"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. – Isaiah 55:8

Today's Scripture Reading (October 16, 2023): Isaiah 55

The philosopher-poet Ralph Waldo Emerson asserts, "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." Is he right? Well, as with much of philosophy, that depends on your beliefs. Epicureanism, a system of philosophy that is based on the teachings of Epicurus (341-270 B.C.E.), argues the reverse. Epicurus declared that the primary purpose of life is to maximize pleasure and minimize pain (don't worry, be happy). Ultimately, that is the only determinant of a successful life. And the Dalai Lama would seem to agree, at least partially. His Holiness makes this statement.

I often ask myself what the purpose of life is. I conclude that it is to be happy. We have no guarantee of what will happen in the future, but we live in hope, which is what keeps us going. There is sometimes insufficient understanding of the difference between sensory consciousness and mental consciousness. The ultimate source of happiness a mental feeling of joy, and not a wealth of material goods. The sensory pleasure material things provide is generally short-lived. Such satisfaction does little to allay anxiety and fear. On the other hand, mental joy sustains itself (His Holiness The 14^th Dalai Lama of Tibet; The Purpose of Life is to be Happy).

For me, and I will leave your belief to you, I agree with Emerson, although, in a way, I am also an Epicurean, and I agree with the Dalai Lama. How? Well, personally. I am unhappy if I am not making a difference, at least in some aspect of my life. I could never be truly happy sitting in a room playing video games with myself, even though that is an activity that I thoroughly enjoy. I do decompress by playing a game, but ultimately, I have an internal need to make a difference somewhere in my life. I have been writing this blog since January 1, 2009. I hope the blog makes a difference to someone, but I must admit that part of the purpose of this blog is to help me order my thoughts and keep me heading in a direction that conforms with how I want to live my life.

Isaiah asserts that our thoughts and ways are not God's. Sometimes, his commands don't make sense to us, but that is okay because his ways make sense to him. And the reality is that God's attention is on broader things than the things on which we can focus. So, we sometimes don't understand, but we can trust that God does. And we can believe that what God thinks and does is always to our benefit, whether we understand his actions or not.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 56