One of humanities deepest and most profound questions. Why are we here?
Who created us? What is our purpose? Is it all just randomness? Or is it something else? Surely this cannot be a probabilistic anomaly. We must be here for a reason. What is that reason though? And how do we find out?
These are not easily answered questions and many people spend a life long journey trying to understand their reason for existence themselves. Yet throughout history we have seen the emergence of guides, leadership and revelation. All attempting to direct us to the truth. We are here for a reason.
It has become trendy and a mainstream idea to reject these truths. To rebel against our very nature and ignore the evolutionary nature of our being. We did not create ourselves, we were created. Through whatever process we have come into existence and we are part of a larger universe that also obeys the order of a formulaic pattern that is beyond our comprehension.
In an attempt to occupy ourselves for entertainment and the desire for “happiness” and “freedom” we have built castles upon castles of consumerism. We are a society chasing our every desire and whim, enthralled with film, television, toys and activities that have only emerged in the past centuries. Yet in a time before that, man’s focus was on being part of an ecosystem, to play it’s role and to deeply contemplate our reason for being. This is now lost.
How do we get back to that? How do we get back to true meaningful existence? Do we even want to? Are we content with the palaces of consumerism we’ve built ourselves? Are people truly happy? Are they truly content? Depression and suicide rates are at all time highs. People are chasing wealth, status and the self in the hope of achieving bliss yet none of it satisfies them. It is the pursuit of more, more, more where more will never be enough.
So what then? What is the answer? I am not here to provide that to anyone. Like everyone else, I am on a journey, one of self discovery and to attain knowledge that will help me reach to the true reason for existence.
Yet I would be remiss if I did not share my own experiences in this. It’s my duty, and I feel obligated to those who are suffering or who have suffered the way I did in the past. I will tell you that the pursuit of money, wealth and status will never make you happy, that it will never be enough and in all truth it will likely make your suffering even worse. Because once you attain those things, then what? They will service your immediate worldly needs, but they will not solve that deep philosophical question burning a hole in your cerebral cortex. Why am I here?
This life is a test. That is my belief. It is a test of your moral character, of your judgement and values. Ultimately it is a test of your actions and whether you are worthy of attaining a place in the light of eternity outside of this place.
This life is temporary. We are born and then we die. But where were we before? And where will we go after this? This is not something we have direct knowledge of outside of guidance that has come in the form of messengers.
Who are the messengers? The messengers are people like you and I who were given divine guidance by the creator. They are thought to be the best of people and were sent to each community as a warning and to relay the message.
What is the message? The message is that there is only one creator and we were put on this earth to worship him. What is meant by worship? To live our lives in accordance with his rules, to obey him and to praise his being.
What or who is the creator? The creator is the source of truth. The origin of all things. The master of the day of judgement and to whom we will return.
What is the day of judgement? It is a period of time in which all of mankind will be judged for their actions on earth and to be rewarded or punished for those actions. It is neither a single day nor something we can delay.
When will this occur? At the end of times. Something no one can know.
Why should I believe any of this? It’s not my place to tell you to believe or not. It’s just my duty as a Muslim to share my experiences and beliefs, something I was not previously capable or willing to do. Know that I was a deeply unhappy person who went through tremendous suffering and overtime found my way back to the source of truth.
I am by no means a scholar, prophet or rightly guided person. I am however by the merits of society, a well educated, well paid, technologist who has earned the respect of others in his field and contributed what I could back to society.
This is not meant as a convincing argument to the existence of God or what is right or wrong. This is a reflection of my 37 years on earth which has led to me re-evaluating my purpose in life. I have always believed but I was also always afraid of society’s judgemental nature. We have the freedom to choose to believe and do whatever we want as long as it’s in accordance with laws and rules defined by our societies. But not everyone has this choice.
There are regions of the world in which your political and religious beliefs are brought into question, or denied entirely. There are places in the world where your freedoms are taken from you beyond this also. Your freedom of speech, your freedom of movement, your freedom to earn a living and live peacefully. We are blessed to be in regions of the world that grant us the freedoms to choose how we live our lives on day to day basis, but not everyone is so lucky.
Why am I saying all this? It goes back to the root question. Why are we here? Why are we here if not to help each other? Why are we here if not to ensure that each human being on this earth has the same rights and freedoms as every other? Why are we here if not to ensure that there is no difference between the services provided to people of different means, colours and races.
Surely every human being on this earth should be given the same rights and freedoms? Yet here we are, sitting in complete ignorance, avoiding what we know to be true, denying the injustices of the world. That not everyone is free. That we are doing nothing to solve these problems. That we are content in our consumeristic lives which exist only for the betterment of ourselves and no one else. This is not a call to action to the reader. It is a reminder to myself that I am not doing enough. And if I am not doing enough, then no one else will do anymore than I am doing. This is the only truest statement. If I am not doing enough, then I cannot expect anyone to do any better.
We are here for a reason. And our time will one day come to an end. Whether your reason for existence is the same as mine does not matter. What matters is how we spend our time on earth while we’re here. We have to help those who are less fortunate than us. We have to fix what’s wrong with this planet. We have to fix what’s wrong with our broken democratic systems and capitalist societies that only make the rich richer and leave out those suffering the most. We have an opportunity to change this world but we’re too lazy to do anything, we leave it to the self selecting few to decide for the rest of us how the world will continue to be shaped. This has to change. We have to change.
We can do more, we should do more. Our reason for existence is more than what we’ve come to know now. We are blinded by the self. Now is the time more than ever to start thinking what we can do for others first and foremost.
Servitude is a gateway to freedom. It is the path through which we can seek salvation and break free of the shackles of tyranny. It is not a mindset that’s easily attained. In fact, the self fights the concept of servitude. Especially in modern day living as we are more and more focused on the desires of self.
Servitude is by and far the best way to attain happiness, joy, and to fulfil our reason for being. Again whether you believe or not. Servitude is a life long struggle that society has come to know as a path to enlightenment. It is what has taken people from deep unhappiness to being wholly gratified in serving the needs of others. We are not wired to serve others, but it is the answer to the question, why are we here.