What Is The Purpose of Life? Hope, Happiness and Joy Stem from It--Great Thinkers Offer Answers
Posted: Friday, September 25, 2009
by Steve Kovacs
The Kovacs Perspective
At one time in their lives, every man and woman has asked themselves what the purpose of life is. The first humans who walked the planet pondered the question and in today's day and age, people still wonder. I suppose those dealing with depression may ask themselves more than others, however, at one time or another you, me and everyone else has asked what the purpose of life is.
There is no particular order to the quotes; however, they all deal with life's purpose, directly or indirectly:
- Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it. Siddhartha Gautama
- Never forget that the purpose for which a man lives is the improvement of the man himself, so that he may go out of this world having, in his great sphere or his small one, done some little good for his fellow creatures and labored a little to diminish the sin and sorrow that are in the world. William E. Gladstone
- Regarding Jesus saying: I come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Bible-John 10:10 Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next. Jonas Salk
- The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. Zeno
- Nature is an unlimited broadcasting station, through which Godspeaks to us every hour, if we only will tune in. George Washington Carver
- Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time. M arian Wright Edelman
- Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love. Rumi
- A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how". Victor Frankel
- Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in life has a purpose. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Everyone has a purpose or several purposes. Moreover, everyone has the ability to find and understand his or her unique personal purpose. If you are one of those who are asking yourself that age-old question, I hope something in this article pulled you in the right direction.
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Top-level comments on this article: (6 total)Great article, Steve.One cannot practce self-loathing and fulfill their purpose. Thanks for the poignant reminder.Great point! Thanks for reading my article(s) and commenting--your comments are always "good stuff".
Great article. Well done.Some powerfull quotes that we may never know if they are correct. I wish someone would tell me the answer as the suspense is killing me.Pretty funny Connor you should be on TV or radio!
We seem to all have a purpose in life, finding that purpose can be difficult.good article SteveYes I agree--I think many if not most people have a big problem with finding purpose in their lives--it's there though. Thanks for dropping a line Dave.
In many ways I feel I am still looking for my purpose. It's a journey. :)I think you are right on with that comment!--Thanks for the comment.
hi steve,i think our purpose changes through life. first, it's our job to get good grades and get through school, then we get jobs and rent apartments or buy houses, then get married, have kids, and play that role. however, through all the different stages, there should be love and caring and altruism shown to all. wouldn't that be a novel idea?thanks for sharing this,my best to you,sueHey Sue, you wrote a good mini-article with your comments--lots of good stuff in your comment!--Thanks...SteveThis reminds me ever so much of a Shakespeare dialogue in which Jaques (As You Like It) tries to explain life and the world that we live in. He states that throughout life we must play many parts and in your case you said that we play different roles. He says that we start out as an infant in our mothers arms and next a schoolboy creeping unwillingly to school then a lover making a woeful ballad to his mistress. The next role he mentions is a soldier full of strange oaths. And then the Justice, with fair round belly and good capon lined. With eyes severe and beard of formal cut. But then the six age shifts into the lean and slippered pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and puch on side. His big manly voice turning again towards childish treble, pipes and whistles. And he continues to explain that we live and that we die and that that is the way life is and that our purpose is to play many roles.
This is a great piece. Everyone should strive to achieve wisdom (or at least harmony) by following some of the quotes you listed. Living in agreement with nature is a great one. Thanks for sharing this.Thanks for reading and writing Mike...
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