Today my good friend Mike sent out a mass text asking what [people] thought the purpose of existence was. Now, this is a kind of heavy question for a Valentine's Day afternoon -- particularly when I was busy pondering my singularity -- and, I'll have to admit, isn't a topic I frequently think about. I've always been an advocate of Free Thought, and therefore don't waste time trying to come up with universal answers.
However, as I looked down at this text message, my own personal answer to this question kind of smacked me in the brain. I came to the realization that, as far as I'm concerned, the purpose of existence is to discover and become one with truth.
Now, I know that concept sounds a little New Age-y -- a little metaphysical, and not necessarily in a sane way. So, allow me to explain.
Last semester I read an incredible book called The Choice, which was published by Arbinger, an "institute that helps organizations, families, individuals, and communities solve the problems created by self-deception." This particular publication is all about being true to ourselves by unifying our actions with our sense of right and wrong. The Arbinger Institute claims that, by acknowledging and implementing a moral code, our behavior acts as a promotion of our ideology -- and, conversely, when we choose to do something wrong, we betray ourselves because we are betraying what we know to be right.
Taking this into consideration, I have to say that I think that the purpose of life is the constant struggle of trying to unify our actions with the truth of ourselves. This isn't something that is easily accomplished, but I believe that such honesty (with ourselves and with the outside world) is absolutely necessary for any sort of spiritual progression -- which is what we're talking about, when push comes to shove.
I also think that such discoveries cannot be made without questioning our belief systems. I know many who claim it is unhealthy to allow any room for doubt, but, in my experience, curiosity can be extremely beneficial. After all, curiosity implies that you care enough to find the answers out on your own. Curiosity implies that you are genuinely interested in the truth.
Anyway, that's my big psycho-spiritual exploration for the day. Hopefully it's of some interest to someone out there, haha.
