The meaning of life

The Beatles conversed with a Guru on a mountain top in Nepal as they searched for the meaning of life. They returned still questioning in their own mind the purpose of their existence.

The hilarious Monty Python team, in attempting to fathom the problem in their film, did so by exploring the various stages of life starting at birth and finishing with a visit by the grim reaper. Sadly, while there was much to enjoy watching the movie, there was no definitive answer to the film’s title.

Throughout history the search for life’s meaning has occupied the minds of many people from different walks of life and different cultures. We have been given a wide variety of answers based on scientific, theological and philosophical speculation which leaves one wondering.

For those who believe in the God of our creation, they look for the answer through their personal understanding of God, the use of their free will and their belief in the afterlife. They look inwards to the existence of a soul and their interpretation of the difference between good and evil.

The scientific theories would probably be based more on facts about our survival within our universe, whereas many people would just see the need for happiness as their response to the question.

Whatever we conclude as our own understanding of the meaning of life, we should always remember when something is created it is always done so for a purpose. So maybe the simplistic answer as to why we are here and what is the meaning of our life lies in what the creator had in mind for us at the time of our creation.

The answer could be as simple as just trying to be the person our creator wanted us to be in this life. The emphasis here is on the word ‘trying’, for we all know no one is perfect. How this can be achieved is perhaps seeing our God as a God of goodness and love and then trying to emulate these qualities.

So, let’s be good, do good and love good.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.

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