Such a category as “meaning of life” is one of the most important notions among the concepts regarding world outlook. It has a tremendous importance for spiritual and moral upbringing of the person. The choice of the life strategy influences not only on the person’s life but on the life of the whole humanity. Purpose of life includes numerous small everyday desires, actions, ideas of the person. At the certain stage of development almost everyone faces with the problem of the unsolved questions: What do I live for? What is the purpose of my life? From the ancient times the greatest brains tried to give their own explanation of that complicated category. Nevertheless everyone has its own understanding of his or her mission on the Earth, and as a result has own pattern of behaviour and the means of goals’ achievement.
Religion has a great impact on the formation of the human’s worldview and consequently on the understanding of the human’s purpose in this world. Different religions bring their own explanation of that notion, and actually this point very often becomes the most problematic and contradictable, and causes religious conflicts. Let’s consider the most common explanations of person’s existence meaning by different religions.
According to Buddhism’s postulates the whole life of the person is connected with suffering, which is caused by humans’ desires. As a result the purpose of humans is to overcome the suffering and achieve enlightenment or so-called nirvana – “a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth” (Oxford Dictionary, 2012).
Islam even being a rather young religion has its own interpretation of the humans’ mission. This religion proclaims the overwhelming worship to Allah. “Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): And I (Allah) created not the Jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone) [51: 56]” (Rabee’ Al-Aakhir, 2002).
To fulfill the purpose in their life Muslims should attain a special connection with their God; as a result they would have a chance to go to the heaven after their death.
The Hinduism proclaims the necessity to overcome the suffering which is caused by the unwitting and the necessity to reach the happiness of the knowledge.
Judaism encourages everyone to work hard in order to become worthy of God’s blessing. The God has created a person to be his companion and co-creator. According to this religion everyone should long for self-improvement through the God’s inspiration.
The main mission of the humanity according to Confucius is to create the perfect, ideal society in order to find the harmony between the sky and people. In that case the person is considered to be a part with its own obligations and functions, a mechanism of the whole society, the interests of which is on the first place. Self-improvement, support of the interfamily connections and traditions should become person’s main priorities.
Daoism or Taoism also has its interesting interpretation of human’s purpose on …