is the purpose of my existence", "Is there any method behind all the madness of the world" etc. The greatest of thinkers asked and attempted possible answers (one of the riveting and breathtaking narratives written thousands of years ago (from my native land) can be found here). Often we have more questions than answers. It is a good thing to explore all possibilities.

The Beginnings with Purpose…

Given the unity in diversity that we see in the world (mathematics, physics, logic, etc as well as the depth of human relationships/love) it seems reasonable to consider the possibility of a rational mind behind the universe who is also capable of love/relationships. If this is true, we may have the answer for ultimate justice, value, meaning, purpose, love etc (over and above all the religious categories we see in the world). The book of Genesis 1-2 gives an answer with some poetic flourish, that we may consider.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..." (Genesis 1:1)

"God said, "Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth." So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28)

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it." (Genesis 2:15)

So mankind is a special creation in that we are made in the Image of God. Regarding the purpose, two themes seem to emerge from Genesis 1 and 2: to multiply (build relationships, communities, create etc) and work to take care of the creation, and to produce/cultivate. Interestingly the two things, that we can be doing without limit.

Exploitation, Pain, and Suffering

However, there is also a choice to abide and God, or to declare sovereignty from God in matters of good and evil (Genesis 2:15). The story goes, that man has indeed chosen the latter. This resulted in the two blessings/responsibilities given to humanity in Genesis 1-2 (multiplication/relationships and work) will continue, but are now associated with brokenness, exploitation, greed, wickedness, etc (we want to do our way which is usually just self-serving) and hence with pain, suffering, and hardship (Genesis 3:16-19). There is now brokenness in human relationships with God, self, others, and with creation/nature.

No one who lived long enough, regardless of religious or cultural background, can deny that there is pain and suffering in this world. The first of the four noble truths of Buddhism (once again, from my native land) is that life is suffering.

The Counter

So here we are, still multiplying and working but should we just go through it with no meaning and purpose, just to die? We see from the beginning, that God continues to be active in the world, even through the pain and suffering, and is available for anyone who calls on Him - perhaps the people who see the problem but do not want to be part of the problem, rather want to be part of the solution, on God’s behalf, wanting to correct and bring things to how they ought to be (Genesis 4:26, Genesis 12:8, Romans 10:12–13, Psalm 116:2, Joel 2:28–32, Jeremiah 29:13). Those of us who may want to do the good work, build great cultures, art, science, loving communities, etc - for the love of the craft and to serve/love one another. In the biblical narrative, we also see that God appoints and asks ancient Israel to be a model nation/community to showcase God to the world, which they do not, but predicts the coming Messiah, the Son of God. So comes Jesus, who through his birth, life, work, death, and resurrection gave a fuller explanation of what it is all about and what to expect in the future.

Our Attitude Towards Our Life and Work

Long story, short, while the original creation intent is intact (build communities, take care of the earth, produce/work) but in a broken state, those of who want to be on the side of God have to rebuild and work towards how God originally intended it to be - willing to carry as much burden/responsibility/steward as we possibly can and as appropriate, seeking the good in all walks of life. That is, remove the thorns and thistles, build, explore, research, study the universe, build culture, language, arts, systems/structures and make scientific and technological advancements with the intent to serve/love humanity and appreciate God's creation; to bring ourselves and humanity closer to God and His creation and future purposes. Even suffering has a purpose in that it points to what is wrong with the world and what needs to be done - often the very issue that is causing us suffering becomes the aspect in which we heal the world (do whatever we can, so that others do not suffer likewise). This is often a risky process as it often involves speaking up for justice, standing up to powerful exploiters, greedy, corrupt people who will not like this redeeming/correcting course that we embark on. We bring garden-like (Genesis 1-2) features to our lives, families, workplaces, businesses, politics, communities, cities, nation and for humanity. The nature of the brokenness and the risks involved, it takes courage and sacrifice to serve/love. Our identity as those made in the image of God drives all our activities and how we relate to others (even as we work with the help of God and one another on correcting the distortion of the image of God in us). All of life, relationships, work and rest are done with such intentionality, as we see life as a calling to such a constructive/positive mission for human flourishing and to steward the creation.

The Future Hope

But does this all end with death? And the possible destruction of the earth (as scientists would tell us that will definitely happen and that it is just a matter of time)? This is where the resurrection of Jesus comes into the picture. It is a foretaste of things to happen (What the bible calls the New Creation, Revelation 21-22). God is going to bring forth a new creation (resurrected Jesus being the first - 1 Corinthians 15:20), a perfect world where will live with God and one another - where there is a place for people of all cultures, nations, languages, ethnicities etc in all their goodness and glory.

"The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it" - Revelation 21: 23-26

Our job then is to rebuild what is broken (as God-given responsibility, on God's behalf, reconciling all things to God), and living in anticipation of what is to come (our life and relationships) should reflect such anticipation. While we have a foretaste in Jesus' resurrection, we are not fully there yet. So we should neither be naive that life will become perfect in this life nor should we be cynical that there is no hope at all.