The Purpose of Life

I woke up one afternoon from my slumber when I was a little boy and I joined my parents who had just watched something on the TV. Someone in a jester's costume was singing this song, the refrain of which is printed on the photo below. I didn't know it then but it's the song sung by Feste (the Fool or Clown) at the end of Twelfth Night. It's a sad song that traces in words even a child can understand the different stages of life and how each stage always ends with the rain that rains every day. I remember feeling strangely depressed and I asked my parents, 'What is the purpose of living?'

Throughout my life (I was deeply immersed in religion in my youth), the answer to that question is simple and can be expressed in three words.  The purpose of life is:

To glorify God

Incidentally, that's also what Rick Warren says in his hugely popular book The Purpose-Driven Life. It's easily said but nobody can succinctly explain what glorifying God really means. 

For me, it's very simple. Cause no harm to anyone, harbour no malicious or evil thought or intent, take life with a huge dose of humour and live life fully and abundantly, or in short, be a virtuous hedonist. 

The song still haunts me because that's really what life is all about. But as long as I cause no one any harm, harbour no evil thought, take life lightly but live it fully, I cannot help but be amazed at how wonderful life is.