Adam Blatner

A friend used this term, “God’s Purpose,” and it got me to wondering: Well, one interpretation is to just do what we can to make everything nice, the greatest good for the greatest numbers, as Jeremy Bentham suggested? (Or was it Frances Hutchinson? You go to Wikipedia and find that clichés are more than what you thought.)

But digging deeper: What if we cannot put the purpose of the God of a billion galaxies into any language, not just English. And what if the purpose changes? For example, at one phase in life it was raising kids and being a good community member, and at a later phase it’s keepin’ on keepin’ on and not being too much of a burden; and if one is some burden, then being graciously kind and appreciative about it?

Let’s go further: What if the purpose is a light overlay of positivity, a medium layer of a lot of love and understanding, and then open-ended: How will you get on with life given the particular blend of historical era, regional circumstances, personalities and lives of parents and key others, your own unique blend of temperament and types of ability—and there are many of all of these— plus interests, tastes, cultural norms, and on and on. Don’t forget the “karma” of having to relate to the people you hang out with, friends, groups, spouse, etc. (Nor do I forget the political and religious differences as to what would be the best for all concerned in the long run.)

For many people this is quite a challenge. There may be some pluses, and a number of minuses. Others have a lot of good things but then the few bad things are often felt more sharply. Each individual is unique, a unique piece of God-created and self-created art!

In this metaphor, there is no God’s purpose. God doesn’t know ahead of time how it will turn out. It’s an adventure, like a series of games you play. Sometimes you win, other times, not. This theory, speculation, story, doesn’t claim ultimate truth, but it does hint at the possibility that others who claimed to be authorities maybe don’t know for sure, either. This is way big God stuff, the God of a billion galaxies and perhaps more than three or four dimensions.