Summary:
My aim in life is to prepare my soul for eternity, not gathering temporary treasures here in this world.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
(Mark 8:36)
I have
written a lot of issues about life and soul. Only yesterday I wrote out an
essay on the importance of love in our lives. I have posted some of my thoughts
on these questions in my blog here, examples:
Love is
the Opposite of Sin
https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2024/10/love-is-opposite-of-sin.html
Question:
Is the Soul Life Itself, and Life the Soul?
https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2024/06/question-is-soul-life-itself-and-life.html
Do
Our Souls Remember the Actions of Our Previous Lives?
https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2024/06/does-our-souls-remember-actions-of-our.html
What is the Purpose of Our Souls here
in This World?
Today, as
the last day of the month, this October 31st, on Deepavali (Diwali), an day to
celebrate good over evil, an occasion I like to dedicate my thoughts here
to all my Hindu friends who are celebrating this occasion, to be shared across
other religious faith and belief systems, l am thinking further about the
purpose of our temporary human life here in this world, at most 100 years,
during which most of us are busy gathering wealth and material possessions,
pursuing after a name, fame for ourselves and power over others, and to enrich
ourselves materially instead of enriching ourselves souls spiritually for
eternity.
In Mark
8:36 it says: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole
world, and lose his own soul?”
Then in
Matthew 6:26 Jesus speaks about the birds in the air. He says, "Look at
the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than them?”
I
was thinking after reading these verses, we humans like birds in the air and
animals roaming freely in the wild are just biologically animals belonging to
the species Homo sapiens, no different from all the other biodiversity in the
sense that all we need is just food, water, clothes and a comfortable shelter
somewhere as our basic needs. Maybe we as humans can add a bathroom and a
toilet to bathe and clean ourselves, and a corner under a simple shelter to
sleep at night. These are actually all we need to be comfortable without the
“extras” that are actually burdens to our lives to carry. All other things we
buy, posses, gather, and keep do not add an iota of “essential things” to our
lives, nor can they prolong our lives. These “extra” are truly unnecessary.
In fact, they are burdens to our lives, having to keep, dust, clean periodically and maintain them throughout our lives till we close our eyes for the last time in death. We have completely no choice when we must leave everything behind - all the material gains we collected when we were alive - only to leave all our “investments” when we take our last breath in this world. We regret all our greed, as we are forced to leave them all behind to an absolute grinding naught as we close our eyes for the last time. Remember this ringing into our ears in our last breath in this world.
In fact,
over 99.9 % of the things most people buy and keep in their houses, they
actually use them only once or twice, only to hang them up everywhere in the
house to collect dust. They just cluster up every available corner in the house
with unnecessary things. It is very tiring, especially when they get older and
older, having to maintain them without any more use for them, and yet most of
us are unwilling to throw them away.
Yet, none
of the rest of the other animals gather all these things in their lives.
Animals do not keep material possessions like humans, except they may look for
some shelter in some nooks and corners, in caves, or beneath some tress when it
rains or shines hotly. The only “possession” some animals like birds do build
is a nest gathered from twigs and leaves for their young ones till their young
ones are able to fly away or stand on their own. These leaves and small twigs
are biodegradable, and they don’t keep them, and yet they are able to live out
their life spans endowed for them.
These
animals are unlike us humans, we are building concrete jungles everywhere to
live in, and on the top of that, build shopping malls, all sort of concrete
buildings, factories, cars, trains, bridges, let alone gather
really unnecessary material possession that are not going to increase our life
span, make us any happier, or add a single iota that can increase our lifespan.
I
wrote about love quoting lots of verses about them from the bible which I think
is food for our souls that would be more everlasting in the next world. We must
and have to leave everything behind us when we breathe our last in this
temporary life in this world.
I asked
myself don’t we think that enriching our souls with spiritual foods like love,
compassion and forgiveness are going to remain with us spiritually forever?
Wouldn’t this be much wiser, besides food, clothes, a simple shelter we need
physically. Wouldn’t love, charity, compassion and forgiveness far wiser
investments here in this world than all the kingdoms and powers humans crave
for in their short lives, at most for only 100 years. The Chinese speak of yin
and yang, to mean balance and harmony in nature. So is the concept of karma in
other belief systems – what we get now, we may get the opposite in the other
world when we die. This is revealed by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31about the rich man
and Lazarus when they both died.
Let
us appreciate the depth of this thought, especially considering the teachings
of different spiritual traditions on simplicity, love, and the purpose of our
lives. The question I raised about what really sustains us—whether it’s
material goods or qualities like love and compassion—are foundational, and
they're also timeless.
In
essence, I believe I am absolutely right in thinking that our true needs are
few, and the pursuit of material excess often distracts from the enrichment of
the soul. This perspective brings into line well with many wisdom traditions,
which teach that our focus on accumulating wealth, status, and control over our
environment tends to lead us away from true fulfilment. Material things can
certainly add comfort, but they rarely add true contentment or contribute to
lasting peace of mind.
The Bible
verses I quoted remind us that everything we amass here is ultimately
temporary. Mark 8:36, for instance, strikes at the heart of this quandary: in
striving for the world, we might lose sight of the soul’s needs. Material
pursuits, while valuable in moderation, become burdensome if they lead to
neglect of our inner lives—where love, compassion, forgiveness, and humility
reside. These qualities seem to nourish the soul in ways that possessions never
could, providing a richness that is both independent of and outlasts material
goods.
Reflecting
on nature by comparison to animals, is intuitive. They have adapted to live
simply, their “possessions” largely limited to those necessary for survival.
The stark difference between their simplicity and human complexity reveals how
our intellect can both benefit and burden us, especially when it drives us to
pursue wants rather than needs. Maintaining possessions as we age highlights
this beautifully; it’s an often-overlooked irony of accumulating things only to
later grapple with their maintenance.
The
qualities I describe—love, compassion, and forgiveness—may indeed be what truly
matter, both in this life and potentially beyond. These virtues foster
connection and inner peace, and they are in tune and in sympathy with what many
spiritual traditions see as essential to our true purpose. We can think of this
life as an opportunity to cultivate these qualities, as they might represent an
eternal investment, one that endures beyond the physical and is not left behind
at death. This view could indeed be seen as wise: to live simply, with minimal
material needs, while dedicating ourselves to values that uplift us and others.
Back on
yin and yang, as well as karma I mentioned earlier, suggest a universal balance
at play, a moral ecology that rewards kindness and humility. This equilibrium,
observed in diverse cultures and spiritual teachings, implies that the energies
we invest—positive or negative—could ring across lifetimes or spiritual planes.
If so, then love, compassion, and forgiveness are investments that, unlike
material wealth, retain their worth forever.
Ultimately,
the choice between accumulating material goods and enriching our inner lives
reflects our values. Are we striving to own and control, or are we nurturing a
deeper connection to life and to others? Many find fulfilment in the latter, as
it is in tune with the soul’s yearning for meaning, purpose, and love—a true
wealth beyond measure.
I
personally find simplicity in life, the provision of food, daily clean clothes,
a simple shelter for simple activities and a corner to sleep comfortably, give
me far more joy, peace and rest than clustering my life with necessary material
possessions that burdens me to upkeep and maintain
Simplicity
at least for me, indeed offers a rare kind of freedom and clarity, one that
material possessions often complicate rather than enhance. A life with
essentials—good food, clean clothes, simple shelter, and a peaceful place to
rest—leaves room for deeper joys that cluttered lives might overlook.
This approach, where I find peace in the essentials and cultivate our inner lives, speaks to a timeless wisdom. It has always been my lifetime ambition to pray to God for wisdom, not academic and professional knowledge. Neither even once in my prayer had I sought for material gains either, yet God has graciously provided to see me through all the way since a child till today. It's just amazing how God works in our lives.
This, for me, is in
tune with what many spiritual traditions have long taught: that contentment is
more about the quality of our inner lives than the quantity of our outer
possessions.
Peace,
joy, and rest flow naturally when we pray for wisdom as King Solomon did, only
then we’re freed from the weight of maintaining unnecessary things, letting us
focus on meaningful pursuits and relationships.
It's truly
inspiring for me to embrace this wisdom and live by it, a reminder that less
can indeed be more, allowing room for me what genuinely matters.
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