There’s got to be a purpose for our lives. Some point. Some meaning. Something that separates us from the apes.
Right?
For centuries, so many people have been absolutely certain there’s a reason for our existence, and all we need to do is find it.
We're here to be the best we can be, or to add value, or to help others, or to grow, learn, attain, reach potential… or… something.
We can’t be living only to live, to experience this Now.
No, we need a reason. Otherwise why bother being here at all?
Although... it doesn’t seem like bacteria or dust mites or dolphins struggle over, “What’s the point of being alive? If I don't have purpose, maybe I shouldn’t be.”
In fact without human intervention, other creatures seem to be pretty darned content. You only need a few minutes on You-tube to see all those goats, cows, chickens, puppies, kittens, birds, snakes, elephants, tigers, lions, hedgehogs, whales, dolphins and squirrels experiencing the present without a purpose and doing just fine.
They all seem to be pointlessly making do, experiencing existence as is, present, non judgmental, and enough.
Which sounds suspiciously like what an awful lot of spiritual seekers have been trying to achieve for ages. And here are all those lesser, non-human species already doing it.
Huh.
Yet we humans are certain we’re more and better than just the beasts. We’re different. We need more than just experience for its own sake.
As a result, we get to have the suffering-about-lack-of-meaning market all to oursleves. Other creatures don’t hurt this particular way. Just lucky us.
Because as it turns out, needing a purpose feels awful. Lacking a point in life comes with confusion, angst, existential debate, and failure.
All of which is even more distinctly-human suffering. It’s the extra-suffer cherry on top of dissatisfaction, when we insist there’s a lifelong purpose to sperm and egg connecting randomly.
I mean, if we compare needing a point to not-needing a point... Let's see- Just being, simply because we are, vs. Being here to accomplish something, achieve something or figure something out. Which is more peaceful?
Duh.
Are we so sure we want that obligation? It’s miserable.
And since no one knows for sure whether there actually is a purpose to our existence, other than by the insistent conviction of stray human thoughts…
Well then, why not go where the peace is?
Because it could very well be that human life really is not more important than other life forms, and really not about anything. It could very well be that we're simply here to live and experience, with no because or why or reason at all.
Life may always have been just a random present-only experience happening, for us just like all the others on this shared planet. We just may not have noticed.
Noticing now though, can let us off the hook finally, with no need for self-blame, failure, fault and seeking. Nothing to measure up to, nothing missing, nothing lacking.
Ahhh. Relief.
A relief that might be what truth looks like.
So that, unencumbered by finding meaning, purpose or point, we can just be alive. Just experiencing, just because. Without seeking, without improvement, without attaining.
Yeah.
Yay.
Whew.
What’s for dinner?
