Dear readers, in contrast to the articles you’ve read so far, this is an article on a philosophical note.
For centuries, our ancestors have explored techniques and ways of living, to discover what lies beyond our five senses. To uncover truths of life and to find purpose in our existence. People have abandoned their families and spent decades in a forest, while others have spent their lives extensively touring the motherland to understand the meaning of life. Sages and saints from the past and present, cry out to us to follow them on a journey, a journey to something beyond the mundane. Yet within each of us lies skepticism of varying degrees. Are there really any hidden truths to uncover, or is it all a sham?
Through this article, I do not claim to answer these questions. I only attempt to further ignite your curiosity and hope to motivate you to think for yourself and ponder upon these mysteries of life.
One way to look at it is the current scientific belief. The universe is nothing more than a result of the Big Bang. An explosion several billion years ago and aeons of evolution have resulted in the world as we see it today. There is nothing called fate or destiny. Everything happens by chance, a random occurrence.
Although the above explanation is quite simple and easy to understand, it fails to satisfy us. It is difficult to accept that our existence is nothing but a random occurrence. That the purpose of life is whatever we want it to be, however, limited by one lifetime. If we came from the monkeys and we aren’t going anywhere apart from our own cemetery, it significantly diminishes the meaning of our existence.
At the same time, there are instances in each of our lives, experiences that we undergo, that we fail to accept as ‘chance’. That indicates to us that there is something beyond what is perceivable by the five senses. That makes us want to believe that there is something more, maybe a master plan behind everything. Maybe a creator.
However, we often ponder upon these ideas for a short while and then dismiss them as we get back to our mundane lives. We all question ourselves about the nature and purpose of our existence. However, all of us don’t put in the effort to find answers to these questions. It is very easy to not pay attention to these thought patterns and continue with our day-to-day life.
Imagine, if there is truth in what our ancestors told us, if there is something called enlightenment, if there is a different purpose to our existence, and we spend a majority of our life pursuing goals in the material realm, which then holds negligible significance. Wouldn’t it be such a waste?
I embarked on my own journey (from high school) to discover answers to some of these questions through the practices of the Heartfulness Institute. They are a spiritual organization that teaches aspirants across the globe to meditate. Read More
I urge you to not dismiss these questions and thought patterns the next time they come to your mind. Pay attention to them, as you would to your career and relationship goals. Why waste your youth and adult life on materialistic goals and then spend your old age seeking these answers. Why not start now? Today?
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