In studying this lesson, you are expected to;

1. Identify some of the ultimate purpose of the human life,

2. distinguish the given example is the ultimate purpose of the human existence,
3. Analyze the purposes of human life and assess how it applies in their lives.

THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE OF HUMAN LIFE

Purpose is that for which an action is done. One’s purpose or reason for studying is to
learn and earn a degree necessary for employment. One builds a house to have a permanent
dwelling place; one gets married to procreate and to establish a family.
All our actions, provided they are human acts, have a purpose or end or objective. We
eat to satisfy hunger; we bathe in order to be clean; we stand up in order to do something and
so on. There is no human act without a purpose.
Is there a general purpose of human acts? Is there one common end or objective of
human acts? One thing is certain, we do not perform an act in order to inflict pain upon
ourselves. No one consciously seeks misery or unhappiness. Reflecting upon what we do, we
are lead to a common purpose or objective.
All men strive to be happy. The over-all purpose of human life is happiness. Why does a
person eat or drinks and make merry? We may not agree as to what can make us happy, but
collectively, men act for the sake of happiness. People, however, may not be aware all the time
that they aim to be happy. This is because they do not have the habit of examining their deeper
purposes.
Everything is pursued for the sake of happiness; for no other reason do men indulge in
food or drink or sex or art were it not for the elusive happiness they erroneously think is in these
things. Men, however, soon realize that these things do not only not give lasting happiness but
may even result in pain when overindulged in.
a. Wealth
If the above do not make men happy, what about money? Men do not seem to have enough
money. The millionaire does not stop at millions but desires to make billions. Money is hoarded
or is used to buy goods that would produce more money. Would money satisfy man’s craving
for happiness? Further thought on this matter would easily yield a negative answer. Money is
desired only because of its buying power or for the power that it yields.
b. Power
Would power constitute happiness? Again, power has its limitations. Power can even be
cumbersome. In some cases, powerful persons are annoyed at the perquisites of power.
c. Good Looks
Would good look satisfy man’s craving for happiness? A man ages, and hence his good looks
will not last forever.
d. Requirements of Lasting Happiness
What can satisfy man’s craving for happiness must be total, permanent, lasting and eternal. If a
man knew that an enjoyable party would soon end, would his happiness be complete? If a man
realizes that old age and death are inevitable, how can he find lasting satisfaction in this life?
True happiness must have no admixture of misery, pain, unhappiness. Nothing in this world is
permanent or lasting. Neither money nor power or popularity and even good looks. Hence, what
can make a person happy cannot be in this world, for nothing in tis world is eternal. What can
make a man happy lies in the satisfaction of his capacities of man as man.

What are the qualities that make man distinctly man?

Not his body or senses since he has this in common with brute animals.
Not his capacity to nourish himself, grow and reproduce, because plants can do the
same.
What will make man distinctly man are his faculties of intellect and will, and hence man’s
satisfaction lies in total truth and total goodness.

e. Intellect and Will must be Satisfied

The intellect of man seeks truth and will not stop until it possesses truth without error. The will of
man is always inclined towards the good. The good in this sense is the pleasurable good, not
the moral good.
Example: A man is attracted to liquor because he looks upon it as pleasurable good. He drinks
in spite of the hangover or the treat of liver cancer.
What is the total or absolute truth and good? What is the truth that can satisfy the craving of
man’s intellect? What is the good that will satisfy the craving of man’s will?

f. God is the satisfaction of man’s cravings

There is only one total truth, and that is God or the Supreme Being. There is only one total
good, and that is God or the Supreme Being. The statement is not a religious but a
philosophical one. It is not due to faith or any membership in a religious sect. One arrives at
these conclusions through the use of one’s reasoning power.

If we therefore search ourselves deeply for the satisfaction of our deepest human
desires, we would find that only the Creator can satisfy His creatures. Hence, God or the
Supreme Being is the ultimate purpose of human life because He alone can make man
completely happy. God or the Supreme Being is the beginning as well as the end of human
existence, truly the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.