NOTE to reader: Over the next few weeks I shall be transferring some of the more popular old posts from my older website onto this one. I am starting with the post called: "What is Soul-Purpose?"
What is Soul-Purpose?
Before answering that question, I need to explain why I am suddenly talking about Soul Purpose. It is because I just realized how fragile life is and am coming to terms with my own mortality!
Every other day I am seeing obituaries of acquaintances, colleagues, friends, and family! Many are in my age group while some are younger. In other words, I don't know how long more I will be around.
Not that I fear impending death or the afterlife - because I believe death is only a transition to the next step in the evolution of my soul - like being promoted to a higher class or being transferred to a new school. And since I don't believe in the so-called 'heaven' and 'hell' fantasied by men with little knowledge of the world, I really have no fear of death.
However, I do fear that I may have waited too long to speak of the contrarian truths I have uncovered over decades of searching for the truth!
So, I don't want to be in the position of having regrets about having left unsaid my deepest thoughts, as in the quote below by Randy Pausch:
- What is my life's soul purpose?
- Have I really carried it out so far?
- If my lease on life is not renewed, will I be happy to move on with no regrets?
The answer to those questions will form the contents of this post and in future posts in this blog.
Finding My Soul Purpose:
Even from the age of four, I was asking tough questions of my mother when she told me stories from the Hindu mythologies Mahabharata and Ramayana - questions she could not answer!
Fortunately, she did not just shut me up with "Stop asking such questions!" as many mothers would have done! Instead she told me: "Gopi, maybe one day you will find out the answers yourself!"
And I think I do have some answers now, finally, after decades of questioning, searching, observation and introspection.
So, what exactly is a person's soul-purpose?
- A person's soul purpose is that passion which drives him from birth. It is that inner hunger that keeps him/her dissatisfied, when they do things other than those allied to their destined purpose. And this dissatisfaction does not die away with time, even if they deny it exists!
I feel now that my endless questioning of accepted traditions and religious dogmas is prompted by my own search for truth. Thus it becomes my unique soul-purpose is this life.
The unflinching questions I dared to ask about God and Religion, the World, about Life, about War, about Happiness and so on, was finally answered for me when I reached age 70. But these answers turned out to be very different from the commonly held beliefs of most people!
Most people accept everything on 'blind faith' because they are unable to, or afraid to ask rational questions! This is not their fault since they have been brain-washed for centuries to 'fear God' and 'obey without question' , in the teachings of their religions.
The sad thing is that when we are brainwashed from a very young age with such ideas, we grow up accepting it and believing it – even if these ideas are totally irrational and without a shred of proof! In fact, the child may grow up to be ‘well educated’ and even get a PhD but he/she is still unable to think independently, when it comes to religion!
I wrote about the contrarian answers I got in my lifelong search for truth in my first book 'Daily Happy Living' as well as in 'The GOD Soliloquy' which actually was the precursor to that first book.
In following posts we will explore more contrarian views.