Just imagine that somewhere in our vast universe, on an alien planet, there is a remote island that becomes a solitary refuge for a handful of creatures who are sent there to experiment. The island is vast enough to accommodate them all but they can never escape from there. On this island, their resilience for survival is tested. They have to keep themselves going by getting food from their fallen brethren. One dies, the other eats it and the cycle of life goes on.

As days transform into months and months into years, the creatures become more and more complex. Some can get energy directly through the star which gives light to the planet. Others start living on eating the producers and some others change themselves to eat the herbivorous animals. In this ecosystem, creatures adapt, forming pairs, giving birth to new generations, and evolving into various species. Eventually, one species emerges as the most powerful and intelligent and starts dominating the island's ecosystem. Nothing, except the light from the star, comes there but life thrives there as the material is recycled by nature. The producer produces food that is eaten by the members of herbivorous species and herbivores are eaten by the carnivorous. When they die, certain creatures disintegrate their bodies and release the various atoms which eventually become part of the next generations. One generation dies, gives birth to a new generation and a vicious cycle goes on.

This island mirrors the intricacies of life within the universe where we inhabit. Its evolution reflects the formation of our universe, where celestial bodies disintegrate and turn into the atoms necessary to form life, stars emit energy, and planets like Earth sustain life. It becomes apparent that the whole system behaves like a conscious entity. Everything there plays a role in the larger symphony of existence.

From birth to death, our existence revolves around survival. We hunt and consume other creatures to sustain ourselves. We take every care to make our lives secure. Despite all such efforts we eventually die and vacate the place for the next generations. A perpetual cycle of life continues through generations, echoing the same primal instinct that has persisted since the inception of life on our planet.

Our universe is so vast that we can’t imagine its vastness. Yet, despite the vastness of the universe, we find ourselves confined to an isolated planet that has no such neighboring planet where life can be found. We are unable to escape the gravitational hold of our solitary confinement. Our survival depends on the consumption of others while the extracted elements from our body are recycled. The perpetuation of life hinges on the birth of new generations who, in turn, participate in this cosmic feast, eat others, and are eaten by some others.

So a question arises: Is there a purpose behind our existence in this seemingly confined and cyclical world? The journey from birth to death, a perpetual cycle of life, seems to have no explicit purpose. We are but players in a grand cosmic theatre, bound to a planet that itself is not better than a jail for us. So, there is no purpose in life. We are doomed to repeat this perpetual cycle of life and death.

In this reflection, I should say that we are striving hard to perpetuate our imprisonment. All our efforts lead to an increase in our grieves, sufferings, and disappointments. We have been designed in such a way that we do everything to escalate the suffering and torture of our fellow creatures. We should help each other and find a way to liberate ourselves. However, we are indulged in this world so deeply that we love our enemy. In this vast imprisonment, we could have tried to mitigate the suffering of others but our neurotransmitters like dopamine, adrenaline, etc. force us to do everything that may increase the pain and sorrow of others. We can still make this place at least less torturous for ourselves. Even if we have to keep ourselves from generating our progenies, we should not hesitate to do so. We have nothing to lose as we have nothing to achieve indeed.

Thanks!