Month 6, Day 19: The Purpose of Life

I guess it’s safe to say that all religions—and even most people who don’t follow religion at all—are focused on discovering the meaning of life, the reason why we’re all here.

Baha’i says that our purpose in life is to reflect the divine attributes we all have within us. Although everything on Earth—plants, trees, animals—has some aspects of the divine, only human beings have the capacity to fully reflect them all.

The only way to do that is to embody the ideals of the Baha’i faith in everything we do—ideals like justice, love, truthfulness, purity, and service.

It sounds easy enough, but it’s turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Justice, for example, doesn’t just mean following the law and being fair to people. Baha’i founder Baha’u’llah says it also means choosing “for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself.”

That’s all well and good in theory, but I find it very hard to choose for my neighbor what I want for myself when that “neighbor” is, say, reaching for the last piece of pizza when I’ve already got my eye on it.

And love is even more difficult to embody than justice. Real love is supposed to be universal and without limit. We’re supposed to be friendly, compassionate, charitable, and generous to everyone—even the assholes.

Sometimes, it’s hard enough for me to love the people closest to me. Now I’m supposed to show love and compassion for the jerk who cuts me off in traffic, too? Come on! Is it me, or does that seem to violate the principle of justice?

Another part of living well is striving for happiness—the Baha’i way. And let’s just say that the Baha’i way isn’t my way.

Baha’u’llah says that most people seek out happiness using the same basic method: “In the day-time they strive with all their soul after worldly benefits, and in the night-season their sole occupation is to gratify their carnal desires.”

Now, when I first read that passage, my immediate reaction was “Hell, yes! That’s what I’m talking about!”

But apparently, what I see as a perfect existence—working for money and power all day and then enjoying food and other . . . um . . . bodily pleasures all night—is all wrong, from the Baha’i perspective.

As author Moojan Momen explains, “The pursuit of a self-centered and self-indulgent lifestyle is condemned by Baha’u’llah because it does not lead to human happiness.”

So I guess I’ve got some changes to make. Or maybe, after this month is over, I’ll stick with my regular lifestyle and enjoy my “lack of happiness.”