The Stages of Human Life; Treading the Path of Worldly Life Depends on the Origin and the Resurrection
Sometimes in order to understand the importance of a blessing or talent, it is a good idea to imagine its absence. For example, consider a fruitless life, a life that begins at birth and ends with death. In this assumption, life is a short period of time that consists of the pleasures we get, the hardships we endure, and the problems we grapple with. In this worldview, the life consists of stages from birth to death, and death means the finality of human existence. On this assumption, even in the best condition, we face an uncertain future. The future that may be ruined at any moment. Consequently, even at the height of pleasures, the fear of loss destroys our peace. Living in such a world is certainly painful and tormenting.
It is very important to know the origin in the stages of human life, not only because it is the starting point of the journey of life, but also because it determines our worth and value. It specifies the scope of our desires and goals, gives direction to our lives, and in a word, gives us our identity.
Imagine someone who opens his eyes and finds himself in the middle of a desert. He does not remember where he has come from and where he belongs to. He has no good understanding of himself, and as a result, he is not aware of his abilities. For this reason, he usually occupies himself with superficial things in his surrounding to go through life. It is also our story as humans who are not aware of our origin. We do not know our true worth and status, and we occupy ourselves with trivial matters and lower perfections. We spend our lives feeling empty and confused because we are not aware of the eternity that awaits us. If we are not familiar with the stages of human life and do not know where we have come from, we will not realize where we are going.
The Origin and Resurrection Complement Each Other
It is the starting point of our life that sets the foundation of our movements and defines our path in the world. Therefore, it is very important to know where we have come from, although it is not enough. That is because without having a vision of the future, we will not have a driving force to move forward. If we do not know where we are going, we will not have any motivation, and as a result, we will not make full use of our capabilities. Furthermore, if we are not aware of our destination and familiar with its conditions and characteristics, how can we prepare ourselves accordingly? How can we equip ourselves with the tools needed at the destination? As the best creatures of God, we should know that all levels of the universe have been designed and created in compatibility with our existence. In simple words, first of all, God considered our characteristics and needs and then created the realms of creation in accordance with our existence. Based on this, the stages of human life are divided into three phases: before this world, this world, and after this world, and there is an existential relationship between us and all these stages of human life. So to achieve happiness, we need to know where we came from, where we are, and where we will go.
Now the importance of where we are now, i.e., the world, becomes more evident because by considering our true human value and worth, it is the only opportunity we have to prepare ourselves for a certain and eternal future. However, most of us lose this opportunity due to not having a proper understanding of where we have come from and where we are going.
Where Is My Destination?
The harms we suffer are not always due to a lack of knowledge about something, but sometimes because of incorrect understanding and analysis of it. For example, the topic of resurrection is not just a matter of departure from this world to another world; rather it signifies our return to the hereafter. One can believe in the return to the hereafter only when he believes that he was with God before he was born. We usually use the word “return” when we talk about going home, i.e., the place we belong to and always hope to return to. Knowing that we are going to a place where we already belong to is very different from going to a place that is completely unknown to us.
From the point of view of Islamic philosophy, the stages of human life are not from birth to death, nor from this world to the hereafter. We have come from an origin, and after making a stop in this world, we will return to the same origin. In fact, we started our journey from another world that is hidden from us today. Before accepting the resurrection, we must accept that before being born into this world, we were in another world, and after leaving this world, we will return there. This is the same point that we proved in discussing the concepts of seeking infinity and perfectionism. But if we were in the hereafter before, what caused us to come to this world? Why have we abandoned our own home without intending to and found ourselves forced to go on this adventurous journey?
Actually, the reason for our adventurous journey is to become a being that is unlimited and possesses all infinite perfections like God. Of course, we will explain this in more detail in the future lessons. For now, it is enough to understand that by going through the path of life in this world, we must actualize all the existential potentials which God has given us and obtain the worthiness to return to our original home.
In this article, we discussed the importance of knowing our origin and destination. We said that our life is not limited to the period from birth to death, nor from this world to the hereafter, but the stages of human life are divided into three periods: before this world, this world, and after this world. We clarified that the resurrection does not just mean going to the world of eternity, but it is a return to the home and place to which we belong, and we lived there before coming to this world. We also stated that our desire for infinity is because we have been infinite in that world. Finally, we referred to the reason for this journey and the path taken by humans on this journey. The article “The Human Being and the Origin” will provide you with more comprehensive information on the starting point of this journey.
How much do you know about the beginning and the end of the path you are on? Do you feel the necessity to gain knowledge about the stages of human life? Please share your comments with us.