“Why Are We Here?”
A friend of mine once said to me
that he wasn’t really clear
on the reason behind existence,
on the answer to: “Why are we here?”
Are we here to forge a cleaner soul,
to take our turn at bat?
To wrap ourselves around a pole,
and learn great things from that?
Are we here to learn great truths
and tip the scales to balance true?
Are we here to keep the game in play,
to give Karma something to do?
Are we here to find the perfect match
of fortune and true love?
And to find out after searching
that they rarely go hand in glove?
Are we here to cook the perfect batch
of some outrageous dish?
Or grant a dying child the right
to have his perfect wish?
Are we here to solve deep mysteries
that make the world go ‘round?
(If a tree falls in the forest, alone,
does it really make a sound?)
Are we here to differentiate
minutiae from profound?
Or thinking, transubstantiate
our way out of the ground?
And having done so, will it mean much,
as one’s life unwinds;
to solve the deepest mysteries,
to find the greatest finds?
Now I suppose, to some degree
these things have some import;
and some of these will give one peace,
if only of a sort.
But really, when the course is run,
how much of it will matter?
See, one might save the universe, or
be trapped by senseless chatter.
To make a choice between these paths;
which one will carry true;
is truthfully the only thing
of value to me and you.
It’s not a stupid question, though.
I’ve given it some thought.
The answer my friend,
to “Why are we here?”
may simply be: “Why not?”
