What is the point of life? What’s the purpose of life? What is the purpose of living if a minuscule virus can bring the entire world to a standstill? The answer may be a bit complicated, unsatisfactory, and often unrewarding.
Is life purposeless?
How can we live in this era of coronavirus? Yes, we can wear masks, wash our hands, stay home, maintain social distancing, and whatnot. But is this all that there is to life? Surviving?
What is the point of life if it is so delicate and frail? Before I start sounding more depressive, let me try to answer these questions that are bluntly staring at us right now.
The first step to understanding the purpose of life is to stop asking yourself “What is the point of life?” The point of life is to live and simply be.
“You see, the point of life is living. No need to make it any more complicated than that. No need to achieve a certain level of knowledge and understanding. No need to chase particular goals or dreams” writes Steve Phillips-Waller, author and founder of A Conscious Rethink.
He adds “All you have to do is find a way to stop placing so much emphasis on the need to do something, be someone, or feel something.”
It all sounds good in theory, but how do you “live” when there is a global pandemic going around? Although living might be a bit hard to do right now, the key to living life is to live in the present moment in every moment.
Read: 5 Things You Should Do When You Are At Your Lowest Point In Life
Life is fragile
Have you ever seen someone die? “Have you ever had to deal with a chronic disease slowly taking away a beloved one?,” asks shaman and author Rudá Iandê. It’s one thing to look at the coronavirus statistics, it’s a whole different experience to lose someone you love.
Death has a unique effect on us. And when you experience the death of a loved one, it changes you forever. This is exactly when you ask yourself – “What is the point of life?” And the point of our existence in this world.
“We all lose people we’re close to if we stick around long enough ourselves. This is an inconvenient truth of life. There is a fragility to it,” explains author and entrepreneur Carl Phillips.
Life offers no guarantees. There is no scheduled amount of time that you have in your hands. There is no way to know how long you or your loved ones will live. But that’s the point. It’s because we don’t know how long we have to spend with our loved ones, we need to spend every available moment as positively as possible.
Sharing our innermost feelings and thoughts. Experiencing and enjoying life at this moment. However, it’s easier said than done.
Death is always a looming factor that can come in the way and affect us deeply. So what is the point of life? To live in the present moment. Death is inevitable. But until it’s here, we can live as much as we want to. And it has nothing to do with success or money.
Phillips adds “Facing up to the fragility of life can be scary. It can also be empowering. It can help us hold onto a perspective that supports us living a life rich with positive experiences. It can leave us with a conviction to make the most of our days.”
Read: How To Find A Purpose in Life and Give Your Life Meaning?
What is the point of life?
So what is the point of life if we all die anyway? What is the purpose of life if we suddenly end up dead anyway? The purpose of death is to live a full life and die with no regrets. But the problem with death is that it comes with certain uncertainty.
Rudá Iandê writes “We fear death not only because it threatens our survival. We fear it because it puts in check the meaning of all our dreams and purposes. Death puts in to check our most basic reasons for living.”
Death is only an aspect of life that we need to accept and acknowledge. From the pyramids of ancient Egypt and the Tibetan Book of Dead to the idea of heaven and hell in most religions, death was seen as a natural part and progression to life by our ancestors.
They approached death from different perspectives. “Real or not, positive or evil, at least such approaches existed. Our ancestors at least gave a place for death in their understanding of life,” adds Rudá.
However, today we have somewhat “banalized” death with our movies and media. Our lives have become so busy nowadays that we don’t pause for a moment to live, to think about our feelings regarding life and death. We live inside a hypothetical mental and emotional cocoon that protects us from such difficult thoughts and emotions.
“But facing the question of death and all the emotions hidden under its surface is one of the bravest and most productive things a human being can do,” explains Rudá. This is perhaps the most helpful and clear way to find the answer to the question “What is the point of life?”
Read: A Different Perspective on Life’s Purpose
Understanding your life’s purpose
Life is a constant struggle and we don’t even know when it might all end. So we keep asking ourselves again and again – what is the point of life? Shaman Rudá Iandê explains ‘The nature of life cannot be interpreted by our intellect. It will never make sense to our minds.”
Although we may never find a satisfactory answer, we may often find the truth right in front of us. It’s to just be ourselves and enjoy every moment while we are here.
The key is to observe and understand our instinctive & natural responses to various existential crises as that is exactly what defines who we are as human beings. Here are a few observations that Rudá believes can help us understand our attitude and behavior through life and death:
1. We have infinite individual power
We are fighters. We are warriors. And we are survivors. That is who we are at our core. We fight all our lives trying to overcome challenges and obstacles that life throws at us. Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn. We are here we are because we fought life. We are life warriors.
Rudá writes “Each of your skills, you’ve developed through effort. Nothing came for free… Our warrior spirit, combined with our creativity and ingenuity, makes us incredible beings!”
We, as a society and as individuals, have struggled at every stage and fought through everything to achieve the impossible. We have to live and thrive in a dangerous, wild, and unbelievably competitive world every single day. “And despite all the challenges around and within ourselves, we don’t stop our fight,” he adds.
We have inherent infinite power within us that makes us amazing. And irrespective of how worn down we may be, we can always tap into it.
Read: 7 Daily Habits To Help You Practice Mindfulness Effectively
2. Outcomes don’t matter, our actions do
One of the biggest problems with our mindset today is that we are more focused on the outcome than the process. Success is valued more than skill or effort. Such type of social mentality and behavior has made us highly stressed and anxious.
When we ask ourselves “What is the point of lie?” and include death into the equation, then all our achievements and successes become meaningless.
The only thing that matters, in the end, is how well you experienced life. It is your effort and your personal satisfaction that will matter more than your wins or losses.
Rudá explains that the joy, pride, and boost in self-confidence, self-esteem, and ego that comes with our accomplishments is nothing but fragile. He adds “It vanishes after a few days, if not hours. But you can focus on your actions, instead of on the results, and it can make all the difference in your life.”
The only thing that we truly have is the present moment. No matter how hard you try, you will never get to experience this very moment ever again. So the best way to live is to be mindful and make the most out of now.
“Real miracles happen when you stop trying to avoid your present,” he adds. It is crucial that we acknowledge our emotions in the present moment and open up to life. This will help us connect with others and be more compassionate.
“Your most precious asset is your present moment. It doesn’t matter how much you dream of a better life, don’t neglect the life you already have,” explains Rudá.
Read: 4 Ways to Find The Purpose Of Your Life
3. Love and respect yourself
We often look at life the way we look at ourselves. What we find within ourselves is what we seek in the outer world as well. So if you hold difficult emotions, negative thinking, envy, malice, and cruelty inside you, then you will only look at the chaotic and brutal aspects of life.
You will not be able to witness or experience how truly beautiful life is. And this is when you will begin asking yourself: “What is the point of life?” When you fill your heart and mind with positivity, you will open yourself to the beauty of life.
Rudá adds “You are nature, you are life. You are good and evil, constructive, and destructive at once. We human beings are transcendent creatures! We care, and we fight our own darkness. We want to be better.” But it’s alright if you fail to banish your inner darkness at times as long as you try your best.
Remember, it’s not about the outcome, but the process. You don’t need to feel guilty or blame yourself for it. Instead, you should choose to love and respect yourself. Be aware of your contribution to the world and find peace within you.
“Recognize and honor your efforts. Respect yourself so that you can stand in a place of power in your life,” explains Rudá.
Read: 5 Ways You Can Love Yourself When You Are Feeling Lost
The point of life is LIFE itself
Still wondering what is the point of life? The purpose of life is to live. To make memories. To love. To live in the moments that pass between your breaths. Life is about living in the present moment.
But what if there is no point in life? What if we are simply meant to be? Would that be so bad? To understand the answer to your question – “What is the point of life?” – you need to first stop asking yourself that and live instead.
Author Alfred James explains “The fact is: we don’t know what’s around the corner, what happens when we die or even the true extent of the control we have over our lives. But what we do know is that we have an awareness of being here now.”
And perhaps this is the only answer we have or even the only answer we need. Clinical psychologist Ana Nogales, Ph.D. writes “Death is waiting for each of us anyways; why call on it before our time?”
She adds “To live is to look at ourselves in the mirror and discover a message of love in our own eyes. To live is to allow ourselves to fall in love – with someone, with something, or with life itself.”
There will never be a satisfying or rewarding answer to this question. So the only thing we can do is life because life is too precious to waste. Go live it.
Read: How To Answer Your Calling And Find Your Life Purpose
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