The essence of our being? Why are we given life? Saint Gregory the Theologian: “We received existence in order to prosper; and prospered after they received being; we were entrusted with paradise to enjoy; a commandment was given to us, so that by keeping it, we would earn glory.” But we already come to a rather vicious world, often paying for the sins of our parents. It is impossible to prosper properly in the world. As a result, a person dies and, as a result of inevitable worldly sinfulness, will be doomed to eternal torment. What is all this for? Natalia.
Archpriest Mikhail Samokhin answers:
Hello. Natalia!
Life is given to man in order to serve God. Indeed, prosperity, paradise, glory were originally intended for man, but people themselves rejected all this at the time of the fall. And now a person needs to cleanse his soul and devote his whole life to drawing closer to God. You will prosper only when you feel God, prayerfully communicate with Him, rejoice in His presence in your life. I do not agree with you that we are paying for the sins of our parents. According to the teaching of the Church, everyone is responsible for their own sins. We inevitably reap the consequences of sin. Sin in this sense is like a disease that, to one degree or another, infects everything that surrounds a person. I also disagree with the statement about the inevitability of sin. There are always righteous and saints in the Church, it's just that in our times the Lord provides providentially hides them. Pray that the Lord will open the possibility of salvation for you and show you your path in life.
Sincerely, Archpriest Mikhail Samokhin.
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Hello, Dear friends! Today I want to talk to you about life and its meaning.
Sooner or later our earthly journey will end. You can see for yourself how fast days, weeks, months fly by. It seems that there is still a lot of time ahead, but when your peers pass away, you understand that this can happen to you at any moment ...
Why are we given this life? Why are we given this body, this physical world?
Is it to live your whole life with an eye to what others think of you?
Is it to live up to someone else's expectations, to live the life that others expect of us?
Is it to never tell our loved ones how much we love them?
Is it to strive to be like someone all your life?
Is it to constantly criticize yourself, to blame yourself for past mistakes?
Is it in order to perform the same actions for decades and never risk changing something in your life?
Is it in order to wear only what fashion dictates and do only what is considered right?
Is it in order to keep a grudge in your soul for decades, to live in the past?
I suggest right now to mentally imagine that your life will end tomorrow. Imagine that you have left your body and the physical world.
How do you feel about leaving this world? Was this life when you can say with confidence: “Yes, it was beautiful, bright life! I followed my passion, I did what inspires me, what I love! I was free in my choice. I enjoyed the beauty of nature, the shining of the stars in the sky, the singing of birds, the taste and aroma of food. I made my dream come true. Or, by at least, tried ... I took a risk. I have known heartfelt love. I know what it is real friendship. I raised happy children. I enriched this world! I made it better! I was happy and helped other people become happier!”
Think about what your answers will be.
Today I'm dealing with human life and see situations where people live for years in a state of dissatisfaction and, nevertheless, they do not dare to leave the old, cling to it and hold on with all their might ... Hated work, obsolete relationships ...
And all because our external consciousness, our mind draws terrible scenes of failure, loneliness, bankruptcy and poverty in the future. It is the fear of the future and the lack of faith in ourselves and our abilities that stops many of us.
A little over 2 years ago I lived this experience and I know about it firsthand!
And now let's remember our inner mind, that boundless, immortal and omnipotent force that is hidden in each of us and is just waiting for us to recognize its existence, turn to it and claim it!
She knows why we came into this world, she knows how we can achieve happiness and joy. The mind does not know, but inner mind knows everything!
Once upon a time I completely trusted my inner consciousness, giving him the task of leading me to the path for which my present life, lead me to the activity that will delight, inspire, which will allow me to discover and maximize my potential, and took a step to nowhere.
It was with my firm decision to change my life and my decisive step all the fun began and after some time I found myself a completely different person and in a completely different capacity. This path simply could not take place if I relied on the mind.
Don't be afraid of change! Your inner mind will not let you fall and break! He will welcome your decision!
After all, it is he who completely shapes your reality! She is just a reflection of you, your beliefs, feelings and emotions! As soon as you make a firm decision within yourself for change and take the first step, the whole world will turn to face you and support you!
Suddenly there are people who will lend a helping hand… Circumstances will turn out like this what you most an interesting and comfortable way to go from the bleak old to a happy new one!
New opportunities will emerge that you didn't even know about before! The whole world will move around you and just carry it in your arms! The main thing is not to resist!
You just need to make a decision and make a step! Even if it's a step to nowhere... I assure you, there is always a step where you step ... Proven by my own experience!
Many times and with any difficulties, we ask ourselves: “What do we live for? What is the purpose of our life?" And sometimes many of us do not find the answer to this question. And when we asked this question and did not find an answer to it, our simple existence began. Yes, that's right, existence. We just start to go with the flow, not at all thinking that at the slightest movement, we begin to make adjustments that may one day play an important role in our lives.
But there are few such swimmers, as a rule, in Hard time a person gives up, and the course of his life simply carries him from day to day to where the river is directed. Yes, it is much easier, much easier to live, or rather exist. After all, there is no need to fight for anything, to strive for anything, everything goes as it goes. But at the end of the journey, when the river of life has brought a person to the finish line, he, looking back, realizes that nothing is left behind. Emptiness…
Reveal and Navi world.
Emptiness is both external and internal. And that's when it gets really scary. It’s scary from the understanding that you can’t return the past, you can’t stop time, and nothing can be fixed. The most precious thing that is given to a person, the very thing that is the one and only, we simply spent, or rather, did not even spend, because when you spend, you get something in return, and in the case of a barren life, in more precisely existence you get nothing. The ancient Slavs had such a concept as the world of reality and the world of Navi. Reveal the world is real existing world with living beings, the world of Navi, this is the world of dreams and otherworldly forces. For our perception, the world of wake and navi is already a deep philosophy about the meaning of life.
So why not think at the beginning of this path and find the answer to the question: “What do I live for? And why do I need this life?
And the answer is very simple - you don’t have to live for something, you don’t have to live for something, and even more so you don’t have to live for someone, because everything is fleeting, everything changes in the blink of an eye, today it is, and tomorrow it is gone and then the meaning of life is lost again. So do not live for the sake of ... but just live. Live every day, every hour, every minute, do not waste a single minute of time, a second has passed and you will not return it, never and for any money, appreciate this time, appreciate what is happening around you. In every breath of the breeze, in every ray of sunshine, in every dewdrop, look for happiness, because only happy man- a living person, this is the world of reality.
We must always remember that our whole life is a continuous struggle. The struggle is not only for a place under the sun, but above all it is a struggle with oneself. We very often drive ourselves into the gray everyday life and stop noticing the bright colors that decorate our lives. Everything around becomes gray and uninteresting, and each person has his own reason for this situation. But no matter how hard it is, no matter how much you want to scream in pain or choke yourself with tears, you need to seek and find the strength to live in yourself. It is to live in the world of reality, and not to exist in the world of Navi.
Why is life given to man?
We come into this world for a reason! and to each his own! I think so))) our souls all live in paradise .. we live we all live there (if you can call it that of course) .. bang .. screwed something up .. nuuuu I don’t know ..))) they muddied something like that there ..)) well, for us for correction, for teaching, well, in general, for good purposes, here in this world .. and here it falls to us that we must realize, feel ..)) I will not say that this is a punishment for us, rather a method of education ).. that's when man will pass this stage is worthy (well, or not worthy .. who, after all, how it turns out)) and will return to paradise))). I think that there is different reasons returning us to this world, therefore, everyone is given their own life. depending on the jambs there!! in Paradise))))
The meaning of human life unknown. We are limited in our consciousness. We can know something, comprehend something, but the higher spheres are still inaccessible to us. This question is similar to the question Is there life after death?
Any person, dying, regrets that he is passing away. This applies to everyone: both enlightened academicians and Chukchi from the distant tundra, who have not seen anything in life except their habitat.
A dying millionaire regrets his life, a poor man regrets his life, having lived from hand to mouth all his life. I am sure that even homeless people regret their lives and do not want to die.
Suicides - Why they choose to do this is unclear. In works French sociologist Durkheim talking about social anomie. When the whole society is sick, it puts pressure on individual person and forces everyone to die - both rich and poor. However, this scientist admitted that there are no non-sick societies.
In suicides, most likely, the normal mechanism of perception and analysis of information is disturbed (or maybe vice versa - it becomes normal). After all, we see for ourselves that we all do not live the way we want. We don't say what we think. And we think - not about what we need.
And in general, this topic is very confusing. No one knows the answer to this question in life. Everything will be known there (if, of course, this there exists).
You can, of course, quote the well-known monologue of Pavka Korchagin from the book How the Steel Was Tempered: Life must be lived in such a way that it is not excruciatingly painful
But there is another version based on information obtained from the Bible.
God has a very definite plan for people, and now, to put it modern language, he assembles a reliable team of those people who live by his laws and fulfill his will. As a reward, these people will receive eternal life on Earth, and then God's plan will be revealed to them.
Man is not physical body as many tend to think. Man is a soul. Here life is given to purify the soul. We are specially given a sea of temptations so that we either strengthen spiritual values or succumb to temptation and commit sins. Our soul must be cleansed of vices and all that is bad.
Why do people live on earth? From time immemorial, both great philosophers and ordinary people have been looking for an answer to this question. But none of them has come to a final conclusion yet, because this task has no single solution. How philosophical schools, the same number of opinions, and maybe even more.
And yet, some were able to pick up logical answers that could explain the existence of man.
How often do we reflect on and live?
The most carefree time is childhood. During this period, we all run like crazy in our native yards, pretending to be pirates, superheroes, robots. Thousands of amazing ideas may swarm in our head, but there is not a single question about the meaning of life. And why?
And only having crossed the threshold of youth, a person begins to look for an answer to it. Why does a person live? What is his purpose? What is the meaning of my life? - all these questions disturbed the heart of each of us. But some quickly threw them away, switching to more pressing problems, others, on the contrary, have spent their whole lives in search of undeniable truth.
Ancient philosophers and the meaning of life
Aristotle once said: “The knowledge of the soul is the main task philosopher, since this can give answers to many questions ... ”Moreover, he believed that any thinker should look for meaning in everything, since this search is an integral part of ourselves. He taught that it is not enough to accept things as they are, you also need to understand why they are needed in this world.
The German philosopher Georg Hegel was also puzzled by the question of why a person lives in this world. He believed that such a craving for self-knowledge is inherent in us by nature and is our true self. Moreover, he argued: if you understand what role is assigned to a person, then it will be possible to unravel the purpose of other phenomena of the universe.
Also, do not forget about Plato and his thoughts about why a person lives on earth. He was sure: the search for one's destiny is the highest good for a person. In part, it was in these searches that his meaning of life was hidden.
God's plan, or Why do people live on the plan?
It is impossible to talk about the meaning of life and not touch on the topic of religion. After all, all existing beliefs have on this issue. In their sacred texts there are clear instructions as to how one should spend one's life and what is the highest good for a person.
So, let's look at the most common denominations.
- Christianity. According to the New Testament, all people are born in order to live a righteous life, which will give them a place in paradise. Therefore, their purpose in life is to serve the Lord and also to be merciful to others.
- Islam. Muslims are not too far removed from Christians, their faith is also based on the service of God, only this time to Allah. In addition, each true muslim must spread his faith and fight with all his might against the "infidels".
- Buddhism. If you ask a Buddhist: “Why does a person live?”, then he will most likely answer this way: “To become enlightened.” This is the goal pursued by all the followers of the Buddha: to clear your mind and pass into nirvana.
- Hinduism. Everyone has a divine spark - Atman, thanks to which a person after death is reborn in a new body. And if in this life he behaved well, then at the next rebirth he will become happier or richer. The highest goal of being is to break the circle of rebirth and indulge in oblivion, which gives pleasure and peace.
Scientific point of view on the purpose of man
It called into question the supremacy of the church. This was due to the fact that humanity received another version explaining the appearance of life on Earth. And if at first only a few agreed with this theory, then as science developed, its adherents became more and more.
But how does science view the question we are discussing? Why does a person live on earth? In general, everything is quite simple. Since man descended from an animal, their goals are similar. And what is the most important for every living organism? That's right, procreation.
That is, from a scientific point of view, the meaning of life is to find a reliable partner, reproduce offspring and take care of him in the future. After all, this is the only way to save the species from extinction and ensure a bright future.
Disadvantages of previous theories
Now we should talk about what are the disadvantages of these concepts. After all, both scientific and religious hypotheses are not able to give an exhaustive answer to the question: “Why do people live on earth?”
Minus scientific theory in what she highlights common goal, which is ideal for the whole look as a whole. But if we consider the problem on the scale of one individual, then the hypothesis loses its universality. After all, it turns out that those who are not able to have children are completely deprived of any meaning in life. Yes and healthy person hardly like to exist with the idea that his only purpose is to pass on his genes to offspring.
The position of religious communities is also not ideal. After all, most religions put above the earth. Moreover, if a person is an atheist or agnostic, then his existence is devoid of any meaning. Many do not like such a dogma, therefore, over the years, church foundations begin to weaken. As a result, a person is again left alone with the question "why do people live on earth."
How to find the truth?
And now what? What to do, if scientific point vision is not suitable, and the church is too conservative? Where to find the answer to such an important question?
In fact, there is simply no universal solution to the problem. Each person is an individual, therefore, it is unique. Everyone must find their own way, their own meaning and their own values. This is the only way to find harmony within yourself.
However, it is not necessary to always follow the same path. The beauty of life is that there are no established rules and boundaries. Everyone has the right to choose for himself specific ideals, and if they seem false from time to time, they can always be replaced by new ones. For example, many people work half their lives to make a fortune. And when they achieve this, they understand that money is far from the main thing. Then they again begin to search for the meaning of being, capable of making them more beautiful.
The main thing is not to be afraid to think: “Why do I exist and what is my purpose?” After all, if there is a question, then there will definitely be an answer to it.
