Have you ever stopped to think “why am I here?”. We are born, we live, we die. Why? Somewhere along the way we might be married, and have children. But what is the purpose of all this and do we have a purpose driven life?
OK, so we are born because, nine months previously, our parents conceived us. We die because our bodies get worn out, or are attacked by illness of some sort, or we suffer a serious accident. But what is death, really? Does it all stop at that point?
It can all seem so mundane. Sure, there may be exciting trappings like nice clothes, big houses, fast cars, exotic holidays, having fun, but is this really the point? We could live without these things, and many people do.
Surely there must be a higher purpose than this, a real reason for our existence?
There is. Emanuel Swedenborg explains that the universe is a single unit coherently organized from beginning to end, because in creating it God had one end in view, which was to establish and maintain a heaven of angels from the human race. This includes all human beings, not just those of a particular religion or sect.
Surely it doesn’t all end when our bodies die? It doesn’t. Swedenborg tells us that people’s lives from infancy to old age are nothing else than an advance from this world towards an unending life in the spiritual world, the last stage of which is death and the actual transition from this life to the next. Our lives in this world train us for our lives in the next. In fact, we will find that a life of love and usefulness gives us a deep sense of purpose that results in further fulfillment in heaven.
Does it help to think that we are all potential angels? Does it help to think that there is a real purpose to our births, lives, and transition into the next life? Does it help to realise that, despite the trials and tribulations of this life, there is a happy and fulfilling next life? For me, it does.
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