The Meaning and Purpose of Life

Anastasiya Kalianko

BIB 201 Introduction to the Bible II

Reflection Paper

Hoslag Jane

February 6, 2012

The Meaning and Purpose of Life

The meaning and purpose of life as themselves measure the person’s life satisfaction. When I was ten years younger, I usually heard a question like: “What is the most important for you? What you find the most significant?” If you ask me these questions now, the answer will be as it would be ten years ago; however now it will be clearer. You can be amazed how people can differently respond to such kinds of questions. One can say that for him or her most important thing in life is his or her family, another can say that the most important is to feel self-value, to feel that everything he or she makes and does is not worthless. For me the meaning of life consists of my family and family background which shaped and shape me as person, who I am today and my faith which definitely affects my life.

Family is one of the most important and sacred that people have in life that is what my grandmother used to say to me during the long conversations and stories about my family and family backgrounds. I remember how being little I was literally speaking absorbing the stories about different periods of time which referred to my family. There is something unique about me that I am the representative of three different cultures: Belarusian, German and Polish. The life which my grandmother faced being German in Soviet Union after the war time is even hard to imagine, I am not saying to experience it. Being the enemy she faced the full hatred from people, from people whom she did nothing so that they could hate her, they hated her just for being a German. My grandmother had to run from Soviet Union after my grandfather’s death back to Germany. She stayed alone with three little kids without protection and without beloved husband. Only in Germany her life became more or less stable. My dad usually says me how my grandma, his mother, was made to live by the consequences, but she never gave up. There are a lot other facts and stories of my family background, it will not be enough place to write about everything what my family did and made so that I can be proud of them nowadays. To sum it up, I will say that I have family which each person can only wish. I guess that any person can say that his or her family is the best in the world, I would say, you just don’t know mine. Two people who carry their love and respect through already twenty years are not common nowadays, this is because they were taught how family is important in life and how it should be cherished and be the meaning and purpose of being.

I believe that many people in different periods of their life hear the question: “What do you believe in?”, and in different time of people’s life you can hear different answers. This is not surprisingly since our visions and prospective on live is changing by the influence from various people, from maturing or it can simply be the way you are. If you asked me what I believe in fifteen years ago, I would say that I believe in God, I believe that he is watching us, and we need to behave good so that he will not be angry at us. Of course from years to years my answers were changing and if you ask me now what I believe in my answer will be God, but the sense in this word will be different. Approximately three weeks ago I had a conversation with the professor from LCC, we had really nice talk, and he asked me: “So, overall, do you like here at LCC.” And I responded to him that I am really lucky to be at this university, where to mind students are instilled by very right values, which are very close to my own, which were shaped by the family and life experience. I also added I really like the idea of university being Christian, immediately the question followed: “Do you believe in God?” I responded that I believe in God, but this faith is inside of me, I rarely go to church and hardly keep traditions of Orthodox. He glanced at me and said: “But Bible says to worship your God.” I did not find what to say him, but I was thinking about what he said to me afterwards and I do still believe that faith does not mean worshiping God; it is something that you feel, your own perception of life. Faith to my mind is seen in the heart. Faith is a person’s choice; whatever people choose to believe is right.

To have a definite purpose and meaning of life a person should understand the price of life. The invisible line between right and wrong should be perceived and settled. The meaning and purpose of life is the way and rule by which person is led, and whatever he or she identifies the most important no other person can judge.