Okay, then I have a meaning and purpose in life as much as my pet cat does. I don't agree with this perspective, I think neither of us have "purposes" exactly, but there it is.
You exist. You create. You contribute. Every day you decide to wake up and get ready for the day ahead and go to class and learn Nipongo. You bathe. You eat. You breathe. Why? Because you are driven and motivated to do so. What motivates, what even inspires us as humans, also defines our existence. Some people believe the pursuit of wealth or material things will grant them happiness, and to some extent, it does. But that's not all there is. If one believes that's all there is in life, then one loses perspective of the more important things that really matter--like love, honor, friendship, and family to name a few. Thus one's happiness is not always based on what he or she has or has not, but more on what he or she gives or shares with others.
But is my "purpose" in being alive to be nice to people? Is it my purpose in life to learn Japanese? To have love, honor, friendship or family? No, I personally wouldn't say that it is. Those are things that I choose to have as a part of my life (to some extent, I want no family of my own and watching too many Klingon episodes has made the word honor cheesy as hell), but I don't think that I am living for the purpose of those things. I don't think that of anything I do in my life. But maybe I'm just thinking of a different sort of purpose or meaning than you are.
People have often asked the existential question, "What is the meaning or purpose of life?"
Defining the meaning of our existence perhaps can be answered in scientific or even simplistic terms: one could say that we're sentient organisms (bipedal, carbon-based, oxygen-breathing primates) inhabiting a large biosphere and contributing to both the development and destruction of the ecosystem. If people really want to know "the meaning of life," I say check the dictionary for definitions.
But I believe the more important underlying issue is not so much the meaning of life as it is the
purpose of our existence. Once again, our purpose can generally be defined by who we are and what we do. I firmly believe that everyone has a purpose (or even several purposes) in this life, although not everyone may be aware of it. Our hopes, our dreams, our inspirations, our aspirations, our ambitions, our intentions, our desires, our motivations, our goals--and especially our PASSIONS--they define our existence as well as our purpose in this life. Why did Leonardo and other artists create such magnificent works of art? Why did William Shakespeare write amazing sonnets, tragedies, and comedies? Why did Mozart compose astounding musical pieces? Simple, because they wanted to, it was their PASSION in life, and it was their intention. The goals or intentions can be self-focused, such as the acquisition of wealth or self-development, or they can be outward or tend to focus more on others' needs.
One of the reasons for people's unhappiness is the tendency to focus on oneself--one's own problems, one's personal needs, one's finances, etc. Yes, it is important to fulfill your needs as you go through your daily life, but when you
redirect your focus outward, you will find that this is more rewarding. I've always found this to be true, speaking from personal experience. To me, giving or doing something nice for others--without even expecting anything in return--is a reward in itself. So "being nice to other people" as you exemplifed, could be considered part of your overall purpose of, say, altruism. Learning to speak a foreign language is not necessarily a "purpose" per se, but if it satisfies your overall or long-term goal of learning and self-development, then it does contribute to your purpose.
The individual cells in our bodies (neurons, red blood cells, white blood cells, sperm cells, ova) are essential to the formation of tissues, which are essential parts of our organs and systems that make us living, breathing, thinking, sensing, feeling human beings. Even the smallest particle of matter, the atom (and sub-atomic components), has a purpose in the overall scheme of things in this universe.
"You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here."
from
Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
