What's The Purpose of Life?

What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? The purpose of life is to learn to truly love ourselves and each other. If we could love one another, there would be no need for the tragedies of wars and the atrocities of prejudice would not exist.

What most of us yearn for throughout our life, what we seek is to complete our life and existence through love. Love, in all its forms, is indeed our ultimate goal. That is why a life without love is a lonely existence that no amount of money, success, and other diversions can fill.

Love comes to us in many forms every day even when we are not able to recognize it as we are absorbed in our daily tasks and routines. It manifests itself in our daily life with a smile from a child, kindness from a stranger, caring friends, a wagging tail, a purr, and the excitement of our loved ones when they see us, among other ways. Try to observe love manifesting itself for you today, count the ways, pay attention, and let your heart rejoice.

Therefore, we must strive to love each other as we love ourselves or better. For ultimately, the big question we might have to answer when we pass on to the next life is how much and how well did you love, not just one person but everything and everyone that crossed your path.

We Are A Nation In Mourning Again . . . .

Once again, we are a nation in mourning. On Friday, we received the news that a 24-year old-young man had walked into a Connecticut school – after killing his mother at home – and massacred at least 20 innocent children and some of their teachers. I read the reports…. some of them. This is too horrible to keep reading about it. I could not bring myself to read anymore. I saw the video of the President seemingly wiping away some tears. Why do so many go into killing sprees in this country? I wondered, as he mentioned the previous killings that have happened in the past few years, even this year (a movie theater in Colorado, a shopping mall, etc.) As far as I know, it does not happen as much and as often in most other countries. Why here? What is about our society that makes our children and citizens in general vulnerable to this type of actions? I think that part of the answer is that we are an extremely self-centered and materialistic society. Compared to others, there is a huge lack of spiritual values, perceptions, and approach to life. We claim to be a nation that trusts God (‘in God we trust”) yet we don’t want to have anything to do with God in our schools and any other places (but churches). Most people are spiritually “disconnected” from God, themselves, and others, regardless of how often they go to church. This is one of the reasons that a spiritual awakening is badly needed not just globally but particularly in America. Only a total disconnection from God, self, life, and others can lead a person to commit such atrocity. The President said that we must do something….. There is no “practical” solution to this madness. I believe that one of the most effective ways to begin to eliminate this and other social maladies is to shift our focus from the material and egocentric ways to a more spiritual approach to life, relationships, and Self. By spiritual, I don’t mean “religious”. We need more depth in our thinking and the way we conduct our life and interact with one another in all situations. Otherwise, this type of tragedy will keep happening to innocent civilians. Who knows? Maybe the next victim could be you or someone you love. The time for changes is now not after the fact.

Are You Truly Free?

The arrogance and greed of those in powerful positions, not just political ones, is what has ruined this world for the rest of us. Their thirst for power and control knows no boundaries! They keep us ignorant and deceive us with an illusionary world. They distract us from realizing what is truly going on. They bombard us through their controlled media with products and suggestions that make us focus almost entirely on attaining these goods and false lifestyle. They program us through the media to believe that material pursuits must be our primary objective in life. They convince us that looking out just for ourselves and loved ones in a material, selfish way, is our primary mission. They poison our minds and soul while taking away our dignity with unfair practices and policies in all areas essential to our well-being. They dictate what we should strive for, what we should think, believe, eat, wear, drive, listen to, etc. They manipulate our heart and mind with fear when they realize that many are waking up from the stupor they have had us in from almost the beginning of our lives. They educate our children not to be self-sufficient, creative, critical thinkers, and achievers but to develop a “pay-check” mentality and believe that working for their “great” corporations and – within their limits – is their only hope for survival and success. They persecute free thinkers. They have enslaved us to fulfill their own selfish needs, wants, and agenda with deceptive “values” and proclamations.

If you think that you are free, think again when you drive to your workplace to spend almost half of your day away from your children, spouse, or enjoyable pursuits so you can take home a fraction, a miserable fraction, of what you put in your employer’s pocket. If you think you are free, think again when you are trying to figure out how to make your mortgage or rent payment on time, keep your utilities on, put decent food on the table for your family, send your kids to college. If you think you are free, think again when you have to sacrifice your intellectual or favorite pursuits to ensure that you bring enough money home to meet the family’s needs. If you think that you are free, think again when an employer fires you for no reason or budget cutbacks without giving you enough notice to find new employment first. Yet, you have to give your employer at least a 30-day notice to hire your replacement!

Even if you belong to some level of the elite, you are still not free. Unless you are at the top, you are working for someone, being dictated upon by someone, serving someone’s interests at the expense of your own and of the many.