For all forms of life the purpose of life is “staying alive”
but for human beings the purpose of life seems to be “becoming successful”.
If one were to go by the mainstream discussions and
discourses in media, government communications and corporate dealings, it might
appear that the primary purpose of any person’s existence is to become
successful – which would mean a combination of various adjectives like
powerful, influential, wealthy.
Success in different fields of human endeavor may have
different connotations though – like for movie stars success is related to
popularity, for politicians success is related to being elected again and
again, for employees in a company success is related to becoming CEO
eventually, etc.
Somehow human beings,
perhaps because they control the planet, have glorified their importance over
other things on the planet. It appears as if what we want, what we are capable
of, what we think is right guides the developments and advancements on this
planet, starting from the time the first living being of the species homo
sapiens walked on it. Purpose of life in such a context is defined by human
beings as “becoming successful” unlike other forms of life whose purpose is
simply “staying alive”.
However, it’s perfectly fine to fail. Failing is not a crime
though one may get punished for it, at times too severely to recover from it.
In the history of mankind, there are plenty of instances of people succeeding as
well as failing. Looking back at history, those successes and failures have
shaped the world to become what it is today but those failures and successes
mean nothing directly to an individual who is alive today.
