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Vol. 2 07 / 2001 |
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The Purpose of
Life
The whole universe is a vast battlefield. Existence is nothing but a continuous
struggle, molecules against molecules, atoms against atoms, electrons against
electrons and so on and within the physical system itself it is a big
battleground. The mind itself is the
biggest battlefield.
The man who is not at peace with him cannot be at peace with the
world, and external wars have to continue in order to hide the fact from
individuals that the real war is within.
The most importance prayer of mankind today is for peace, but there can
be no peace in this war-torn world until the conflicts of man with himself are
ended.
People who are thirsty for power, wealth and are intoxicated
with jealousy and greed always create troubles and often try to justify their cruel
acts by taking nonsense in the name of peace and justice. We are living in a make-believe world, which
appears physical united but mentally divided, and at times mentally united but
physically divided.
"Life wastes itself while we are preparing to live",
says one learned man. "Sickness,
old age, and miseries are the payment we are making for occupying this body of
ours as a house". Then, "we have to pay the price of fear and worry
for creating selfish desire" or "Birth of a person is the birth of sorrow. The longer he lives the more stupid he
becomes. His thirst for survival in the
future makes him incapable of living in the present", say another Chinese
philosopher.
So, what is the purpose of LIFE? Is this a common question that people often ask?
It is not easy to give a satisfactory answer to this apparently
simple and yet complex question.
Although some people have given certain answers, according to their way
of thinking, it seems that they are not very satisfactory answer to the
intellectuals. The reason is that they
have not learned to see life objectively and to understand the proper
perspective of life. They have created
imaginations in their own minds about life according to their understanding
capacity. At the same time we also know
that many religious teachers, great philosophers, well-known poets and great
thinkers are also not satisfied about life.
When we read what they have to say about life, it would appear that some
of them, too, are unable to give a clear picture of life.
Some people say that there is no specific purpose in life and
that it can be utilized for any purpose.
Based on this theory there is something for us to ponder over wisely: To
make use of life for the purposes beneficial to ourselves as well as to others instead
of wasting it for unnecessary things.
In this manner, the purpose of life can be said to be dependant on the
way we handle and use it. If we mis-use
it by violating good humane qualities, by disgracing human dignity and
committing immoral practices, or by giving in to our human weaknesses, it is
impossible for us to achieve something worth-while in our life. But on the other hand, if we act wisely by
observing universally accepted moral and ethical principles such as exercising
patience, tolerance, sympathy, humility and kindness, as well as renders some
service to others and train the mind to be unbiased, then we should be able to
achieve something noble and beneficial to all.
Those who cultivate such virtues would experience peace, happiness, calmness
and satisfaction. Life would then be
worthwhile living! That type of life
would be more meaningful and beneficial to everybody.
Vvd Magazine
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Please send your feedback to phutavanthu@yahoo.com
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2001 21:50:58 -0700
From: duc nguyen
To: Nghia Thi Do
Subject: Re: bao so 2
Chi Nghia: Toi da doc rat ky bai nay " The Purpose of
life". Thua Chi, toi xin trich y
kien sau day cua Richard Brooks " If it was a worthwhile fight, it did not
matter who won; some good was sure to come of it." Trong cuoc doi, chung ta phai tranh dau de
duoc binh yen trong tam hon do la dieu toi uoc mong. Fighting to have peace in my mind. In fighting, I learn how to
forgive and to forget, to love and to care for the others. That is the goal of
my life.
....
Duc