Essay Sample on The Meaning of Life and Religion's Influence

Introduction

Whenever the question of the purpose of life crosses our minds, we tend to have our agenda regarding our purpose on the Earth. It is, therefore, of great importance to gain insight into the meaning of life and man's purpose in life. While there is a widespread agreement in regards to the meaning of life, its definition presents a severe challenge, both emanating from the empirical and theoretical viewpoints. However, from the spiritual realm, there exist two primary reasons as to why we came onto the planet. They are the reasons that define our primary purpose in life. The first reason is to complete the cycle of give-and-take that we experience with different people. The second reason is to grow spiritually with the final view of reunion with God, hence exiting the birth and death circle. Every individual has a specific aim or purpose for life and actualizes as several values in their various communities.

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Religion and Life's Meaning and Purpose

Religion serves as one of the several platforms that help individuals to gain a sense of the meaning of life. The most important reason for an individual's survival is the development of purpose and meaning to life. This is reflected in existentialism, a philosophical position that ascertains that the source of the purpose of life and its meaning is to be found within individuals. It is safe to argue that most individuals find a sense of purpose, psychological support, and an excellent understanding of their religious beliefs. Religion, therefore, plays a significant role in realizing the meaning of one's life and purpose for the same.

Religious systems also help in providing man with a comprehensive set of meanings and goals which can be applicable in offering a perfect explanation of the world's intricacies and provide solutions to personal situations and difficulties.

There are four unique criteria by which religion can provide meaning to life. These are comprehensiveness, accessibility, transcendence, and direct claims (Hall et al., 1986). The first criteria emphasize that the region is more comprehensive and integrates a wide range of other life meaning sources such as family, social, and personal relationships (Krok, 2015). The criteria of accessibility emphasize that religion is easily accessible to people as hence contributes to the global meaning of life through the teachings of the doctrines to the world's population. The information is easy to access as religious books such as the Bible, and any individual across the globe can read the Quran. Through these teachings, people get to understand the acceptable and unacceptable practices, thereby understanding their real purpose in life concerning other people and the environment at large.

Transcendence, as a criterion, explores the tendency of individuals to dig up the invisible realities and explore ultimate concerns (Emmons, 2005). Transcendence requires people to have certain beliefs in ultimate authority, God, in which a higher meaning can be credited. The final criterion implies that religion is capable of making a direct claim to individuals and provides people with some sense of significance. Religion facilitates individual efforts in interpreting their experiences as relates to their existence. Individuals are then able to relate these experiences to the meaning and purpose of life, as explained by religious teachings.

It is easier to notice religion's ability to provide meaning to life. This, for example, is evident in the manner religion helps individuals to handle stress and significant life incidents. Religion usually strives to be part of the process of coming to terms with and dealing with substantial occurrences in life. In a successful coping approach, religion plays a crucial role in securing a healthy relationship with the almighty as well as establishing a spiritual connection with others (Krok, 2015). These coping strategies tend to benefit people if they go through a stressful incident highly. Therefore, individuals can draw more magnificent constructions of personal meaning from their religious beliefs. This understanding can, in turn, influence their abilities to cope with various life adversities on a long term basis.

Life's meaning tends to be associated with an individual's well-being and ability to function positively. Those with the belief that their life is meaningful tend to be happier than those who cannot derive meaning from their life. Consequently, individuals who can derive meaning from their lives experience higher satisfaction levels (Tsipursky, 2016). This is reflective of how people can evaluate their lives positively.

People have individual goals in life. These goals mainly relate to becoming successful and living a happy life. Whichever the goals maybe for most people, they are purely earthly goals. The education systems are mostly skewed to pursue earthly goals. Similarly, parents tend to instill the same worldly purpose in their children. Parents encourage their children to work hard, excel in their careers, and live successful lives; however, it essential that worldly goals can be reconciled with the spiritual life purpose and God's reason for our coming into existence (Krok, 2015).

The question then is how individuals can live to achieve both worldly goals and still live their spiritual purpose. Primarily, man strives to attain earthly satisfaction and the happiness that comes with it. The chase of this satisfaction is what initiates man's actions. However, after the worldly goals are accomplished, the accompanying satisfaction and the happiness that it brings do not last forever. Individuals will soon find themselves on the search for the next goal to achieve. Lasting satisfaction and happiness are only attainable through spiritual practices (Krok, 2015).

When we merge into God, we are sure to experience lasting happiness. It is important to note that merging into God does not imply giving up all our actions on Earth and follow God. It means the introduction of Spiritual life in our daily life and the chase of our worldly goals. It is through this that man can experience everlasting happiness (Krok, 2015). Therefore, as our life goals get more in line with our spiritual growth, the richer life becomes, and the less pain we are likely to experience in life.

Conclusion

Religion gives the perfect definition of man's purpose on Earth. While it is essential for a man to work hard for the sake of developing materially and sustaining our families, we should never confuse our purpose with that of God. Our daily activities must conform to the purpose that is spelled out in the Holly books. It is only in this way that man's life will bear the spiritual meaning that God expects. If we strike a perfect partnership between our goals and God's purpose for our lives, life will be more meaningful.

References

Krok, D. (2015). The role of meaning in life within the relations of religious coping and psychological well-being. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4580713/

Emmons, R. A. (2005). Striving for the sacred: Personal goals, life meaning, and religion. Journal of Social Issues, 61(4), 731-745. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00429.

Hall, C. M., Spilka, B., Hood, R. W., & Gorsuch, R. L. (1986). The psychology of religion: An empirical approach. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 25(3), 376. https://doi.org/10.2307/1386305

Tsipursky, G. (2016, 20). Do you need religion for life, meaning, and purpose? Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/intentional-insights/201606/do-you-need-religion-life-meaning-and-purpose