Who am I? Why am I born into this world? Who created me? Am I merely a creature of chance or a product of a supreme being who is a designer par excellence? Am I born to accomplish a special purpose that God has set for my life? Or am I just like an animal born with needs and appetites that have to be met?<\/span><\/p>\n What is this meaningless cycle of life that most will have to go through? Is life meant to be something like this: Go to school, work hard, enter university, work hard, get a degree, secure a good job, buy a house and a car, get married, have children, then grandchildren, get to play with them and then watch TV on our rocking chair the rest of our lives till we die?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, believes that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. This hierarchy of needs is depicted as different levels within a pyramid: physiological, safety, love and sense of belonging, esteem and self-actualization. When one need is fulfilled, a person seeks to fulfill the next one. For example, once our physiological needs are being met, we shift upwards towards fulfilling our need for safety.<\/span><\/p>\n People are motivated by different goals in life. Some live for fame or power. Others get enamoured with money or pleasure. For some, a spin in a Ferrari gives a sense of accomplishment that they have arrived. Others set even higher goals; they can only be happy when they get to cruise on their own luxury yacht.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, some are driven by noble objectives such as helping the poor, fighting human trafficking or preserving the environment so that they will be remembered long after they are gone. These humanitarian goals give them a sense of fulfillment in life.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But will all these things really satisfy man\u2019s deepest longings? Blaise Pascal, a physicist and philosopher says: \u201cThere is a\u00a0God-shaped vacuum<\/strong>\u00a0in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n We may have a string of impressive accomplishments\u00a0and accumulated property but, one day, we will have to leave all these things behind. We will all age and finally die.<\/span><\/p>\n In order to appreciate the futility of worldly success, let us consider the\u00a0last wishes<\/strong>\u00a0of\u00a0Alexander the Great<\/strong>. On his death bed, he summoned his generals and shared his three ultimate wishes:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. The best doctors should carry his coffin.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. The wealth he has accumulated (money, gold, precious stones) should be scattered along the procession to the cemetery.<\/span><\/p>\n 3. His hands should be let loose so they hang outside the coffin for all to see.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surprised by his unusual request, his generals asked Alexander to explain.\u00a0Here is what the great man had to say:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. I want the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that, in the face of death, even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. I want the road to be covered with my treasures so that all can see that the material wealth we acquire stays behind when we die.<\/span><\/p>\n 3. I want my hands to be exposed so that people will understand that we come into this world empty-handed and we leave this world in a similar state. We cannot take any material wealth with us to the grave.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When we are young, we tend to think we are immortal. We put away depressing thoughts about growing old and dying. But we have to face reality. Life is\u00a0unpredictable<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0short<\/strong>. The Chinese have this saying that coffins come in various sizes: Some are so small they are meant to fit infants while others are full size to fit grown-up adults.<\/span><\/p>\n The writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us that one day we will definitely grow old and pass away:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Keep your Creator in mind while you are young! In years to come, you will be burdened down with troubles and say, \u201cI don\u2019t enjoy life anymore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Someday the light of the sun<\/span><\/p>\n and the moon and the stars<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 will all seem dim to you.<\/span><\/p>\n Rain clouds will remain<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 over your head.<\/span><\/p>\n Your body will grow feeble,<\/span><\/p>\n your teeth will decay,<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and your eyesight fail.<\/span><\/p>\n The noisy grinding of grain<\/span><\/p>\n will be shut out<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 by your deaf ears,<\/span><\/p>\n but even the song of a bird<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 will keep you awake.<\/span><\/p>\n You will be afraid<\/span><\/p>\n to climb up a hill<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 or walk down a road.<\/span><\/p>\n Your hair will turn as white<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 as almond blossoms.<\/span><\/p>\n You will feel lifeless<\/span><\/p>\n and drag along<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 like an old grasshopper.<\/span><\/p>\n We each go to our eternal home,<\/span><\/p>\n and the streets are filled<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 with those who mourn.<\/span><\/p>\n The silver cord snaps,<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the golden bowl breaks;<\/span><\/p>\n the water pitcher is smashed,<\/span><\/p>\n and the pulley at the well<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 is shattered.<\/span><\/p>\n So our bodies return<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to the earth,<\/span><\/p>\n and the life-giving breath<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 returns to God.<\/span><\/p>\n Nothing makes sense.<\/span><\/p>\n I have seen it all\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 nothing makes sense.<\/span><\/p>\n (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8<\/strong>)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n Ecclesiastes reminds us that life on earth is\u00a0all in vain if we do not have a higher purpose<\/strong>. Its writer, King Solomon, had everything a man could possibly ask but he still felt empty inside. He built beautiful gardens and palaces and had great herds and flocks. He had many singers, slaves and concubines to cheer him up. He had unimaginable wisdom, pleasures and riches but he still felt that everything is in vain. What does man gain by all his toil, riches and pleasures on earth? Like animals, he will have to die one day.<\/span><\/p>\n For a man who seemingly had everything in life, what was Solomon\u2019s\u00a0conclusion<\/strong>\u00a0about life? Here is his answer: \u201cLet us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:\u00a0Fear God<\/strong>, and\u00a0keep his commandments<\/strong>: for this is the whole duty of man\u201d (Ecclesiastes 12:13).<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n RELATED POSTS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n WHO AM I?<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In\u00a0WHO AM I<\/em><\/strong>?<\/em>\u00a0a 1998 movie, Jackie Chan wakes up in an African village after an accident only to discover he has no idea who he is. When asked for his name by the natives, he responds by asking himself, “Who Am I?” So the natives called him by this strange name, “Who Am I?”<\/span><\/p>\n Even without post-traumatic amnesia,\u00a0this is a most significant question that we need to pose to ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n MAN PROPOSES, GOD DISPOSES<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n John had great plans for his retirement. Having made his pile in the Malaysian real estate business, he dreamed of spending his twilight years with his wife in his own retirement cottage in the Cotswolds. But \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Can man\u2019s great understanding of the world around him enable him to find meaning and purpose in life?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n HOW TO QUICKLY ACCESS\u00a0PORRIDGE<\/em><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ABOUT Author:\u00a0Dr Lim Poh Ann is a medical practitioner. He was the former editor of Asian Beacon magazine (December 2008 \u2013 October 2011). He can be reached at his blog, Porridge for the Soul<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n For a quick overview:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span> \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n To access similar articles, type \u2018Porridge\u2019 in the search box of\u00a0http:\/\/christianitymalaysia.com\/wp\/<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or type \u2018Lim Poh Ann<\/em>\u2019 in the search box of\u00a0http:\/\/www.asianbeacon.org\/<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For the source article, go to http:\/\/limpohann.blogspot.com\/2015\/08\/what-is-meaning-of-life.html<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n |Share The Good News|<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0– Lim Poh Ann<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Ref:](\"https:\/\/duckduckgrayduck.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/09\/tree-of-life.jpg\")
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