What is the true purpose/meaning of life?

It is an age old question that have intrigued the best of geniuses to have ever been born on the face of the planet. And yet, the question has gone unanswered, for most part. It is one question that has invited inquiry generation after generation, and throughout human history, multitudes of books, essays and articles have been written in an attempt to answer this question.

The debate on what may be the actual purpose is far from being settled, but we have generally found ourselves subscribing to one or more of the few well-established school of thoughts, and for good reasons.

First, it helps us escape infinite regression of logic trying to find the answer, an endeavor which might take away some very productive years of our life.

Second, should our attempts fail to discern the true meaning of life, we might find ourselves sinking into the chasms of depression and nobody wants that.

Third, even if we do find a meaning that we are largely satisfied with, we will still know deep down that it may not be true.

So what are those school of thoughts?

There are broadly 4 schools on this :

The Religious School : God is the source of our meaning and the true purpose of life is to follow God’s will. The Personal Meaning School : We give our life our own meaning, and we have power to choose what we find meaningful. The No-meaning School : Life is inherently meaningless, and there is no purpose. The best we can do therefore is to live life pursuing happiness or pleasure. School of Higher Purpose or Calling : Everyone has a different purpose of life and it is revealed to us during the course of our lives through revelations or by introspection. Like Personal Meaning School, except one key difference: we don’t choose our purpose, it is rather chosen for us and revealed to us through moments of epiphanies.

A very substantial group of people subscribe to more than one schools of thought too. For example, I know quite a few people who are religious and therefore, believe following God’s will is the overall purpose of human life, but when it comes to personal life, they subscribe to the idea of personal meaning. It varies from religion to religion too. In some religions, God’s will may require that we find meaning in our personal endeavors, while in others it may be something quite contrary, like waiting for a calling.

You may ask the question, which school has got it is right or is closer to the truth? And the best possible response I can give to that is “I don’t know”.

However, I can tell you what I do believe could be the true purpose of life.

I think, none of them got it fully right and yet, every single school got it somewhat right.

My next statement about the true purpose of life is going to be a very bold one and it stands in the face of millennials of research on the topic. However, rest assured that I will attempt to substantiate my claim with, hopefully, persuasive arguments with a hope to settle the debate, once and for all, on this ever elusive subject.

So here is what I believe :

The true purpose of life is to live according to the principles.

After much thought and research into human behavior, I have come to understand that there are 12 fundamental principles underlying every worthwhile endeavor throughout the history of human existence on the planet.

These principles are : Prudence, Sincerity, Humanity, Empathy, Equity, Modesty, Self-regulation, Fortitude, Potential, Gratitude, Proactivity & Duty.

No endeavor exists, however small or big, that is deemed as universally good or worthwhile, which is at the same time, not a manifestation of at least one of these principles.

And my hypothesis is that the true purpose of human life is to follow these principles, in whatever situation we may find ourselves in.

Let me get into why.

1. Principles Are Transcendental Source Of Morality

Try to think of anyone who you admire or revere from the heart. Someone who has earned your respect and trust. It could be someone you know, or someone you used to know. It could be a character from a movie or a book. It could also be a historical figure. It could be someone from a mythological stories.

Pause for a moment and think about why you admire them.

I am sure, without a shred of doubt, that you admire them because they are in some form or the other, embodiment of these principles.

The inherent sense of good and bad, one which we are all equipped with from our birth, is fairly good in identifying a praiseworthy behavior, at least in others. And if we were to describe these behavior in words, we would inevitably find ourselves describing at least one of the principles.

Principles are as relevant today as they were 2000 years ago, and therefore, they transcend time. They also transcend region, religion and culture. Regardless of which culture, country or cult you might come from, I am certain you will have the same sense of recognition for these principles. It is part of what makes us human and hence are fundamental to our nature.

I will go so far as to say, that there is no praiseworthy human endeavor, one that is deemed as universally good, which doesn’t follow at least one of the principles.

If you can think of one, let me know in the comment box.

I believe most enduring world’s religions are but an attempt to get people to follow these universal principles, except that the means that they employ in doing so is that of fear or love of God. These principles therefore, surface time and time again in all the holy books of religions, in various contexts and stories.

We haven’t to this date understood what is the source of our morality and all the advances of science has done little to shed light on the subject. If at all, the Darwinian theory is quite contrary to what we would consider moral. And to bridge the gap between what we inherently presume to be moral and our incomplete knowledge of the nature of things, we required God.

God became the reason for why we should act morally and the incentive to do so was the promise of afterlife where we will be abundantly rewarded with all the happiness we could possibly imagine. Somehow motivation or positive reinforcement wasn’t enough and therefore, fear was also introduced into the the scriptures, the fear of hell and eternal suffering, should we not follow God’s will.

But I think the question of our morality can be answered without the need of God.

The other day I was watching A Beautiful Mind, in which John Nash had a moment of epiphany while he was sitting at the bar, when a beautiful blonde and few of her friends walked in. While Nash’s friends talked about how to approach the blonde by mentioning “Fortune favors the brave” and “Every man for himself” quoting Adam Smith that “Individual Ambitions serves common good”, John Nash looked at the problem from an entirely different perspective. Here’s part of his conversation :

John: Adam Smith said the best result comes from everyone in the group doing what’s best for himself. Right? That’s what he said, right?

Hansen: Right.

John: Incomplete. Incomplete, okay? Because the best result will come from everyone in the group doing what’s best for himself … and the group.

Above is the full scene, in case you are interested.

It turns out, in trying to explain how can we achieve the best outcome in a given situation for a given group, Nash figured out the source of all our morality.

Morality is doing what is best for us and for other people.

If we look at all these principles, we will inadvertently discover that this is what principles really are : Doing what is best for us and for others.

When we are doing our jobs diligently and with sincerity (Principle of duty), we are not only increasing our own chances of having a successful career (Best for us), we are also contributing towards growth of the company and therefore, the growth of the entire personnel (Best for the group).

When we are listening to someone with empathy, we are not just doing what is best for the other person (Best for them), but we also increase chances of forming meaningful relationship with them, which is ultimately rewarding to us (Best for us).

When are being sincere to others in keeping our promises (Best for them), by extension, we develop a self-discipline to keep the promises made to ourselves, and hence reaping rewards in terms of success in an endeavor that only comes to those who have the discipline (Best for us).

And since we know from Nash’s theory that doing what is best for us and for others, is the only way to ensure the best outcome for everyone including ourselves, following principles and by extension, morality, is the only instrument to achieve the best possible outcome for the entire human race.

Our deep sense of morality may actually come from our inherent awareness of what is truly best for us.

No God Required.

2. Principles Encapsulates Passion

A lot of people say they find their meaning in following their passion. Can you guess why? Well, there is a principle for that : Potential

But potential realization is a bit different from following your passion. It basically means, you must develop and make justified use of all the endowments you have been given by the fortune for its own sake, even if no external reward is promised.

Principle of Potential applies to not just your inclinations, predispositions, talents & skills but people you have in your life and your relationship with them, your money and wealth, your education & your health.

Suppose you have predisposed talent and inclination for investing and allocating capital. Then that is what you must do. If you like gardening and have a predisposed talent for the same, then by principle, you must tend to gardens.

But you will do so, not out of anticipation of any potential rewards, but only because following principles, as you have realized, is your true purpose.

The above mindset puts you at a serious advantage to those who are only doing it for an external reward.

First of all, you are going to put all your heart and soul into your work (principle of sincerity) and that will reflect in the quality of work you do. Second, it will inevitably make you last longer in the endeavor than anyone who is doing it for a reward. That is because the end you are seeking is to do the best you can to realize your potential, and as you meet that end, you are getting constant fulfillment compared to those who will be frustrated if their effort are not generating any rewards and will soon give up. In other words, you will not be discouraged if no external rewards come because you would have anyway achieved your true purpose (to follow principles).

In realizing your own potential, you are inadvertently serving the common good by giving the world the fruits of your endeavor.

When a musician is composing music, he is following this principle. When a scientist is trying to discover the nature of things, he is following this principle. When an investor is trying to allocate capital, he is following this principle. But in doing so, they are also making the world a bit better.

It also means, instead of waiting for a calling, we must strive to do the best we can do with what we have been given right now.

How?

Simply by asking what we are good at, at this moment and then doing something where it can be justifiably applied?

Or

By asking, what I can become really good at based on my predispositions and inclinations, and then pursuing to develop these talents.

3. Principles Maximizes Our Happiness

A lot of people believe life has no inherent meaning but the only true good is to maximize our happiness. And there is a good argument for that : We are only asking the question of meaning of life, because we are unhappy with whatever state we are in.

But maximizing our happiness is inherently embedded in the principles.

Principle of prudence, by definition, requires that we don’t do anything which is not useful and effective. But in defining what is useful we have come to understand that in absence of principle imperatives (Also known as Moral Must-dos), we must work to maximize our net happiness.

In maximizing our net happiness we don’t just mindlessly pursue everything that produces pleasures but we see the eventual cost of the pursuit that we must pay in form of pain and suffering and then rationally decide only on those pursuits that result in positive net happiness. This means, we don’t over-indulge in any kind of addictive behavior and we invest to ensure our well-being in the long run.

Think about it, can somebody who mindlessly pursues pleasure be truly happy in the long run? Well, he may have a good time for a few months, or at most a few years of his life, but ultimately the price he will have to pay for his pursuit in form of degraded health, broken relationships and low self-esteem will take a toll on his happiness. For every minute he spent having fun, he will probably spend ten minutes regretting what he did.

But if principles are all about being happy in the long run, you may ask, what about happiness in the moment?

And answer to that is : Principle of gratefulness.

Being grateful for what we have is perhaps, the most effective and totally free way to increase our happiness, right now.

Besides, do not assume, following principles means living a life of prohibition.

As long as we are doing it in moderation (Principle of Self-regulation), there is prudence in having fun through means that don’t violate principles.

From this it is clear that if happiness is what we consider to be meaningful and ultimately, the purpose of life, it is through principles that we can maximize it.

4. Principles Maximizes Our Chance To Have Deep Meaningful Relationships

Let’s face it. One of the greatest sources of joy and meaning in life are our relationships with other people. Everything we do, every desire we have, most of our feelings and thoughts, ultimately stem from the fact that we are inherently, social.

Suppose you woke up today to realize you would inherit the whole planet, with all its abundance and resources. Everything is yours for the taking. Every marvel of human endeavor belongs to you. The high rise buildings, the luxury cars, the forests, the most expensive clothing, the natural resources, everything. Just one condition : There will be no one else inhibiting the planet. No one but you.

Would you take this deal? How would you feel?

Suddenly you have everything you ever wanted. How bad can it be not having any relationships? Will you jump with joy? Perhaps you will.

However, If you mentally imagine yourself in that situation, very soon you would realize that a lot of things that you desire, are only there because of other people. A lots of things are enjoyable only because you can share them with other people. Suddenly you will find that the desires you hold most dear to your heart have vanished. The material things, beyond their utility, don’t matter anymore.

The lesson? Human beings are inherently social beings and denying this is denying a hard truth. Purpose of life, therefore, is incomplete unless it also encapsulates our relationship with other people.

And following principles, by far, are your best possible chance to have deep meaningful relationships.

When you are sincere, and by extension, make and keep your promises and commitments, you garner trust, which serves as strong foundations upon which all relationships are built.

When you listen with empathy, people will inadvertently, want your company because there is a deep longing for being understood in each one of us.

When you are kind, considerate and generous, thus following the principle of humanity, people will naturally admire you in their hearts.

People naturally despise arrogant people and therefore being modest will garner people’s respect.

When you follow the principle of self-regulation you will free yourself from the clutches of anger, something which is detrimental to even the greatest relationships.

Is it not apparent then, why if we want fulfilling relationships in life, we must follow the principles?

Further, if we even remotely think that our meaning and purpose comes from, among other things, our relationships with others, isn’t following principles then, an integral part of it?

5. Principles Ensure Fulfillment

Nothing is guaranteed in life.

Success, wealth, health, relationships. Nothing.

Everything is a gift of fortune. If we pin our hopes on the above things, we will sooner or later be disappointed. You are one diagnosis away from permanently losing your health. One road accident away from losing your limbs. A great amount of people have lost their wealth and gone back to zero for no fault of their own. You may be the most loving husband or wife, but it doesn’t guarantees that your spouse will not leave you someday.

If not anything else, our own death will take these things we hold so dear away from us.

Besides, you have to be incredibly lucky and fortunate to have everything mentioned above. Most people will struggle to meet their ends. A lot of them will have permanent disabilities rendering them unable to walk. Some people will never see the light.

We are also living in a world that is inherently unjust.

The only thing that separates you from the victim of a brutal violence, is chance. Wars, famine, drought, accidents, stock market crash, hurricane. To assume that the wheel of fortune will only move in your favor is very foolish. In one stroke of luck, everything you hold dear can be taken away.

If there is a purpose of life, it cannot, therefore, be the just in the things like success, wealth, relationships, health. They are largely out of our control and as it is, very much out of the reach of a vast majority of the human population. If those were the only purpose of life, a vast majority of human population will immediately disqualify.

There is one things though that is within the reach of everyone regardless of their circumstances : Fulfillment.

And as it turns out, following the principles guarantees that we will have a highly fulfilling existence even in the worst of circumstances. Victor Frankl, James Stockdale and the likes are proof why staying true to our most fundamental self is the key to navigate through the worst of situations and yet maintain our peace of mind and find fulfillment.

Why do principles guarantee fulfillment?

Because, when we follow them, we are acting from a place of alignment with our true nature. That is the reason, we have a deep sense of admiration for people who exhibit adherence to principles. Because deep inside, our inner compass is able to recognize what is truly good and praiseworthy.

When we follow the same principles, the praise shifts inwards and this deep sense of admiration for what we are doing, results in fulfillment.

Ask yourself, when did you last feel fulfilled? What were you doing?

Perhaps you were spending some great time with your children deeply listening to their stories (Principle of empathy, duty), or you did your job incredibly well (principle of duty), when you were working on that project or hobby you loved working on (Principle of potential) or when you made the day of a homeless man (Principle of humanity).

You will realize that whenever you felt truly fulfilled you were following one or more principles.

The good part?

Regardless of who we are, following the principles, and in effect, finding fulfillment is within our reach.

If finding fulfillment is part of the meaning we are trying to seek, it is principles we must have to turn to, once again.

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In conclusion, I think I have made the case for why principles encapsulates morality, happiness, passion, fulfillment & human relationships, all of which different people at different times, have found to be the meaning of life. It is therefore, my unwavering belief, that the true purpose of life is to follow the principles.

I suppose some among you may say, following the principles doesn’t look like an end in itself, but only a means to have the good life, a meaningful existence, which is ultimately what we all want.

Principles are both the means and ends.

Good life isn’t a destination we reach, but it is a life well lived.

We are mistaken if we think of life like a journey, in which we are trying to reach a destination, our final purpose. No. Life is like a musical composition, and for the composition to be good, the beginning, end and the middle all have to be good. And following the principles ensures that.