Life is full of surprises. By surprises I mean, both happy events and unexpected challenges and trials. Thus, as sure as the sun rises every morning, it is inevitable to view its setting late in the afternoon to bring forth the magnificence of the mysterious night. There are natural occurrences and events which could not be prevented; yet, there are also situations that are totally unplanned. The biggest truth about life is that despite its vicissitudes, people go on living to fulfill their real purpose in life – to be an instrument of positive transformation in the lives of others.
/>
Rick Warren wrote in his best-selling book entitled “The Purpose Driven Life” that the most basic question people ask is this: “What on earth am I here for? What is my purpose? Why am I alive?” . According to Warren, people are here on earth to serve five distinct purposes in life: for God’s pleasure, for God’s family, to become like Christ, to serve God, and to fulfill a mission . Of course, those who have not read Warren’s book would aver that one’s purpose in life is to simply live it to the fullest. Some would naturally say that the purpose is to set personal and professional goals and to work hard to achieve these. Others might aver that the goal is simply to finish one’s educational pursuit, to get a job, as well as to earn, save, and be merry. These assertions identify the purpose as self-gratification: aiming to strive towards serving personal interests only.
Not true. I strongly believe that people exist for a deeper purpose. The biggest truth about life is that people have been created to co-exist with others as caretakers of each other and of Mother Earth. There is the common adage that “no man is an island; entire of itself any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind” . Therefore, I am only enriched in so far as I am able to enrich the lives of others. As such, man’s purpose in life is to share the knowledge gained to those who are least fortunate to gain the needed theoretical and conceptual frameworks that would be needed in any productive livelihood. Likewise, by gaining enough training and development, the honing of personal and professional skills should be applied towards improving the welfare of those we get to interact with. There is no happiness in self-grandiosity. As learned, “a grandiose person may appear to be rude and boastful. Naturally, this makes it difficult to make new friends and current relationships are strained” . Thus, man only becomes happy when life with shared with others – especially with a special someone who is regarded as worthy of one’s love.
In retrospect, the biggest truth about life is that despite its unpredictable nature, people learn to adapt and adjust to diverse experiences. In fact, people make their own choices which determine the outcome of selected decisions. Whether we fail or succeed, the important thing is that we tried. In man’s diversity, we learn to accept and respect that people have separate values and beliefs that provide a direction for living. When we have achieved the goal believed to be set for us, only then could we affirm that we finally understood that the biggest truth about life is that we have lived it to be an inspiration in uplifting the lives of others.
Works Cited
Donne, John. "No Man Is An Island Quotes." 2014. goodreads.com. 5 December 2014 <http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/6791114-no-man-is-an-island>.
Droogendijk, Daniel. "Grandiosity." 30 January 2009. bipolardisordersymptoms.info. 5 December 2014 <http://www.bipolardisordersymptoms.info/bipolar-symptoms/grandiosity.htm>.
Lavengood, Kara. "Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California." 2014. The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. 5 December 2014 <http://www.cbn.com/700club/features/cow/Saddleback_LakeForestCA_COW122.aspx?option=print>.
Warren, Rick. "The Purpose Driven Life." 2002. MyChristianWalk.org. 5 December 2014 <http://www.mychristianwalk.org/PurposeDrivenLife.pdf>.
