The Odyssey of Life: Unveiling the Universal Meaning and Variable Purpose
Over the course of time, humanity, on numerous occasions, has questioned our purpose on this planet. Many philosophers have attempted to answer the question “What is the meaning of life?”. There are multiple ways to approach this problem, based on either a theistic belief in a supreme deity or non-theistic beliefs.
To me, most cannot comprehend the ultimate meaning of life without any prior “life experience”. The meaning of life is derived from a journey - the journey of life in search of the Ultimate Truth. Once we understand the meaning of life, we see that regardless of one’s religious affiliations, the meaning of life is a constant.
Furthermore, the meaning of life is absolute, which means that regardless of an individual’s context, it is universal to all traditions. Now, we must differentiate the meaning of life from its interpretations. Interpretations are susceptible to falsity, whereas absolute truths are not.
As opposed to life’s meaning, one’s purpose in life can vary. The purpose of life is de- pendent on one’s ethical, religious, and worldly background. The purpose of life, I’d argue, is a crucial and valuable piece in the search for the meaning of life. To me, the purpose of life is composed of several parts. The foremost purpose is to worship and know The Divine Reality (our creator). Secondly, one must attempt to live according to the will of The Divine Reality to gain peace in this world. Finally, we must serve as stewards of our planet, living for the betterment of society.
Life’s purpose gives us resilience, in the sense that, when we are faced with the worst of calamities, we look to our purpose to give us reason to rise back up.
In conclusion, we can summarize our thesis in four arguments. The first is that the meaning of life is universal to mankind. Yet the “straightforward” and the ever-obvious meaning eludes our conscience until we completed our odyssey of life. As opposed to the meaning of life, the purpose of life varies with one’s beliefs and background. Finally, identifying the purpose of our lives is a crucial part in the search for the meaning of life.
