The Superman

The Purpose of Life. This is one question that has boggled the mind of every thoughtful individual since time immemorial. There are various answers that each individual comes up with. For some, life is about deriving as much happiness as is possible before ceasing to exist. Their line of reasoning is based on the fact that we cannot perceive what happens after death to the conscious observer who lived in the dead body. Also, since every aspect of the individual while they were living was explainable by chemical phenomena occurring in their body.

Still others hold the idea that there is an ultimate creator and superintendent of everything in the universe and that He has provided his instructions to humanity through his messengers. They rely on  the traditional messages conveyed to them. Their philosophical viewpoint is based on scripture and many times they do not rely on the external world for proving their viewpoint. Most such philosophies have self-explanatory powers and those who believe in them are satisfied in following their religion.

The usual views are that either life has a defined purpose or life has no purpose

Broadly, we may classify the seekers of purpose into two: those who believe that there is no actual purpose in life, and those who believe that the world is made with a specific purpose and we are to fulfill our purpose. As conscious beings, we tend to seek purpose for living. When there is no purpose to our life, everything we do starts sounding meaningless and obsolete. Most religionists who follow their scriptures idealistically also tend to have a high happiness rate as per statistical studies, which is due to their faith systems' provision of certainty and meaning to the life they are living. In spiritual circles, people who seek purpose are called "seekers". Everyone has a spiritual side seeking for purpose, a philosophy to fill our brains with, a rationale for being moral and even doing anything at all. This philosophy which one finally adopts, is usually in line with the needs the individual has at the time he/she accepts the philosophy. And once they start following it, they are in a philosophical loop which keeps them in the philosophy, as long as they themselves do not seek an alternative, when their initial reasons for adopting the philosophy becomes obsolete.

With this kind of a situation in the world, where people either are purposeless, or base their purpose on age-old beliefs without proof, only for their "moral" sense, the growth of realism and of addressing real issues, can be slow.

In reality, we do not ever know for sure, if we are made with a purpose or with no purpose. Rather, an alternative view helps us live our lives with both purpose and with adherence to reality without the need for any dogma. The stand of existentialism.

The existentialist stand asserts that life has no purpose in itself, but the individual has power over his life to shape it and bring meaning and purpose to it

Existentialism is about living life with uncertainty, rather embracing uncertainty, and moving towards certainty of purpose. The fulfillment obtained from moving towards one's goals defines his image of himself slowly. Just as a potter makes a pot slowly by turning the potter's wheel and defining the surface of the pot over a block of wet clay. Just as a musician composes music, starting from basic notes to a beautiful pattern to repetitive beautiful patterns in an arrangement to a masterpiece. Just as the artist starts with a single streak of paint over his canvass and goes ahead with defining shapes and colors. Life is about bringing purpose to existence. Only this brings real fulfillment. And the Übermensch (means "over man" or "superman" in Deutsch), as described by Nietzsche goes through all painful situations just as the religionists and purposeless go through too. The difference is the pain is ignored by the latter two, or is rationalized, whereas the superman takes pain as a lesson in purpose to go further deeper.

Life is a symphony in development, where we the artists endeavor to create symmetry and beauty.

The superman is a real person who has real-life concerns and he is ready to face his problems with the understanding of the musician when his composition is in development and he comes across some flaws in it. The superman understands that  he has to keep trying until he gets a beautiful composition. He is not ready to give up when one attempt becomes a failure. His goal is to make a beautiful masterpiece with his life.

The superman here can refer to any person, male or female. Thus in the intellectual society of the 21st century, as religion fades more and more into the shadows, purposeless-ness creeps in, but the superman is the savior of our times, according to Nietzsche who defines what living is.

A superman need not necessarily be a very famous or successful person, but is a person who never fails to get up with his every fall. His determination has no limits, his purpose is defined. Despite being impoverished, the superman is still the most fulfilled person through his difficulties, as he knows well that he is striving for his purpose and every fall only teaches him how to walk better.

Thus, let's all aspire to become Übermensch...