The purpose of my life

I often wonder to myself what the purpose to my life is. I happen to be a staunch believer of the fact that everything happens for a reason. Therefore, I, just like all other human beings ever to have lived, am here for a particular reason.

My religion teaches me that this world is just a stepping stone for the Hereafter. We are undergoing a trial here the outcome of which will culminate in either a reward or punishment for us in the world to come, a world that will be eternal.

This belief answers part of my question. What it does not answer is if this is the sole purpose of my life. That I live my life ever mindful and ever conscious of the life to come is beyond doubt, but is there a secondary purpose I am meant to serve in this world?

The hypothetical scenario where the answer to my question is yes is what makes me wonder. If you go on asking people what they dream of achieving, you will obtain identical answers: success, happiness and prosperity. (You will find the acquisition of wealth being quite a common dream too but I will conveniently disregard it as that can hardly be the purpose behind our lives.) I have always thought success was a vague term. In the relevant context, it has no meaning. If anything, it complicates matters that wee bit further.

Firstly, success cannot be gauged. Its subjective nature means there is no yardstick to measure it. Secondly and more importantly, it is a term predominantly based upon perception. For each individual, success has a distinctly different meaning. By implication, this leads me to the fact that each individual must then have a unique purpose to their lives.

Or is it that we have all been created to serve the same common, all-encompassing purpose but in our own different ways? Let me come back to myself and contemplate the reason of my existence. I am a student of electronic engineering. Success for me has a two-fold meaning. It would mean having a successful career as an engineer; and secondly, to make the lives of the people around me better in a way I am yet to figure out. The former can be ruled out as the purpose to my life because, excluding its consequences, it will only benefit me. Thus the idea of being born to serve my own self deems my existence pointless. However, being a successful engineer can have a direct influence on how I am able to make the lives of other people better.

Now that I think I have a vague answer to my question, albeit an uncertain and dubious one at best, I dwell about what it is that I have to do. I do not know what change I am supposed to bring about in the lives of people. I am perplexed trying to determine if the change I think I am meant to bring about pertains to the general good or is it something beyond that. I am in the dark about whether I am supposed to achieve the speculated purpose of my life on my own or is it going to be with the help of other people. Or more generally stated, what portion of the objects of our lives as human beings overlaps?

To be entirely honest, I remain unsure and unconvinced of the lucidity of the suspected purpose under deliberation. I am no closer to finding out the purpose of my life. And I am no closer to finding out whether I am supposed to discover that at all. And if I am, then whether I will ever succeed in doing so. With doubt engulfing my understanding, the only resort I have is to think and think, and hope that one day I shall arrive at the elusive answer.