Is there a universal, timeless and deeply compelling reason to pursue anything?

Question

Don Jack has a job, a few friends, often goes to the gym and has ambitious dreams of participating in life. Often he finds himself questioning whether he continues to pursue these things. The chain of whys hasn't been resolved. As an example (which can have many alternative answers, by the way) :

Agency

1. Jack has a job. Why? -> Jack wants to save money. Why? -> Jack wants to start his own company. Why? -> Jack wants to have lots of agency & hire smart people. Why? -> Jack wants to quickly and easily reach goals. Why? -> There's no clear reason for this.

Friends

1. Jack wants to have friends. Why? -> Jack wants people to help each other out. Why? -> To make great things possible and easier to do? Why? -> There's no clear reason for this.

Gym

1. Jack goes to the gym. Why? -> Jack wants to be healthy. Why? -> He doesn't like being sick; when he was ill, he vowed to do everything he had wanted to do, regretting doing what he was capable of when healthy. Why does he want to do the things he is capable of? 😀😀 Is there an alternative? One can only do what one is capable of. -> This seems a bit helpful.

Tranquility

1. Jack wants inner peace, so he does some meditative practices. Why? Why does he want inner peace? -> Because the alternative is painful. He experiences pain and knows it's not great. He knows tranquillity and knows it's great to have it personally.

The problem with having unclear whys is that the mind easily shifts from one pursuit to another. Are there reasons that are:

1. Universal (they are true for Jack as for Danny as for Angie, as for a monkey called Romeo, and an ant called Maggie)
2. Deeper (they aren't just true at the individual level. That apply not just on earth, but also across space)
3. Timeless (they have existed for all time)

Answer 1

There is no such purpose

Universal: No purpose can be universal, because every person is different. There may, however, be some common purposes, because people have many similarities on a biological and psychological level.

Deeper: No purpose applies "across space" (?), because what you find meaningful is very much specific to you.

Timeless: No purpose applies across time, because people change over time, and therefore their purpose may also change, even across the span of just a single life.

It's better if there isn't such a purpose

This is because every person is different. One person finds parenthood to be meaningful, another finds meaning in their career, yet another may find meaning in friendships, etc.

A universal purpose may be a nice hypothetical idea, but in practice this would leave a lot of people with unfulfilling lives.

The best purpose for an individual is something that individual should figure out for themselves.

What about religion?

Some would say religion gives universal and objective purpose. I disagree. Even if one were true (which I also disagree with).

Religion is simply another purpose. Or rather, it's many purposes, or it's possibly a pretend purpose: even within one religion, people lead vastly different lives. Most religious people lead whatever lives they find most meaningful (aside from some religious rituals, perhaps), and may say that this serves their god in some way.

Side note

You seem to have missed some obvious reasons for doing things:

Jack has a job. Why? -> Jack enjoys his career. [or] Jack wants to make money. Why? -> Money allows Jack to live a life that he enjoys.

Jack wants to have friends. Why? -> Jack enjoys spending time with other people, finds value in having emotional bonds with others and likes having people in his life that he can rely on.

The "why" for all of the above would be physiological and psychological needs and desires.

Answer 2

I feel that this query really deserves an answer. I won't say it is individual to everyone because humans have enough in common that there are regularities. You asked for a universal, timeless and deeply compelling reason, which reminds me of the qualities of God. How close can we get?

Playing the Why game is useful, because often it does ground out in something inarguable. If you end up at "There's no clear reason for this", then give it some more chances. But, minds are question machines, not answer generators. Evolution prepared us to find answers in the world, not inside our minds. I am fond of the saying: "I was left alone in my head without adult supervision." Definitely seek out other people to keep on track with.

I liked how you said, "Why does he want to do the things he is capable of?" and said it was a bit helpful. My intuitive response is that this is your best lead. Following that with: "The problem with having unclear whys is that the mind easily shifts from one pursuit to another" is insightful. Vipassana meditation - I think - is partly about staying on some one thing long enough to go deeper. It is possible to get past the mind as chatterbox and perceive quietly. This alone makes life worth living. But one can go farther, and many people have done so and do. You can find lots of books, blogs and video about Nonduality.

I would say that you personally have to seek your answer, but when you find it, it will be universal. It's your path! You are already on it!

Answer 3

Well, the truth is that life is meaningless. We do not have any purpose. However, we can give meaning to our life by saying I am pursuing this because I wish to pursue it. If you are OK with this point of view, it is not very wrong to say,"Whether I exist or not, the universe will just work according to the laws of physics. Thus, my existence is meaningless." So, if you are pursuing something and you cannot find any good reason why are you doing that, then you must not overthink about it as it may lead you into existential crisis. These were the questions I asked myself a few years ago and I have come to the conclusion that there is no universal, deep or timeless reason (purpose) for the existence of any living being.

Think for a moment why are you asking this question and why am I answering it?

Answer 4

I think the immediate goal before any human individual is to assemble their own comprehensive understanding -- a 3-D simulation of the Reality, including its internal workings. Simply put, the Reality as a whole, and every part of it, could be visualized as some kind of a machine. The Ancient Greek word for the whole simulation was Logos (a derivative from proto-Greek verb lego, or "to assemble").

It only makes sense for an individual to attain this kind of comprehensive understanding before deciding on what to do with the rest of their life. That's why assembling your own copy of Logos sooner than later is important.

Unfortunately, even though it sounds pretty straightforward, getting everyone on board with this idea proved to be difficult.

"Even though it always holds true, people couldn't comprehend the Lógos, not even after they've been told about it."
"Failure to understand it is the root of all evil." (Heraclitus, 450 BC)

"In it was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light in the darkness shined; and the darkness comprehended it not." (John 1:4-5)

Still, it is possible to comprehend. Heraclitus did it, Jesus did it, even John the Evangelist -- and so could you! And so could every one of us.