Feljun
B. Fuentes
Have you ever asked these questions to
yourself: “What am I doing here?” “Where is my life heading to?” “What am I
supposed to accomplish in life?” Questions such as these demand profound
reflection in order for us to arrive at the fundamental answers concern our
reason of being.
Our reason for being refers to the
essence and purpose of our earthly existence. This is what people have been
striving to understand and search for since time immemorial. It has preoccupied
the minds of countless thinkers and philosophers even from the earliest times.
Its impact had inspired one great Greek philosopher to say, “The unexamined
life is not worth living.”
If
we are to address this vital issue during our dying state, by all means, it
will be too late. By that time, nothing else could be done to alter the
consequences of our past, should we find out that our life is headed for a
tragic end. We, therefore, have to resolve this matter while we are still alive
and able to act. In fact, the Bible says:
“Listen, my child, be wise and give serious thought to the
way you live.” (Prov. 23:19, Today’s English Version)
But, we ordinarily observe people
finding life’s meaning in different ways. Some find it in simply living
routinely by the day, without bothering at all about life’s meaning and
purpose. Others claim that they have clear and definite goals in life and have
kept working to succeed in achieving them. Still others seem confused and are
continuously searching for life’s true meaning. But, there are also those who
find their life’s meaning in improving the lives of others and in contributing
their efforts in making the world a better place to live. These are but some of
the ways by which people like us find meaning in their life.
Moreover, there are those who
obviously don’t have a clear –cut meaning, and purpose in life, yet believe
that they have lived their life quite well and that it is a tedious exercise to
even just think about life’s meaning and purpose.
As human beings, we are endowed with
reason, free will, and the freedom of choice. But, these faculties should not
lead us to misconstrue life’s true meaning as what has happened to some who
considered themselves as the master s of their own destiny. For us not to be
misled in the search for our reason for being, we ought to be wholly centered
on God who is the real source of life. The Bible says:
“After all this, there is only one thing to say: Have
reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we are
created for.” (Eccl. 12:13, Ibid.)
“Worship the Lord
with joy; come before him with happy songs!
“Acknowledge that the Lord
is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, we are his flock.”
(Ps. 100:2-3, Ibid.)
The true essence and purpose of our
existence then is to be sought in the fulfillment of that single purpose---to
honor and worship the Almighty God throughout our days. We ought to fulfill
this purpose on top of our priorities as long as we live. When we die, we can
longer fulfill the purpose of our existence, because the dead can never worship
or praise God:
“The Lord is
not praised by the dead, by any who go down to the land of silence. But we, the
living, will give thanks to him now and forever. Praise the Lord!” (Ps. 115:17-18, Ibid.)
Therefore, while living, we ought to
honor the Lord God and love Him above all by remaining faithful to His
commandments (Mt. 22:23-38; I Jn. 5:3). We should let reverence for the Lord be
the primary concern of our life (Prov. 23:17). By doing these, we are able to
fulfill the ultimate purpose of our existence-our reason for being. (: