The Ultimate Question

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One question that has kept philosophers debating for centuried is: Why are we here?

To get the smartass answer out of the way: Where else should we be, if not here? This response casts doubt on the validity of the question itself, which is fair. The “why are we here” question assumes a reason for our existence and even some sort of cosmic intent, when that reason and intent may be all in the beholder’s mind.

Most Christians will claim that we are here to make god happy, because if we don’t he will throw us in Hell for all eternity. I am not a big fan of this answer. Seems kind of gloom-and-doom-esque. Anyway, all the stupid crap Christians have to do and believe, all the patently ridiculous nonsense, is anathema to my rational mind. To me, belief in gods is like believing in Santa Claus; if you need some authority figure watching your every move to be a good person, then you’re not a good person. We went into that in more depth in a previous sermon, so I am not going to go over it again. Suffice it to say that the reasons most mainstream religions give you for mankind’s existence make us sound like an ant farm. Not very philosophically appealing.

The Path take on this question is that your purpose should be personal to you, and not to worry about the purpose of all humanity. One great, overarcing purpose for the entire species does not exist. We are just monkeys in pants, trying to evolve and de-evolve at the same time. We got like this not by being the best or the smartest, but by being the craziest m-f’s in the neighborhood and sticking our penises in anything that sat still long enough. We are not special, we’re just nuts. There is no purpose to this insanity, this utter charos that is the Universe, and our little bit of it in particular. But that is okay, because we create greater purpose when we cooperate with one another to build a better world, just like the mantra for Effort teaches. As Bertrand Russell said: “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.”

Speaking personally, I consider it to be humanity’s purpose to evolve and grow and progress into the best version of ourselves that we can be. To let go of old, outdated ideology that speaks not to the Enlightenment of humanity but only to our unworthiness. We do not need such backwards-facing spirituality. I believe we need to learn how to live in harmony with one another, to find our own way, free of divisive belief systems. I believe we are here to reach for the stars, but only after we get our house in order here on Earth. While there are times when I don’t think most of the public can tie their own shoes, I do have faith that eventually the human race will become more Enlightened. Call it a combination of Patience and optimism.

All that being said, 42.

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