Generally speaking, one can observe that most people are living their lives as if this is the only life they have. Most have adopted the worldview that we are material beings and pursue material things and experiences. If we indeed only exist temporarily and everything is finished at the death of this current body that we have, then it would make sense that we pursue short-term goals because we don’t have that much time to achieve longer term goals. But if we continue to exist in some form after the current body dies, this would dramatically change the reality of our existence. Rather than this current life being everything, it would just be a tiny chapter in a very long and perhaps eternal existence.
If I do exist beyond this current experience, this gives rise to many questions; Do I really want to spend all my time and energy to achieve things which I will not be able to take with me when this body ends? Does it make sense to place all of my focus on temporary and passing goals and experiences?
If I do exist eternally, is there an eternal function and purpose that is different from what I am doing now? And if there is an eternal function for all living beings, is there something that we can do now to move towards being more in harmony with our eternal function?
These are questions which many of us probably don’t spend much time thinking about. Yet, for us to have more fulfillment and happiness in our lives, it is very important that we clearly understand our spiritual identity, that we are eternal beings who need to love and serve to feel complete. This understanding can then serve as a foundation that we can stand on when we consider which goals will be worthy and beneficial to pursue.
We need to consider the question of our identity very carefully. Nothing is more important than who we are. If we have a case of mistaken identity, then we will almost surely be pursuing false goals as well.
The good news is that the process of Mindfulness and Mantra Meditation makes it possible for us to get back to our spiritual nature.
