The Moral Vision
The Purpose of Life
~ 148 ~
When a person works, makes money, builds a
house, makes an effort to improve his standard of
living, he appears to be engaged in efforts towards
some worthy end. But a life of this nature cannot be
called a purposeful life, for these activities do not
demonstrate man’s unique status. It might seem as
if they are the result of deliberation, but if one looks
at the matter in depth, one will see that in actual
fact the motive force behind these actions is the
same urge that motivates an animal in various
ways, in its concern for its own survival. It is the
driving force of one’s desires; the pressure of one’s
needs, and the wish to fulfill the demands of one’s
self that underlie such a life. These are the
considerations which, in fact, guide a person in his
search for his livelihood.
When man grows up, he realizes that there are
certain material necessities without which he cannot
live. He requires food, clothes, a place to live; he
requires a reliable source of income to sustain him
throughout his life. He is forced by these
considerations to obtain these things. Then he sees
that those who have an abundance of these material
things enjoy respect and apparently possess every
