Purpose and Happiness

Purpose and happiness are very much integrated and interrelated in terms of the everyday life cycle and the meaning of life. Now the question is, “What keeps us healthier and happier in life, or what is our life goal and energy to make life happier and purposeful?”

Today, the following four categories of life happiness are defined in terms of the purpose of life.

1. Two-thirds of the world population lives with starvation and food insecurity. The main purpose of this majority population is to find food to fill the stomach and strive for the following three purposes of life afterward. They are the most disadvantaged, oppressed, and forgotten populations.

2. Navigating life mainly in worldly terms — making money, enjoying life, and dying. This belongs primarily to the privileged world population. This is the second-largest group, which leans toward worldly affairs to find happiness and purpose in life. There was a recent survey among young adults asking, “What is your main life goal?” Over 80% said they wanted to be rich, and over 50% said they wanted to be famous. This means this group leans toward hard work to achieve worldly success and wealth, although this is not the complete picture of a whole life portfolio.

3. A balance of worldly life with the flavors of spiritual life — meaning being stuck at a crossroads and struggling to navigate life in particular directions. This group represents average middle-class privileged people who attempt to make life happier and more purposeful with some flavor of spirituality, yet remain stuck at crossroads. Eventually, through different phases of life, wisdom and knowledge shape us physically, mentally, and spiritually, giving us different tastes, challenges, and meanings in life. Most of the time, we are intellectually bankrupt in finding the fine balance between worldly and holistic life.

4. A spiritual and holistic sense of life purpose means being completely devoted to Almighty Allah SWT and eternal life. A small portion of the world’s population leans toward this goal, with minimal worldly affairs, seeking contentment and ultimate spiritual and holistic happiness to prepare for the next eternal life. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was the most vivid example of this category of life purpose and meaning.

The most interesting fact revealed from the life of our beloved Prophet (SAW) and the vast majority of other Prophets is that their lives were filled with sorrow, distress, enormous pain, tribulations, and poverty. What is the purpose and wisdom behind these tribulations and sufferings? Most of the Prophets were shepherds or cattle grazers, experiencing deep loneliness from youth into adulthood.

The wisdom behind the shepherd profession lies in finding tranquility in the soul, gazing at the sky, feeling the vastness of the universe with appreciation, and eventually connecting with the Almighty beyond the seven heavens. This helps open the real meaning and purpose of life with deep inner peace and tranquility.

A 75-year uninterrupted study by Harvard University revealed that good relationships make us happier and healthier. People who are socially connected with family, friends, and neighbors are happier, healthier, more content, and live longer than average. It is not about how many friends we have, nor the longevity of a relationship with a spouse — it is the quality of close relationships that matters most.

A recent study found that the world’s happiest country is Finland. According to Jennifer De Paola, a happiness researcher at the University of Helsinki, a close connection to nature and a healthy work-life balance contribute to world-leading happiness ratings.
“Finnish society is permeated by a sense of trust, freedom, and a high level of autonomy,” she said, adding that Finns’ strong welfare system, trust in state authorities, low levels of corruption, and free healthcare and education were also key factors.

There is always some trial-and-error perimeter in adjusting the level of happiness and related patterns, but an obvious question comes to our mind repeatedly:
“Are we really happy?”