God of the Big Picture
Reflections on God’s purpose and our own.
My mother says the purpose of life is just to survive until we die. I wish I could accept such a simple but grim “truth”. Maybe me thinking there could be a greater purpose is just me trying to feel important.
Many people find their purpose is to help other fellow humans. While that is admirable, think about it for a moment.
Imagine the world to be a giant being, and each person in it a cell in the being’s body. Of course, helping each other and working together in harmony would bring us happiness and help that giant being thrive, but what’s the purpose of that being?
What’s the purpose of the world? Just to live until it dies?
I feel there must be more to life than that, although I am not sure what. If you are creative, would you create something to serve no purpose other than to just exist for a while and then die?
If God(s) created us, why did they?
We all have our desires which often become our goals.
But some choose to ignore those desires and live a minimalistic lifestyle or even go so far as to deny their basic needs.
Humans are the only creatures who can choose to live a hermit’s life or kill themselves — do the exact opposite of what our basic instincts would have us do.
Please don’t think I am asking you to be single or commit suicide. :)
This is just to say we have the power to choose a goal radically different from those of the people around us.
I can’t tell you what the purpose of life is, because I don’t know.
But until we have found our purpose, I think our goal should be to try to find that purpose.
Of course, if your basic needs are not met, procuring those should be your primary concern.
Some of us feel we are doing things we are destined to do.
Do you believe in destiny?
Or do you believe you make your destiny?
It’s hard to prove the existence or non-existence of fate, isn’t it?
The problem with fate
If fate exists, we are not in control of our actions.
We are mindless robots that are programmed to behave in a certain way. We don’t have any choice, but our path in life is set in stone. Our future is predetermined and we don’t have the power to shape it.
Moreover, if we are not in control of our actions, we can’t be held responsible for them.
If I build and program a robot, and that robot commits a crime, is it fair to punish the robot?
The problem with free will
If, on the other hand, we do have free will, God(s) can’t be omniscient. They cannot know what we are going to do at the next moment.
We have the power to surprise them, and that makes God(s) less in control.
Here’s another thought.
Maybe we do have free will and have infinite choices to select from at any moment, but maybe God(s) is prepared for all of them.
But then we wouldn’t have the power to surprise them -which means we are still somewhat predictable.
This means there are infinite ways the future can unfold, and there are infinite ways it can’t.
Let me explain — Think of a circle of finite area.
There are infinite points in it (points are infinitesimally small), but there are also infinite points outside.
Similarly, maybe every one of us has infinite choices, but the choices are still limited by a boundary just like that of the circle.
This boundary we can’t cross is probably the limit of our human capabilities.
Maybe it doesn’t have to be black or white
A scientist observing radioactive material can accurately predict the number of atoms that will decay at any moment. But they can’t predict if one particular atom will decay in the next moment.
What if God(s) can predict the world's future but not that of a single being? Just like the scientist who is observing the radioactive material?
That way we’d still have free will, and yet God will be in control.
God of the big picture
What I am trying to say is we might just be like cells in the body.
They have choices, just like us. They make decisions just like us.
What if they decide wrong?
Would you know which of the cells in your body made the wrong choices?
Similarly, God(s) may not know every minute detail of this world.
If however, you catch an illness, you’d cure it with medicines. Similarly, if there’s a serious threat to the world, God(s) might divinely intervene.
A cell, just like us, might wonder what its purpose in life is. It might pray, meditate, journal, or debate with other cells, but it will never see the big picture.
God(s), on the other hand, concerns themselves only with the big picture and not the details.
The personal God
I believe most spiritual/religious people think God(s) judges our thoughts, words, and actions, and rates us constantly until we die.
A very boring job for someone all-powerful, don’t you think?
They might be busy playing solitaire instead while noticing the occasional popup notification on the screen showing an overview of how the world is doing. And most of them might not require them to take any action.
Most believers pray and express gratitude to God(s). They say faith brings remarkable changes. I have also experienced changes in my life since I started praying even though I wasn’t and am not 100% sure God exists.
It’s probably the power of the subconscious mind — God knows (pardon the pun).
But a judgmental God(s)? I don’t think they exist.
The character of a serial killer could be traced back to a traumatic childhood or a chain of events he had no control over. Or a deformed brain.
And what makes people happy? Luck, in my opinion.
Can a mother who boils stones to give hope to her hungry children be happy without the help of luck?
Happiness depends on the environment we are born in (which has a heavy influence on where we end up), the people we are lucky or unlucky to interact with and who shape our characters, and the genes we didn’t choose.
When these factors (at least mostly, if not fully) define our characters, how can someone (even if they are God(s)) judge us?
What the Hell is Water?
“There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, ‘Morning, boys, how’s the water?’ And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’” — David Foster Wallace
Infinite but Still Limited Choices.
A man might think he’s in charge and has got his future figured out. The king of fish in an aquarium would feel the same way.
As I said, I am not 100% sure God(s) exists. But I am pretty sure I, like most people, will never get out of this planet while I am still alive.
Earth is but a tiny dot when compared to the vastness of the universe.
Who knows what’s out there? More powerful aliens who are nurturing us for business or pleasure? Maybe God or Gods?
The problem of suffering
Believers struggle to understand why there’s so much pointless suffering in the world. If God(s) is kind and loving, why are they doing nothing to stop it?
Imagine a person infected with a cancerous foot having to amputate it to prevent the spread.
A non-cancerous cell wouldn’t understand why it has to die. It has never done anything wrong. Newborn, innocent cells are also dying. They might think their “God” is a sadist.
But it’s a painful but necessary decision the person had to make.
Hindu philosophy says everything happens for the good.
Even though it might not be evident when we are in pain, we should trust in God’s wisdom.
Takeaways
At the risk of sounding like I’m preaching based on guesswork:
- Don’t judge yourself or others. No one should judge you either. Not even God(s)
- Don’t feel too powerful or small. Your luck could change.
- Everything happens for a reason. Even if you don’t know what that is.
- Even though we have infinite choices, we are limited. Be humble.
- There could be a greater purpose. There could be God(s). Search.
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