Recognizing the Goal of Life

A common mistake is to equate the career goal as the goal of life but if we think about it for some time we can easily identify the fallacy. The career goal keeps changing in life. In school it was to study well and get first rank. In college to get admission in favorite branch, get good marks then get selected in good company. Then later it changed to get a good wife, good job. Then it was reaching the top in the company. Thus we can see that the career goals kept changing continuously. After achieving one goal it shifted to next and so on. Even when one reached the top there was an emptiness and new goals were subsequently created e.g to achieve power or to transfer the business to the sons to manage successfully. If we examine them, we can easily say that they were temporary goals , with a new goal replacing previous one at all times.

Can these be called goal of life ?

Before we answer this perhaps we should first define goal itself.

Should there be a goal in life ?

I am reminded of quote from a book called White Tiger :

“See, I was like that ass now. And all I would do, if I had children, was teach them to be asses like me, and carry rubble around for the rich. “

Is this not what we have been doing all along? Study , get education, job, family, business and teach the next generation to do the same. Is this what we have been born for ? What difference did it make if we were more richer or famous or powerful? Ultimately the end was the same.

In animals’ case the life is continuously a search for food or battle for survival. At present time we cannot comment if they think about life but scriptures do tell us of their search for the soul.

If we  consciously spend a little time thinking about it , it does not need a big rocket science to 

conclude that in simple terms all these lives can be called a waste without any meaningful purpose. In Jainism there is a simple term for it . It is called traversing in the 84 lakhs yonis. Because this is precisely a person does. Taking endless births into 84 lakhs birth places belonging to one to five sensed creatures. A look at Panch Paravartan in this blog will tell us how we spend time in these births.

Do we want it to be different ? Do we want this cycle to end ? If such a desire or thought has come into the mind then congratulate yourselves. At least a beginning has been made. There are a countless people who will ignore it and continue with what they are doing.

What is this goal of life we are talking about?

The goal of life should not be temporary like a career goal wherein after achieving it one has to set a different goal. Here it should be such a goal where the cycle stops. Time moves no further and still one should be able to experience the satisfaction and happiness which is felt when a career goal is accomplished, on a permanent basis. Where one desires no more because all desires are fulfilled. Where one does not want to know any more because all is known. Surely if such a goal exists , it is worth craving for and worth spending a life time for. Incidentally this goal is called Moksha.

Two things have prevented our acceptance of such a solution:

1.       Doubt on the possibility of its existence.

2.       Doubt on the possibility of our ability or the means to achieve it.

To resolve this problem we can proceed in the following manner :

1.       Let us say such a state of Moksha does not exist. Then it would mean there are no karmas either because people are not bound by it. It means there is no checks and balances system in the universe which accounts for our deeds and therefore no accountability. It would imply the Charvak system which preached to borrow from the neighbour and enjoy because there is no tomorrow. In other sense the universe is anarchical. It accepts only present life as the only life and nothing beyond it. Further it  believes only what is visible. If one seriously believes the system to be like this then he has no cause for complaint to anybody. Whom to complain for and what to complain about ? Although there are quite a few followers of such philosophy in the world, it also implies that  a Moksha does not exist for them , nor do they desire it. Hence they do not even need to read any further. ( They will believe when there time comes)

2.       Most of us  accept that such a Moksha may exist since inherently we do feel that there is order in the universe, although it may appear chaotic. After all humans are born with eyes in the same place !! Surely there is a system controlling it .Of course there are quite a few philosophies floating about on the subject of soul, universe, God etc. However the subject of this article was not to preach any specific philosophy but to set a goal of life. We are  unable to set Moksha as the goal of life, even if we believe it be existent, because we are not confident about the means or our ability.

The solution to this problem lies in identifying how desperately we want it. If we

have still not had enough of this world, then we are likely to remain lethargic because somewhere in our heart we still want to indulge in pleasures of senses , enjoying the affairs of the world. However if we feel that this universe is full of miseries and pleasures are illusionary then it is time to break free and re-examine the goals of life. It implies firstly accepting that there is a problem and then search for the answers. In fact the biggest problem has been that the people have been hesitant to ask questions. If we seriously want to make effort then we should not shy from asking probing and uncomfortable questions about religions. Do not believe anyone just by reputation or wealth or success. Believe what convinces you. Further analyse if the preacher has any of his own objectives behind preaching because in today’s environment even the religion has become an object of sale.

                Once such a goal has been set for life then it does not change at any stage. Goal is the Moksha and the means have to be found. The path is not easy but a beginning would have been made. It may take numerous births but then if we read panch paravartan  we will not mind it at all. Career goals may keep changing but the life goal stays lit like a lighthouse guiding the way for the ship of life in this ocean of endless travel. Happy journey.