(ENG) The purpose of life is happiness

If you expect an extensive explanation about the purpose of life, let me say; there won’t be any. After reading several dozens of books about life, I can safely conclude that there is no universal answer to this question. Maybe there is, but I am not sure if that is the answer you’re looking for. There is no knowing; there is only believing. I do think there is a personal answer for everyone. You can find the happiness (a.k.a. your real purpose) you are looking for. You just need a little help to find it.

There are different theories about the purpose of life. Maybe your mission is to reproduce, share knowledge, or grow on a personal level? Or perhaps there is no purpose at all? It’s like a question about the origin of life. Nobody knows where we came from, but everybody has an opinion about it (no opinion is also an opinion ;-)). One person will say God created everything, and somebody else will say ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ There is also a theory about aliens who supposedly brought us here. So, who knows? People understand the same stories in different ways. Everybody supports their arguments, and everybody is right. Whatever story I tell, it is open to multiple interpretations. If you are a religious person who believes in God, who am I to say otherwise? I have no proof that God doesn’t exist. If you are an atheist, I can’t prove that God does exist. And what kind of ‘proof’ are we talking about? There are two different opposites (atheist & believer), and both have well-founded arguments. But one of them is correct. Or not? Or maybe they are both right at the same time? How can we find out? We can’t; we believe.

From the moment you were born, you were always drawn to happiness. Survival was a necessity; happiness was the goal. Everything you did was an attempt to find happiness. It ran like a thread through your life; it was all connected. Even stupid and irresponsible actions were just failed attempts to find happiness. I mean, the intentions were good, right? And I believe good intentions count more than stupid actions. Just think about it. Why did you do the things you did?

There were periods in your life when something or someone distracted you. You’ve experienced joy but also resistance in various situations. You had a difficult childhood and didn’t have the freedom to choose the things you wanted. Even as an adult, it’s not always easy to do the things you want. It is understandable if you need more time to find your happiness. It took me more than a decade to discover the things I liked. You know what I’ve realised? I knew it all along…

For example, as a child, I always liked drawing, looking at pictures, exploring, asking many why-questions, playing alone, creating, and writing stories. These things made me happy. As an adult, I like to be creative (for example, I designed logos for various companies), write stories (blogging), and still ask many why-questions, I love to explore new things, and I’m still a loner. Nothing changed. Everything was explainable and led eventually to one thing; happiness. Most of the things you preferred as a child, you also prefer as an adult. The only difference is that you had little knowledge and different tools/recourses when you were a child.

Some people say, ‘I wish I could go back in time to feel happiness again’ or ‘… to the days when things were simple’. I am convinced you can have these feelings back. In fact, I think you can be happier than before!

Besides, does it matter that most of us don’t know the real purpose of life? Would that change anything? If you live your happiest life, why would you even care? What if the meaning of life is to reproduce ten children? Will you reproduce just because it’s your destiny? Even if you don’t want children? Let’s say there was a big bang, and it turns out that our existence is just a coincidental mistake and that there is actually no purpose in life. Would you feel sorry for yourself, or would you still try to live your best life? It really doesn’t matter what the purpose is. YOUR purpose counts, and that is your happiness! Happy people make the world a better place.

Everybody is different and has their preferences. It doesn’t matter if you are a spiritual person, a religious person, an atheist, a philosopher, or a Buddhist. The things we want are universal and all the same. We all want love, peace, family, friends, and… true happiness. Put your differences aside and forget, just for a moment, your responsibilities and the things you don’t like, and ask yourself: What makes me happy?

let’s make the world a better place 💖🌍