The purpose of life?
What is the purpose of life?
why are we here?
the answers are all around us
the Greeks aimed for happiness
Aristotle even
listed eleven virtues
that would help achieve happiness
he pointed to the Golden Mean
the Abrahamic faiths
Jews, Christians and Muslims
believe it is to worship
the Abrahamic God
to be good and pious people
to do unto neighbors
what they would do unto you
the Jews
emphasize tikkun olam
to heal a fractured world
the Christians are inspired by Jesus' commandment
to love one another
even on the cross
crucified, tortured and taunted
Jesus still had it in his heart to say
forgive them for they know not what they do
Islam's message is defined by
the two greatest attributes of God
compassion and mercy
the Prophet was called
a mercy unto mankind
the spirit of Islam is contained in God’s message
"My mercy prevails over My wrath"
Muslims aim to achieve Rida
contentment
others too sought the meaning of life
some searched for
dharam-ahimsa in non-violence in India
some sought nirvana in the jungles
yet others
found joy in the peace, beauty and quiet
of the mountains and streams
through silence, meditation and withdrawal
one Zen master spent ten years staring at a rock
weren't the mystics and yogis practicing similar methods?
the philosophers of atheism
sought to kill God
but in the vacuum stepped monsters
like Mao and Stalin
who demanded the blood sacrifice of millions
in the end the eudaimonia of the Greeks
or the nirvana of Buddha
or the fulfillment of the Abrahamic faiths
all point to the same direction
an attempt by us
in this brief span
to answer the question
what is the purpose of life?
Old age
A blessing,
A curse
Squeaking and squawking
all day
Short of breath
And patience.
With the trips to the doctors
And restroom
The high bills for medicines.
As if nature is
Hinting
It is time to go.
You begin to wonder
Maybe Mother Nature knows best.
But in the grey dullness of the day
There are moments
When dozing in the afternoon
Images from the past
Bathed in a golden glow
Come glittering
Seeping through.
At those moments
My mind is then crystal clear
and my limbs supple again.
Other memories come flooding in
from my school days in the hills
of north Pakistan
of the laughter of class fellows
after a successful prank
or creating an awkward moment for a teacher
the physical exuberance
after a hard game of tennis
the joy of hitting a boundary
or scoring top marks.
The world was young
and the future limitless.
The beautiful face of my bride,
The radiance of my children,
The undulations of a long life
Are with me.
But now
I am confused
am I seventeen again
or over seventy?
I am no longer sure.
Which one is reality
and which one illusion?
And does it matter?
Those images from the past
Float about me
And as they evaporate
They leave me faintly smiling
With moistness
Around the edges of my eyes.
And I hear the distant voices
of my grandchildren
asking is gran’pa alright?
(and when did I suddenly become gran’pa?)
He hasn’t moved for a while?
He couldn’t be …?
And somewhere
Suspended between 17 and 75
I chuckle gently
With compassion and love
And say to myself.
You too my dears
Will be exactly
In my position
When the cycle of life
Picks you up.
They say
Those golden moments
Will never return.
They are wrong.
Those moments have never left.
And I can say
“I’ve seen things
You people wouldn’t believe.”
And do I have any lessons for you?
Only this: You must live your lives
With compassion, commitment and integrity.
In the end
Nothing else matters
Money,lands and properties
Will be left behind
But savor the passing moments
For they will return
Unexpectedly and blissfully
To be your companions,
Not “lost in time,
Like tears in rain,”
As you prepare to sleep.