Has your inner soul ever pinched you to know what the point of living? Have you questioned yourself about the purpose of your life?
You might have a little knowledge of it, or you may not have any answers at all.
You will find some people who have passed their entire life without recognizing their ground of life. This cause may be the prime reason for their unfulfillment, depression, and anxiety.
Similarly, if you do not know the reasons behind your actions, then why should you dump yourself into the never-ending war zone of life.
Therefore, in today’s article, we will unfold the truth underlying the meaning, purpose, and point of living. Besides, you will have a clear vision about the dos and don’ts while identifying your purpose.
So, let’s begin!
What Does Life Stand For You?
You should know about life before we start discussing the point of living. Simply speaking, life is the spirit that keeps us alive. Every living thing around you bears life.
Before we can discuss the purpose of life, it is important to establish our understanding of life itself, and from there, why we seek purpose in life.
So what is life? Without getting too much into the philosophy of it, life is everything that is alive.
Everyone you know is a carrier of life. Every person, every child, every man and woman. Billions of years ago life had been given to earth and it had evolved with the passage of time.
One species sprouted and another extinct from the history of the world. There has always been a way to preserve life.
Why Does Life Never Stop?
The heavenly characteristic of life is that it finds its way to survive one way or another. It’s mighty struggle never stops.
The world has experienced 5 extinction periods. The worst one happened over 250 million years ago, causing death to 70% of land dwellers and 96% of marine life. But surprisingly enough, we are still breathing.
Isn’t it a miracle? Besides, our exceptional structure of the brain makes us the supreme species in the animal kingdom.
We are not meant to spend our lives only by eating, reproducing, and staying safe. As human beings, we speak, laugh, interact with one another, love, and live in a community.
We live to dream and share our dream, work to get better, create and share the opportunity, discover our meaning of existence, and share it with others.
Now, the question is why we feel and desire more than any other living species in this world. Why are we struggling to see the point of life? What is the point of it all?
Here, we have focused on some common reasons of all these questions. Let’s dig deeper to have a clear understanding.
Our Struggle Signifies Something Greater
Throughout our whole life, we struggle and dwell with hardship, pain, and pangs. Whenever we achieve anything, whatever small or big in this perilous journey, we celebrate them to forget the years of unhappiness and discomfort.
Staying focused and organized on this battlefield of life is very challenging. Here comes the purpose of life that shows you the way like the shining stars in the darkness of night. It provides you the reason to fight forth despite your body and mind may allure you to put an end to your struggle.
Fear of The Ultimate Ending of Life
Who does not fear death? Every single living being must have its taste one day or the other. You know this inevitable truth, but you do not know when your time will come. This fear always haunts you.
The time you pass in this world is like a water drop in the sea of human history. Whatever you do in your life and whoever you love will be forgotten in eternity after your death.
Therefore, your limited life span creates a sense of purpose and stimulates you to find the meaning of life if you die. Besides, it helps you to deal with the fear of death and enjoy your short life cycle with a smile.
The Power of Rationality
It is the sense of judgment and responsibility that separates us from the whole living world. We are bestowed with supreme characteristics like self-awareness, cogitation, and many more.
We can dream, act accordingly, and foresee our future in such a way that no animal species can. But why are we blessed with these talents and abilities? What’s the point of being alive as a man?
It connotes there must be a greater purpose in life. We are not sent into this world just to live and die like other animals. This is the point of living that urges us to carry on life generations after generations.
The Four Main Doctrines of Determining The Meaning and Point of Living
When we aspire to find out the meaning of life, we look back to philosophies and try to perceive whatever the great thinkers have explained about it. Friedrich Nietzsche had elucidated the meaning of life saying this,
The question of whether life has meaning is a meaningless one because whatever meaning it might have could never be understood by those who are living it.
Friedrich Nietzsche
However, the Stanford Dictionary of Philosophy by Thaddeus Metz has stated about the four main ideologies of establishing the meaning and point of living and life. Let’s have a look at them!
God-Centered Ideology
This ideology has been developed centering around God and the religions. The people who believe in God, seek all sorts of help and inspirations for Him. They try to realize the point of living following the paths shown by their religions.
Establishing a close relationship with the Creator is the main and foremost focus of living to the believers.
Soul-Centered Ideology
There are many people around you who do not believe in God and any type of religion. They seek meaning and purpose of living in spirituality.
They presume their souls exist forever after death. Thus, spiritual immortality is the motto of their life.
Naturalist – Objectivist
You will find two different schools of thought regarding the naturalist. One group is the objectivists, and the other is the subjectivists.
Absolute trusts across life are the major concern for the objectivists. They clinch to their trusts and seek the meaning of life.
Some conclude that if they lead a virtuous life universally, it will lead them to live a meaningful life.
Naturalist – Subjectivist
On the other hand, the subjectivists believe that the point and meaning of life sprouts from the mind. As a result, individual decisions will determine the purpose and meaning of living.
According to this ideology, if you think that your mind has found a meaning that represents your point of living, then it is the meaning of life for you. However, if you want to change the state of your mind, read the following article.
23 Unique Ways to Change Your State of Mind
5 Mistakes to Avoid When Discovering the Purpose of Your Life
You may often make mistakes while figuring out the point of living. These may lead you to complete ignorance of your purpose. So, here we have discovered some aspects that must be avoided.
1. Pursuing Someone Else’s Path
As you live in society, there are many people around you, and you may get inspired by an individual’s life. His or her way of life may tempt you, and you may start copying everything that they have done to reach their goals.
Even you may have set the same targets they accomplished. But you should remember one thing before doing it. None is similar in this world. Your potentialities may exceed even further than the individuals whom you are willing to follow blindly.
Pursuing them in such a way will not assure your success rather it may lead you to failure. You won’t be able to find out your own purpose. They will darken your vision.
So, the best thing you can do is not to chase the paths that are not meant for you. It’s all about your life, and do not waste it by hunting someone else’s prey.
2. Stop Overlooking The Inevitable
The greatest mistake you may encounter is that ignoring the obvious. Sometimes, it happens you overlook the purpose of life. Even you could not realize it before it is too late. So, what the point of living to you?
3. Thought of Living Through Your Career
The most significant thing that you should avoid while identifying your point of living is not to think of your career only. Though attaining a prestigious position in business or job is an integral part of your life, it is not all.
Blind pursuit of a career may throw your credentials into the pit of darkness. You should do something that will bring satisfaction and happiness in your life apart from work.
Cultivates healthy habits, hobbies, or projects to make your life meaningful.
However, if you are eager to know about the difference between career and profession, read the following article.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CAREER VS. PROFESSION YOU SHOULD KNOW
4. Concentrate On Personal Achievement Only
Sometimes, we are so indulged in our personal success that we forget about others, and this is the mistake you may commit. Though discovering the purpose and point of your life is your own voyage, it is not solely an isolated one. Rather it is a curious mixture between you and the people around you.
Your success may impact millions of people if you do not confine it within yourself. Your skills may bring about a positive change worldwide.
Therefore, stop thinking of your own accomplishment. For example, if you work in a team, try to grab the pinnacle of success as a unified whole because teamwork can make the dream work. When you can contribute to others, you will find the true purpose of your life.
5. Wishing for an Easy Process
Finding the meaning and focus of life is not an easy task. Some tend to find it out in a moment while others may take years for the same thing.
If you can figure it out yet, no need to push it. Just take time and relax. Most importantly, consider the process as a learning opportunity. You will get it sooner than your expectation.
5 Essential Ways to Find The Point of Living
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Listen To Your Inner Soul
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Budget Time for Yourself
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Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
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Accept Feedback Cordially
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Follow Your Instinct
How do we die of old age?
Aging bodies bring aging cells. These cells are unable to uphold and repair as they once get aged. There are different sorts of death, but people die from injury or illness.
How long does the brain remain awakened after death?
The brain appears to save ischemic injury quicker than any other organ. Without proper treatment, after the flow is restarted, full restoration of the brain after more than 3 minutes of clinical death at normal body heat is rare.
Is the purpose of life to be happy?
The purpose of life is whether to be happy or not- it’s a relative term. Some people think– it is to be serviceable, to be important, to be merciful. But contentment is key to every meaning along.
Does life have any meaning?
Life is meaningful, and its value is created by us in our minds. The meaning also gets changed over time. Life is essentially a sense of the below points:
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Relations
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Creativity
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Achievement in a given field, or
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Kindness
What do philosophers say about the point of living?
According to philosophers around the world, the point of life is to create your own meaning, not something that is given to you by a higher power.
Wrapping Up What The Point of Living
To sum up, life must have a purpose so that you can go ahead. Without meaning and definite goals in life, you will only beat in the bush.
So, find your purpose, go for it, and have a meaningful life.
If you have any questions relating to “what the point of living”, please feel free to share your opinion in the comment section. And share the article with your near and dear ones if you find it beneficial.