Why Are We Here? The Real Purpose of Life
What is the purpose of life? Why are we here on this planet?
After studying a lot, I came to know that the purpose of life is different from just food, shelter, and reproduction. In science, the purpose of life is often described as to reproduce and continue life on planet Earth. But according to me, the purpose of life is totally different.
First, I would like to discuss why we are here and what the purpose of humans on this planet is. According to me, the purpose of life, besides food, shelter, and reproduction, is to be kind to every human being and to other species.
Second, the purpose of life is humanity. One of the great poet of the East beautifully said in his poetry that we are here to help each other. I will explain his poetry in simple language. Dr Sir Mohammad Iqbal said it is better to become a human than an angel, but it takes a lot of hard work.
Now I will explain this point in detail. As we know, the angels of Almighty God are very innocent. The laws of humans don’t apply to them because they only worship 24/7. They have no ego, no anger, no greed, no test. Angels are programmed for obedience.
The great poet Allama Iqbal said it is better to become a human than an angel. Why? Because if we are humble to each other and kind to each other despite having free will, desires, pain, and selfish thoughts then that is real achievement. If we choose kindness when we could choose anger, if we help when we could ignore, I think that is sufficient to prove why we are here on this planet.
Most scholars and religious teachings say that we are here for a test. It is like an exam. If we pass this test, we will become successful and achieve our goals. If we don’t pass this exam we won’t get success. The “paper” is not written with a pen. It is written in how we treat the weak, how we speak to our parents, how we act when no one is watching.
Two modern thinkers give us more angles on this test:
1. Elisabet Sahtouris: Humans as Cells of Earth
Elisabet Sahtouris, Ph.D., is an evolutionary biologist, futurist and author of _EarthDance: Living Systems in Evolution_ and _Biology Revisioned_. She does not talk about Adam and Eve directly. Instead, she gives us a scientific + spiritual view of purpose.
Her main postulates that support my idea:
1. Earth is a living organism: Sahtouris says humans are like single cells of a larger life form called planet Earth. A cell that attacks other cells is called cancer. A cell that cooperates keeps the body healthy. So our purpose is to move from a “juvenile, competitive” stage to a “mature, cooperative” stage.
2. Laws of living systems: Healthy systems need reciprocity, balance, self-regulation, and coordination of all parts. That is exactly your point: be kind, be humble, help each other. When we destroy nature or exploit people, we break the laws of the living system we belong to.
3. Shift from mechanics to organics: She argues science must stop seeing the universe as a machine and start seeing it as a living, conscious organism. We are not separate from Earth. We are embedded in it. If Earth suffers, we suffer.
So according to Sahtouris, the “exam” I mentioned is not just moral. It is biological. Can humans learn to cooperate like the cells in our own body do?
2. Dr. Ellis Silver: “Humans Are Not From Earth” and the Adam/Eve Idea
Dr. Ellis Silver is an ecologist who wrote the book Humans Are Not From Earth: A Scientific
Evaluation of the Evidence_.His hypothesis is controversial and not accepted by mainstream science. But one of his arguments is very helpful that will connect directly to my question about Adam and Eve.
What Silver said about Adam and Eve / human origin:
Silver listed 17 “postulates” to argue that humans may not have fully evolved on Earth. He said our bodies show signs of being poorly adapted to this planet. Examples he gives: our backs get chronic pain, we can’t stay in the sun too long, women have painful childbirth compared to other animals, babies have large heads, we get chronic diseases, we dislike natural foods, etc.
One of his key postulates is about being “bound to the present”. He observed that if you go out into space and look at Earth, its shape is spherical and about 70-80% is covered with water. Between the water is the dry land, and on the dry land, human beings live. Silver argued this shows humans are “confined” and not fully at home here, unlike other species that thrive in oceans, forests, deserts without technology.
 |
| planet Earth from space |
How this connects to Adam and Eve:
Silver did not rewrite the Bible story. But his hypothesis is often discussed alongside the idea that “Adam and Eve” were not born on Earth but transferred here. He suggests that humans may have been brought to Earth from another planet relatively recently in evolutionary terms. If that is true, then the story of Adam and Eve being “placed in a garden, then sent to Earth” would fit his model symbolically. He did not claim to prove the religious story. He only said our physiology looks like we are mismatched to Earth’s gravity, sunlight, and environment.
Mainstream science disagrees with Silver. Fossil and DNA evidence strongly support that humans evolved on Earth in Africa over millions of years. But Silver’s book is useful because it makes us ask: “Do we treat Earth like a home, or like a place we don’t belong to?”
So what does this mean for the purpose of life?
Whether Silver is right or wrong, his question forces us back to your main point: if we are guests, tenants, or even “exiled” here, then our duty is even bigger. Guests don’t destroy the host’s house. If Adam and Eve’s story is about being given responsibility for a garden, then the test is care-taking.
We Come to the Conclusion
Now we come to the conclusion: why are we here? What is the purpose of life?
The answer has layers:
1. Biological level: Survive. Food, shelter, reproduce. This is what science calls the “gene’s purpose.”
2. Human level: This is where Iqbal’s poetry comes in. Angels worship without choice. Humans worship through choice. Every time we choose kindness over cruelty, humility over ego, help over selfishness, we pass the test. That hard work is what makes a human “better than an angel.”
3. Planetary level: As Sahtouris teaches, we are cells of Earth. Our purpose is to mature into a cooperative species that regulates, balances, and heals the system we live in.
4. Mystery level: As Silver asks maybe we are not fully “from” here. If that is true, then our purpose is to act like responsible guests. The Adam/Eve story, in this view, is a reminder that we were given a garden and told: take care of it.
If we pass this test of humanity, we will become successful. If we fail, we will destroy ourselves and the planet. The exam is happening right now, in every decision you make today.
If you have any questions, you can write or comment below.
Comments