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What is the purpose of life? Is there a purpose at all behind this human life?

These are some questions that prop up in our mind, mostly after we cross the retirement age in life. Till then, most of us keep running in life chasing many things - money, sexual and other sensual gratification, possessions, wealth, comfort, status in society, peer group recognition, fame/ notoriety, power, authority, celebrity status and so on.

A few of us become fairly successful in attaining what we have been chasing, with different levels of attainment or satisfaction. Many of us may end up perennially unhappy because of our failure to attain what we have been dreaming of or because our goal seems to be constantly shifting from one level to the other.

All said and done, is it really possible to give one universally acceptable answer to the question "What is your purpose in life?" Let us try to analyze some typical answers to this question.

(1) "Purpose of Life is to eat, drink and be merry"

People who say so are those whose belief about life is mostly associated with satiating the basic needs and desires of the perishable human body and its sense organs. Experience in life teaches that there is really no culmination of satisfaction in these enjoyments. It is like attempting to douse the fire by pouring oil. Any excessive indulgence only results in getting pain instead of pleasure from the same sense organs.

Uncontrolled eating ends one up in diabetes. Excessive smoking leads to cancer in the lungs; excessive and uncontrolled indulgence in sex leads one to to AIDs or STDs. Excessive drinking leads one to Liver Cirrhosis.

Even controlled and moderated enjoyment seem to have their limitations. The type of joy one got in eating ice creams in childhood vanishes in adulthood. There does not seem to be any fulfillment in life if the pursuits in life are behind sensual gratification only.

(2) "Purpose of Life is to become famous"

To become famous comes in different forms of human endeavor in education, job/ profession, sports, fine arts, public administration/ politics and so on. Those who can't do socially acceptable activities to get fame, resort to anti-social activities to become notorious, which is nothing but a darker side of fame-hunting. Seeking fame or notoriety is a need of the human ego.

Along with growth of fame in a person, there is always the fattening of ego associated with it. Egotistic persons tend to get into trouble with others easily, because many people develop a dislike

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