Why are we born in this world? Is our survival a purely scientific result of the “selfish gene” that replicates itself from one generation to the next? I took evolutionary psychology class as an undergraduate and we were taught that the gene is merely selfish. Its sole purpose in this world is to replicate itself by making babies. Thus the desire to coopulate with the healthiest person we meet. Read “healthiest” as the most attractive individual. Apparently looks have something to do with genes. The cleaner your skin and the more symmetric your face, the less likely you are to have parasites living within you. Yeah… ask the evolutionary scientists, they have an explanation for it all. And apparently for the same reasons men look for a younger, hotter, voluptuous and more symmetric girl- because that means she is healthy and sterile. And women are more attracted to taller, muscular and yes… rich men because they can provide for the babies and protect them from any external threats like being attacked by a sabertooth tiger or a mugger. And yet I ask you… is this why we are born into this earth? To find an individual that would give us babies with the highest quality of genes?

The things that I am supposed to be attracted to, I am not. I did not want a tall, muscular, rich man that would give me beautiful babies. In fact I have always wanted to adopt than have babies of my own. And as for riches… I went to school so that I could provide for myself. Though it is given that I would not marry a guy who did nothing for a living, I am not instantly attracted to someone because they have money.

I was talking to my mom today when she posed the questions “why are we born into this world? What is our purpose?” I think this is a more philosophical question and you can dwell on this topic for hours, days or a lifetime and yet you will never know the answer. Or perhaps you will know the answer but the answer will only apply to you. What this world and life means to you might not mean to me. I was born in a collectivist country where your actions impact everyone in your family. You go to college… oh how well your family must have raised you!! You fail out of college… oh what shame to your family for having a failure. Everything is about everyone. This has brought further questions to me about the meaning of life. Was I born to keep everyone happy? Is my purpose in life greater than just being able to do things I enjoy and make sure I have a good quality of life? Or is it that I was born because of the same reasons that everyone is born? The selfish gene brought me into existence just like the 7 billion people who inhabit this world with me.

Everyone thinks they are special and everyone thinks that they have a purpose in this world. In a survey where people were asked if they thought if they were “above average,” “average” or “below average,” 80% individuals said that they were above average. That response itself goes against the definition of average. And after learning all this, I still struggle to understand where I fall in that continuum. Where do I belong in this world? What is expected out of me? Am I wrong to want to lead a life where I don’t want to make beautiful babies with someone who can provide for me? Am I letting my family down by walking out of the path that has been made for me by the thousands of other individuals who have walked through it? Am I wrong to want to do things differently? Or am I giving myself too much importance by thinking that my decision would impact anyone or anything in this world?

Sometimes I fool myself into thinking that I know the answer. I tell myself that my life is my own and I can do as want. And then I wake up and face the reality where people are judging me, looking at me for guidance and expecting that I know my responsibilities. Happiness doesn’t comprise of my internal state of mind but the collectivist feeling of content. I am selfish to think otherwise. And yet all I can do is dream and wonder… wonder if I am merely existing because I was born into this world to exist.

Do you ever ask why the wind blew a piece of leaf right on your nose? It is merely the luck of chance that made that leaf fall right on your nose. It was one of the permutations of possibilities of gravitation, the tree position, the leaf weight, the wind direction, the humidity and your position that actually came to fruition.

In the same way, the formation of life is one of the permutations of many variables the weave different possibilities.

Even a life of a rat is determined by the same variables but you would never ask why a nameless faceless existenceless rat was born. It is the same thing but you would rather glorify your birth as a human being due to the extra ability of language which makes your thoughts wander past the boundaries of reality. Truth be told, there is not right answer but it's good to stay firm on ground realities and not bother too much about things that are way out there.

ANJ, I hear you. First of all there is no creation independent of Consciousness. The existence of so called "life" which you are talking about is as real as "things that appear in dream." Why are you bothering so much about the time "between your birth and death?" It is like a flash of lightening which is all imaginary. The only reality behind all these mere appearance is consciousness. Nothing exists outside of consciousness. Wise often say that, true knowledge is the knowledge of "Atman" (Transcendental Consciousness), everything else is ignorance. When you wake up in the morning, you don't give a crap about your dream which you saw last night. Do you? Similarly, when your awareness reaches the transcendental level of consciousness, this waking reality which we call world becomes as if it is a long dream.

You are wondering why are you here in this planet. This is a very good sign that your consciousness is elevating to a higher level. You are in the right track. When you cut the onion, what do you find? You find layers and layers and layers and when you see deep within the onion you find there is nothing! Life is like an onion. It expresses in many layers; at the same time this pure consciousness is experienced as if it is pure void because it is free of attributes. Therefore, one has to be very open to all kind of philosophy because the aspects of knowledge is infinite. There is nothing to be depressed about this life. When you know who you are, you will smile at your-self and enjoy the supreme bliss within. May you realize this pure consciousness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhFX-fSfdb0

जीवन प्रकृतिको नियम हो.... आमा भनेको प्रकृति हो, श्रिस्तिकर्ता हो.... आमाको हृदय आकाश भन्दा फराकिलो हुन्छ. ...आमाको माया समुन्द्रको गहिराई भन्दा ठुलो हुन्छ..... बिहानी पख तप्किने शीतको जस्तो आमाको माया स्वच्छ र पबित्र हुन्छ. तर आमाको क्रोध ज्वालामुखीको भुङ्ग्रो जस्तो एकै छिनमा सबै सखाप पर्ने राप जस्तो पनि हुन सक्छ.
जसरि मरुभूमिको कठोर गर्मि र उराठ भूमिमा एउटा cactus लाई सप्रिन कहिले काहीं तीखा कादाहरु उमार्न पर्ने हुन्छ. त्येस्तै कहिले काही आमाको माया कठोर लाग्न पनि सक्छ. तर त्यो प्रकृतिको आफ्नो सन्तानलाई बचाउनको लागि कसरत हो.
यो संसार मायामा अडेको छ. मायाबाट कोहि पनि भाग्न सक्दैन. मायाले गर्दा नै संसारमा श्रिस्ति हुन्छ. ठुला ठुला चट्टानलाई छिचोल्दै कैयन कठिनाई भोग्दै एउटा सानो बिरुवा उम्रन्छा घामको स्पर्स गर्न. त्यो माया हो. त्यो प्रकृति हो. त्यो जीवन हो. त्यो श्रिस्ति हो. त्यो आमा हो. त्यसै गरि हिउदमा मरणासन्न देखिने रुखले बसन्तमा साना साना पालुवा उमार्छ. वरी परि हरियाली र शीतलता छर्दै... त्यो माया हो. त्यो प्रकृति हो. त्यो जीवन हो. त्यो श्रिस्ति हो. त्यो आमा हो.
जो यो संसारमा मायासंग भाग्न सक्छु भनेर अहम गर्छ, त्यो आडम्बरी मानिस हो. जसले आमाको मर्म बुज्छ, जीवनमा जस्तो कठिनाईमा पनि शीतलता र छहारी पाउछ.

@ Jepayotyehi......that's beautiful!

Where there is love, there is joy, and where there is joy there is creation!