One of my friends is a primary school teacher who narrated a funny incident when he was teaching in a village. He asked the following puzzle from the kids.

A monkey climbed up an apple tree but ended up eating mangoes. How did he do that One of the students uttered in a low voice, but it was heard by everyone “He must have climbed after drinking alcohol!”

Everyone laughed. He was asked to immediately stand outside the class as punishment. The expected answer to the puzzle was “Monkey carried mangoes along with him”

The fact that I always wonder is, what makes apple an apple and mango a mango. How does nature decide their precise design? Here is some information related to fruits. Apples have high fiber contents and consuming them helps the body keep the warm temperature, much needed in cold conditions where they grow. On the other hand, mangoes grow in a hot climate and ripen in the summer.  They help hydrate the body and provide a cooling effect which is much needed by birds, animals, and humans in the summer. Is that the reason, apple and mango trees are designed by nature to serve their own ecosystem?

Let’s jump to the cosmic scale. The scientists discovered that the entire universe is in a sound and structured arrangement. There is a finer tuning and optimization of cosmic parameters.  The distance between earth and sun is just enough to maintain temperature conducive to life.  A small change in that distance will destroy life either due to chilling or burning effects. An earth’s magnetic field is just enough to divert the solar wind and protect life on the earth. The gravitation pull of other planets is so finely tuned that it diverts the large impending meteorites from impacting the earth. Universal gravitational constant is finely tuned. If gravity had been slightly weaker, stars would not have exploded into supernovae, which is a source of many of the heavier elements involved in life. Conversely, if gravity had been slightly stronger, stars would have lived only for thousands rather than billions of years, not leaving enough time for biological evolution to take place. Isn’t this an elegant arrangement, a perfect grand design? Is the universe designed for creating and sustaining human life?

Science can reasonably model the universe, measure the cosmic parameters, energy spectrum, distances, sizes of planets, and even discover new spectacular entities. However, it doesn’t answer why it is all there? The world-renowned scientist, Stephen Hawking never liked the idea of introducing any divine entity into the equation of the universe to explain the creation. He argued that the whole existence can be treated as one of the probabilistic outcomes of all the combinations of possible universes. This theory however assumes that life as we know exists only in our universe. What if other universes in the multiverse framework had altogether a different form of life with a different set of cosmic parameters? Thereby the multiverse theory doesn’t satisfactorily answer the real fundamental question. If a small toy can have a purpose, why not the universe?  Why do we exist? What’s the purpose of this grand cosmic creation? Who designed it and why? What is the expected end outcome?

We are part of the creation and existence itself. Using reductionist logic for the question itself can be proven absurd by saying that, no one would never ask this question when we don’t exist!

Swami Vivekananda although provided a profound response to this question. He pointed out that because we humans are able to ask this question, we immediately become in charge of defining or discovering our own purpose or goals in life. He suggested that everyone should pick up one area out of many that appeals to one’s heart, and  noblest among all as goal of life. Here is one of his quotes

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life — think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”

 Discovery of purpose is not a straightforward process and is often nonlinear and  random too. Those are fortunate who know their life goals since early life years and they pursue it with unwavering zeal. However for many, knowing one’s purpose likewise is a clear destination on the road map, to fulfil a philosophical notion or fantasy. There are myriads of books, tools, and platforms to help us discover our strengths.

There is also a simpler version to start with based on Indian Vedic texts. Vedas identifies humans with four different bodies or faculties namely physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual. The strength of a person depends on the strengths of individual faculty and is characterized by the most active or dominant faculty.  This helps individuals to board the right bus in terms of choosing the field of work and then fine-tune the position on the way to align our duties with our strengths.  I read a beautiful book ‘Ikigai’ by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles. Ikigai is a Japanese concept, a reason why you wake up in the morning. It’s the purpose of your life. It’s the activities we perform in the state of Flow without realizing the passage of time or other surrounding disturbances.

Ikigai occurs at the intersection of four things- what do you love? What does the world need? What you are good at? What you can be paid for?

I came across some examples where legendary people started their career in one area but jumped off to realize that there is something else inviting them. They made the decision to pursue the same goal of life eventually succeed beyond the benchmarks.  

Examples:

1.  He was born in a poor family and was the son of a farmer. His father wanted him to do farming and help him to feed the family. He refused the proposal, to the disappointment of his father. He pursued his love for machines and even set up a machine shop on the same farming land. He later became one of the exemplars and leader of the global auto industry. He was Henry Ford

2.  She was a good dancer and was pursuing higher studies in microbiology in Mumbai India. Until one day she decided to discontinue and jumped into a full-fledged acting career. She is the famous Bollywood superstar, Madhur Dixit.

3. He was inclined to join Indian Civil Services, but his father asked him to pursue an education in medicine. He had to discontinue the same due to health issues and had to opt for natural sciences at Cambridge University. He came back to India and worked in the areas of physics, botany, and biology only to make ground-breaking discoveries. He used his strength in science and ability to discover the hidden reality. He was Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose, also known as one of the fathers of wireless communication. He is also the first scientist in the world to prove that plants have life.

4.  She was being pelted by stones and cow dung when she used to go to school for teaching women in India back in 1848. However, she continued her vision of women’s education and empowerment by inventing the best teaching methods and opening schools in Pune India. She and her husband were asked to leave home but she didn’t deviate from her goal. She was  Savitribai Phule, the first woman teacher of India

For an entrepreneur, the purpose may end up in a  tangible output like a Vision, Mission, and Brand statement. However, for a mother who is raising and nurturing her kids, the output may not be tangible. Nevertheless, the purpose remains equally sacred or noble. It also means that even if we are not clear on our personal vision statement, we are expected to perform our duties, accomplish tasks that are right in  front of us, and take our best shot. It could be a dish for the cook, a floor for a sweeper, a machine for an engineer, a job for a professional, or a nation for the government. 

One thing comes out to be loud and clear. Not getting engaged, doing work, and taking necessary actions under the reason of a lack of purpose is no way an acceptable excuse per se. By default, We are here to contribute and improve things.

An inquisitive little girl asked her language teacher, ,”Why should I improve my handwriting and make it beautiful?”

The teacher said: “Because I am saying it!”  The little girl was utterly dissatisfied with the answer. She approached her mother and asked the same question, “Why should I make it beautiful?” 

Mother told her that it’s because all her friends have better handwriting than her. With no signs of satisfaction, she went to her father and inquired.

Father replied, “Baby, it’s because it is the right thing to do and will help you to succeed in your career.” None of the answers could meet her inquisitive thirst. One day a wandering monk came to their village. She approached him and asked the same question. 

“Swamiji, why should I make my handwriting beautiful?” 

Monk looked at her and said, “My child, It’s because you are beautiful!”

Finally, the little girl’s face lit up with a smile.

Stephen Covey in his book ‘The 8th Habit’ talks about finding your voice and inspiring others to find theirs, to move from effectiveness to greatness. While we keep searching for our voice, let’s exercise our choice to make the things and world around us more empowering, efficient, and beautiful. It’s only because each one of us is already a powerful and blissful soul. This is our primary reality . Hope this will bring a smile to your face too.