Jarnail Singh
http://www.understandingguru.com
What is the meaning or purpose of our life? At some juncture of our life, this question has invariably crossed the mind of every single person on this planet. Humans are designed to question, and they can’t help to interpret their very own being, their very existence. It is a kind of hermeneutical conundrum and also a paradox that human existence is both the subject and cause of this query. There are plenty of answers floating around. Several scientists, philosophers, and theologians have spent their lifetime finding an answer to this question. Besides, due to the ever-growing knowledge and consequent changes in human lifestyle, these answers are also being reinterpreted and new answers are also coming up. The place and milieu a person is born and lives in determines the first answer he or she will get in his life. Most people prefer to live with that answer but there are a few who feel prodded to pursue a solitary path. They question the existing answers. Before discussing the purpose of life as per “Gurmat” i.e. as per the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib, the text Sikhism is based on, it is appropriate to discuss some of the existing answers n brief.
Scientific View: Let us start with the scientific view. Darwin’s theory of evolution is now a universally accepted view among the scientific community. Most atheists also prescribe to this view. As per this theory life on earth evolved to the current state through natural selection and is still evolving. Evolution is a relentless and inexorable force that drives every specie to replicate itself via its DNA as quickly as possible. Natural selection ensures that only the most suitable or fit survive to replicate themselves. This process and the varying climate conditions in different parts of the world resulted in the spectrum of species that we have today. There is ample data and solid proof to support this view. However, while this view does explain what Aristotle called “material cause”, “formal cause” and “efficient cause” but it does not explain what he called the “final cause” i.e. the purpose or end (telos) of this process. (1) Human mind is trying to understand what is the purpose of all this creation? Is creation a purpose in itself? Why there is suffering in life? What happens after death? These and some other questions are still to be answered to the satisfaction of the human mind.
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