I truly believe that every single person in the world has a purpose in life. God created each and every one of us for a reason. Whether we know it or not our life is planned and we follow a path throughout our life. In this path, we have the option to make good decisions or bad decisions. In order to achieve salvation and enter a virtuous after life we had to do deeds that had a positive impact on other people. In order to do this though, one must have the self-discipline and devotion to God. There are many obstacles that can get in the way of achieving this goal and the main one is our desires. Desire is a strong feeling of something we want or wish to have. Our desire negatively impacts our life because it detaches our body both physically and emotionally from our mind which then influences us to make morally wrong decisions. In The Book of Job, one of the main themes is desire, more specifically the desire to know the actuality. Job is a wealthy man living in a land of Uz with his family minding his own business. He is a very religious man and usually strives to do what he believes is morally right. Satan one day challenges God that Job will lose his faith in him if he allows Satan to torture Job. God accepts the challenge and Job greatly suffers. Job at the beginning of the story had no desires or intentions at all, but as his condition gets worse and worse. Job mindset about God and his belief begins to shift. At this point in the story desire starts to play a key role in Job’s life. Desire is shown in Job when he demands answers from God and why God is putting him through all of this. The idea of questioning God terrifies Job but his desire for an answer ultimately overshadows his fear of questioning God, “Here is my desire... ... middle of paper ... ...es us how to free our minds from these negative desires. In order to free our bodies from karma attached to us. We have to realize the purpose of our lives and what we have to do in order to please God. Finally, in the Book of Job, Job eventually lets his desire take over his mind and turn down his trust in God. Desire is a feeling that’s naturally in human beings and if an individual can rid themselves of the negative desires. It will ultimately benefit that individual but in the Book of Job, The Letter of Abelard and Heloise, and The Bhagavad-Gita. Desire is presented not only as a bad thing but a desire can ultimately ruin our life. Works Cited Levitan, William. Abelard and Heloise. Indianapolis: Hackett, 2007. Print. Mascaró, Juan. The Bhagavad Gita. Baltimore: Penguin, 1962. Print. Scheindlin, Raymond P. The Book of Job. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998. Print.
The Book of Job is a book about a wealthy man Job who lived in a land called Uz with his large family and extensive flocks. He was “blameless” and “upright,” and was always careful to avoid doing evil. One day, Satan (“the Adversary”) ap...
Antoinette’s relationship with Tia represents several values for her. Their relationship embodies several racial metaphors. Tia is the symbol of the person Antoinette greatly desires to be but never could. She embodies the black character that is free from alienation that is accepted by her community, unlike Antoinette who is neither black nor white. She struggles to decipher her own identity. The novel opens with the portrayal of the Cosways’ ruin after the emancipation, due to the fact that they formerly owned black slaves. They call them white cockroaches ‘I never looked at any strange negro. They hated us. They called us white cockroaches’ (Pt1 Pg 9). They do however find security with some of the blacks, namely the ones that are not from Jamaican decent, such as Christophine and Tia. Antoinette not only finds herself in the hatred of the black community but also the new English Colonists reject them due to their long intimacy with blacks and due to the fact that they are ‘Creole’ and not English labeling them ‘white niggers’. Therefore Tia represent a girl of approximately Antoinette’s age, someone she can relate to, that is black and therefore has the privilege of being accepted into society. She was strong unlike Antoinette ‘sharp stones did not hurt her feet, I never saw her cry’ (Pt1 Pg9), therefore she looked for strength, comfort and a sense of belonging with her.
The Dhammapada speaks a universal truth, that “desire is unquenchable,” and explains that “he who wishes to awake, consumes his desires joyfully” (Chapter 14). These statements prove similar to the four noble truths, that to live is to suffer, and desire causes suffering; therefore, one cannot avoid temptation because it is ubiquitous. When explaining the outcomes of “craving pleasure or nursing pain,” the Buddha articulates that “there is only sorrow” (Chapter 16). Desire clearly only causes difficulty when attempting to achieve Nirvana, and the Dhammapada seeks to convey the importance of clearing the mind and purifying one’s thoughts. Continuing to contrast lust and happiness, the Buddha explains that “there is pleasure and there is bliss, forgo the first to possess the second” (Chapter 21). One cannot have genuine jubilation while yearnings and allurements cloud the mind. Expressed throughout Buddhist teachings and a main religious text, the action of overpowering desire and lewd thoughts proves a crucial step in eventually reaching
...ains a mystery. Job makes a mental change to take the path of trust rather than protest. Trusting in God is a very difficult decision, as being human, it is hard to let ourselves go and put our trust into the unknown. I personally like being in control and the thought of letting it all go and living in complete faith is not easy to accomplish. This is why I feel Job relates to my life for I feel it is a way God is showing me that trusting in him will only result in “double portion”. In the story of Job God restores double of his possessions and wealth he had lost. Through it all Job remained faithful and worshipped more for he trusted his God. God knew Job was capable of withstanding the suffering and knew in the end Job knew God was in control. God wants us to know that he is in control of our lives we just need to put our trust in him to allow him to do the rest.
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson-
Real purpose in life is not found only in accepting Jesus as Savior. It is when is when one begins to follow Christ as His disciple, learning of Him, spending time with Him in His Word, communicating with Him through prayer, and in walking with Him in obedience to His commands. When you live the Christian life and follow Jesus then and only then will you find true happiness and your purpose for life.
As the book opens, Job is God's "pride and joy", so to speak. Job was free of sin, he "feared God and shunned evil"(1:1). God apparently thinks higher of Job than any other mortal. This is evidenced when he tells Satan that "There is no one on Earth like him; he is blameless and upright . . ."(1:8). When Satan questions Job's faith God allows him to test Job, as if to show off his favorite servant. This is an almost human quality in God--pride. Satan's test involves the total destruction of everything Job owns and lived for: his children his animals, and his estate. Everything was destroyed but his wife, and of course the Four Messengers of Misfortune. "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing"(1:22).
The Book of Job offers many complex and abstract ideas. It can also be looked at in a simple fashion, taking it as a folk tale trying to explain the unexplainable forces of fate and chance. The story is often interpreted as another strange episode of the Almighty Yahweh requiring blind faith in the midst of overwhelming and sadistic trials. A picture is painted, at first glance, of a cruel and uncaring God who is most interested in His wager with Satan on the reliability of His faithful follower Job. The ending is often overlooked in the larger picture. The trial that he suffers is for his betterment, and like the aborted sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, it reveals the true character of God.
The Book of Job from the Old Testament is a story in which an attempt is made by the Hebrew author to justify the unjustifiable actions of a seemingly malevolent god. The questioning by Job as to why the "good" must suffer is induced by a childish challenge, put forth by Satan and accepted by God, to test the loyalty of Job toward God. The uncharacteristic actions of a supposedly omni benevolent God must be justified in the eyes of his followers, and in the process of doing so, God is made to look like nothing more than an omnipotent child.
Since the beginning of mankind, it has been the need to attain a specific goal, which has driven humans to work hard. Without any ambition, humans would not be inspired to overcome adversities and challenge themselves to become increasingly adaptable. When one is motivated by certain factors in their environment, the probability of them being satisfied with the results of their deeds depends on the moral value of their inspiration. If the individual is aware of the fact that their deed is immoral, then no matter how dire their circumstances which forced them to perform the actions, they will not be content. The irony establishes itself in the fact that those characters who are motivated by a cause bigger than themselves, tend to be happier,
Why does God allow Satan to cause such tragedy in Job’s life, a man whom God has already acknowledged as “my servant Job, that there is none like on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”(1.8) From the beginning, it is known that Job is in no way deserving of his injustices, so a reason must be given. God gives Job an opportunity to prove that under any circumstances Job will still have faith. This simply a test for Job. The whole Book is a “double” journey for Job -- he shows God his faith and realizes the faith God has that Job will not stray from his path. Job knows deep down that God has not forsaken him.
Some people spend their lives complaining that there 's “no meaning to life”. They live their life not caring about others around them, themselves, etc. However, once they accomplish something, such as saving someone’s life or becoming a mom, they may finally feel that their life has a meaning. Those that aim and success are more likely to miss it and not feel accomplished with what they did. These would be the women that are told they can’t have children. Or someone who wants to be a doctor but continues to fail the entrance exam. Viktor Frankl said “...I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long run, success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about
“Objection, evasion, joyous distrust, and love of irony are signs of health; everything absolute belongs to pathology.” (Nietzsche 1886) This quote from Beyond Good and Evil, is an example of existentialist purpose, since he is listing parts of life, some of witch can be considered purpose to life, and the consider it a disease, as if he has no purpose. I somewhat agree, because I don’t understand the point in life,¬¬–– there is no point is there. I guess the purpose of living is the everyday family, friends, and trying best to be happy or to make everyone who’s around happy. To be completely honest I’m not sure if there is a purpose, I would think that the main purpose for humankind is to function normally for society. This way we can all insure the well being of others and to keep others alive and well. I would say living in harmony with others would be my purpose. I will know that I have fulfilled my purpose when those around me are happy and at
Purpose, the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists. Each person at one time or another has asked themselves why do I exist. Intrinsically instilled in us exist an inner yearning to be used in a higher purpose. We all desire to live as productive citizens in the Kingdom of God by having a purpose in the world which we live. Even the O.T. character Adam yearned for more than just being alive. After God created Adam, he gifts Adam with an ability to name all His creation in Genesis 2:19-20. God discerned that Adam desired to have purpose. God understood that man needed a purpose greater than just living. People must have a vision or else they will perish. To receive your vision in Christ instills the greatest
The book of Job is essentially one that tests faith. Job was a righteous man of God and lived a prosperous life. Sadly, a series of unfortunate events caused him to lose everything; his source of income, his family, and his health began to suffer. Even though this test was prompted by Satan, God allowed it because he wanted to see if the many blessings he bestowed upon Job were the reason for his loyalty. However, the conservation that transpired between Job and his friends left God very angry. The key to figuring out why is to first know the exchange of words then comprehend the meaning that lies within.