Why do I exist? Why was I put on this earth? Simply to procreate and leave my mark on this overcrowded planet?
Since I was very young, I always wondered why we were put on Earth. Out of the hundreds of thousands of animals, it was probably pure luck that I was born a human being. Pure luck that my fate would be intertwined with the only species capable of destroying an entire planet in one feel swoop. Pure luck that I was born into yet another generation of war with peace peppered throughout. Pure luck that I would have to bear the responsibility of intelligence, and as that bearer, I’d be entrusted with the preservation of the world.
I can’t help but wonder…why are we put here if only to destroy this planet? We take and give back mostly to serve our many intricate needs. I understand there is a reason for everything, but this a reason I can’t seem to grasp. Are a select few of us destined and privileged to freely live and chase our desires while a great majority of us can simply live?
When I think of the joy I get when someone just comments on here and I think of inhabitants all over the world who have voices but can’t speak, I feel conflicted. Did I earn this right to life? What makes me different from a servant boy who’s under the watchful eye of his tyrannical master, or the young street vendor who must sell enough merchandise so the rest of his family can feed, or even the young soldier who must fight on the front lines in order to live another day?
The answer, plain and simple, is luck. I didn’t earn my place in life. Nobody chooses to be born in poverty or born into wealth. I never subconsciously chose to be human as opposed to a white tiger or a wolf. Nobody chooses their own destiny right before he comes into existence.
The cards you are dealt are yours and yours alone. Luck gets to make the final decision. Luck decides whether you live or die. And yet, there’s something luck cannot do that is absolutely in your best interest to take advantage of.
Luck decides your beginning, but it does not decide the conditions of your journey. It may have been luck that placed you in horrible poverty, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try to escape. Luck may have been able to help you end up in a place where status is king, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rise to the top and change the system. Luck could have even put you in the middle of a disaster in which you’ve lost everything, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live on.
Still…what about those whose luck has caused them great harm – so much harm, in fact, that they died? It was a one and million chance of them getting struck by lightening or hit by a drunk driver. A few us just happened to be in the Two Towers on Sept. 11 while countless lucky ones watched through a broadcast.
Then, to those unborn spirits and spirits who have already left this world, I offer you my envy. It was just your luck that you weren’t born into or have already left a world in which countless souls are lost. You are the ones that will learn – at least, that’s my belief – the secrets of this world. You will learn the purpose of life and arrive at a much better place. A place untouchable by mortal hands. Mortal hands that constantly seek to claim things as their own.
We on Earth must bear the burden of finding ourselves for the rest of our lives. If you haven’t yet questioned your existence, you my friend, are one of the lucky ones.
“For all of us who are alive, life is the real issue. Yet so often we judge our existence by the things that happen to us—by whether things are going our way or not. Sometimes we feel strong—strong enough to dictate our future. Sometimes we feel that we can make things happen. Then there are times when we feel totally helpless. But through all the dramas and bumps, there is life. There is the very powerful, very existence of every single human being.” – Prem Rawat
photo credit: Beverly & Pack
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17 comments to “Existence is Futile”
it was nice reading your thoughts on this topic…i’m really into philosophy & spirituality. its a little harder for me to believe its all luck especially because of my obsession with the soul and what it is and how it participates in our lives. i’d suggest reading an amazing book that completely changed me when these and more questions were almost unbearable not to know the answer to….it’s Conversations with God by Neale Walsh. it definitely offers an interesting perspective on life.
Any-who take care!
Nawala´s last blog ..Food For Thought 8
Hey Nawala, and thanks for your input. It’s just something that’s been on my mind lately. Just had a few questions that I have yet to completely answer.
Really enjoyed this post, John. Many thought provoking questions.
This universe is a mysterious one, that is for sure.
I like your emphasis on how we can make choices to improve our status. But I also like how you acknowledge that the cards we are dealt either put us at an advantage or at a disadvantage. I suppose we all need to have a certain amount of faith to get through this life. And we all have to do the best we can, regardless of the whys.
Bamboo Forest – PunIntended´s last blog ..How to Prioritize to Accomplish Any Goal
Glad you enjoyed it. I really wanted to bring the message home that wherever we are in life, we can make choices that influence our lives for the better. Of course not everyone’s choice will weigh the same. It’s more deadly to try and liberate a people from an all powerful government regime than it is to simply take control of your time by starting a business. Different people, different situations, varying risk in choices.
Oh John,
I cried while reading this….I feel your angst…Its a feeling that is echoing in me too…the burden of saving this planet….saving this soul …saving this spirit form total and utter destruction.
Its something that we all need to put our minds on and think about…and yes put those thoughts into action too…The consequences of our pure neglect and greed towards this beautiful planet are so apparent..yet we live in a state of selective ignorance.
I pray we all learn from whats going on….open our minds and our hearts to the possibility of simplistic loving living. Living which will help us and this beautiful planet we inhabit.
Much Love,
Z~
Zeenat, thank you for everything. No need for tears here, I just wanted to make my thoughts known. Maybe the world’s ultimate destiny is to destroy itself or be destroyed, but that doesn’t mean we can’t allay the inevitable. I still have hope for the future.
I always wonder if our generation can be the one to end the wars of the world, but of course, it’s never that simple.
John, Great post, very thought provoking. I’ve been thinking about some of this lately also. Actually, I ponder things like this quite often. The topic may make it into my own blog soon, and I saw that Annabel over at Get In the Hot Spot also posted on this topic. It seems to be trending as they say in techno babble.
My take on purpose in life is to look at the time before life begins. It’s a bit tough since no one really knows what that is like, but I assume it to be a place of pure bliss. Missing from this pre-Earth experience is physical feeling. We are here in a physical body, and before we came here we weren’t. So that must have something to do with the purpose. I figure we’re here to experience physical sensation and the emotion that accompanies it. In actuality, all of us fulfill our purpose simply by being here. That should take the pressure off, and now we are free to live our lives and enjoy whatever path we follow.
So you see, I don’t believe it’s luck at all. I believe it’s choice. Some even choose a life of pain, just to experience that which cannot be experienced in non-physical form. I’m not sure if you are into video games, but think of the types of games that most folks find fun. They are often very violent, because it’s something that we can’t experience in real life. Just like the physical sensation is something that can’t be experienced in soul form.
Like I said, your fulfilling your purpose just by being here, so enjoy the time you have, and relish the good times and the bad, they are all part of your path, and your experience on this little planet.
Eric | Eden Journal´s last blog ..A Few Minutes with Barak Obama, and Inspiration from U.S. History
Is it trending? I haven’t really noticed…
Video games are awesome.
Your argument makes a lot of sense, but of only some higher being can answer me the question “Why?”. I still think mere chance determines our beginnings, but choice determines our outcome.
The purpose to life is to have a life of purpose. This is what i believe. Without a purpose you just wander around…for you existence can be compared to as futile!
Simple and true, just like you.
Hi John,
I agree with Eric, I think we do choose. But the choice isn’t made by our logical, conscious mind. It’s made by our soul before we incarnate. Our logical mind would never choose difficult life experiences, but our soul doesn’t judge anything to be right or wrong. It just is, and our purpose here is to grow and evolve at a soul level.
Unfortunately though, we learn more from the hard stuff than from the easy. So, our soul chooses hard experiences to ensure the most growth possible.
Our logical minds will never be able to get around this though. I used to struggle with trying to make sense of all this, but I’ve given up. I just accept it now. When times are tough I simply remember there’s a reason for it, and also that it will pass.
I don’t get how we can choose our beginnings. I just want to know who chooses to be born in a desert where food is few and far between, as opposed to being born into nobility.
Our purpose – to grow and evolve. Very nice definition.
You must find your way out of this deep sadness. Find some light. Follow the paths of those who understand the real meaning of life.
We celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday this week. He made this world a better place for millions of people. Gahandi, like King met violence with non-violence and fasting. Both of these guys knew somehow our purpose is to do what each of us can for others.
To alleviate human suffering may seem overwhelming. But it starts with one small step at a time.
Give a smile, or an encouraging word to a person who needs it. As we bring joy to another, we get to keep some for ourselves. Spend 30 minutes helping a local agency that provides food or shelter to the homeless.
Our existence can be futile, or it can be a meaningful life that makes this world a better place because we are here.
You are in school right now. Which means you are preparing for your future. Prepare well. Luck is what happens when preperation meets opportunity! Be blessed John.
Don’t worry, Erin. I’m not sad, just curious about life. I can see my future, and I can safely say that it is good.
Ghandi and King – I have the greatest utmost respect for them. Their teachings literally changed the world. I know that they will NEVER be forgotten. Of course, they sacrificed themselves for the good of the world. I don’t know if I’m willing to take such measures.
I’m going to spread some happiness tomorrow. Be blessed Erin.
Hey John, I just wanted to reply to your question about who would choose to be born into a desert as opposed to nobility. Or at least give you my thoughts on the matter.
To understand this, you have to understand that we are making the choice from a spiritual perspective, and choosing a life full of emotion and feeling. We are emotional creatures, and that’s part of what makes us different from other animals and from a soul body. From that perspective, a life of nobility would be rather bland. No real challenges and mostly happiness and an easy life.
A life in the desert on the other hand is a life full of challenges, full of emotion. From the perspective of a soul that feels no pain and has no emotion, this life could have some appeal.
It took me a long time to begin to wrap my arms around some of these concepts. It’s good that you are questioning these things. Who knows if any of us will find the answers, but it’s fun speculating and thinking about it.
Eric | Eden Journal´s last blog ..A Choice and a Purpose; Entering this Earthly Realm
That’s a really interesting concept you have here. You make life in the desert sound much more appealing than life in nobility. I suppose it all depends on what we’ve experienced.
I’m still a bit confused about how our souls can choose where we end up, but hey, who knows how anything happens?