What Is Human Lifestyle Based on? Why Is It Important to Choose This Kind of Lifestyle?
Human lifestyle
Modern lifestyle
Traditional lifestyle
Have you ever thought on what basis we choose our lifestyle?
If you pay attention to the lives of different people, you will see that the difference in their lifestyle is due to the difference in prioritizing their beloveds. In other words, it is due to the difference in their hierarchy of love. Some people mostly care about material things, while others value spirituality. Some people’s lives are based on their usual worldly needs, some others do not accept anyone’s opinion except their own, etc.
Depending on our preferences, personalities, and tastes, each of us may prefer or despise a certain lifestyle. However, lifestyle is more than just personal preferences; it is shaped by our values, relationships, and impact on other things. Our lifestyle reflects our thoughts and ideas, as well as the choices we make under various circumstances. In fact, the close relation between lifestyle and other affairs makes such a decision-making so important.
Since we are human beings, we cannot eat anything or wear anything as clothing; similarly, any kind of lifestyles is not suitable for our human dignity. Choosing a lifestyle is one of the matters that must be based on our fitrah or human dimension; otherwise, wrong decisions destroy our wonderful opportunity in the womb of the world and prevent us from achieving the ultimate goal for which we have been created. The human lifestyle is the only one that is compatible with our existence because of its special features. In this lesson, we are going to discuss the foundation of the human lifestyle and the reasons for its superiority over other lifestyles.
Keeping Balance Depends on Correct Prioritization
As we stated in our previous lessons, we can keep our balance only when our supra-rational or human dimension rules over our lower aspects and other faculties are under its control. In other words, when we properly prioritize our beloveds and give each perfection the attention it deserves, we are in our normal state. Let us imagine we choose a lifestyle in which nothing is prioritized the right way, that is, priorities are not aligned with our fitrah and the mathematical structure of our soul. For instance, our lifestyle continuously drives us to material things and limited perfections, while we have an infinity-seeking fitrah, or if we seek perfection in accordance with our fitri values, it stifles the desire within us, rather than directing it to the right path. Surely this way of life brings us only worry and anxiety. It is because it deviates from the normal path of our existence and steers our life towards a direction that is incompatible with our fitrah.
Preserving balance is a difficult task that calls for a comprehensive view. Logically, this balance cannot be determined by our restricted and material perspective alone. Just as we need our supra-rational dimension, we need a comprehensive plan to properly nourish the lower dimensions of our being as well; this plan is the human lifestyle. If we do not maintain balance in feeding the lower aspects of our being, like acquiring knowledge, physical health, and pleasure, we will also undoubtedly fail in feeding our supra-rational part.
What Is the Human Lifestyle Like?
Now, the question is, what is the human lifestyle which is supposed to bring us bliss?Which matters are given high priority and which are given low priority in this lifestyle?Is there any role model to help us adopt the human lifestyle?We always look for things that are in harmony with us. This effort is evident in different aspects of our lives; for example, the spouse we choose, the job we look for, the leisure activities we do, and even the food we consume are all compatible with us and with our personalities. It is unlikely that a person deliberately chooses a friend who keeps annoying him. Therefore, logically adopting a lifestyle that is against our fitri structure and human dimension is an unwise decision. However, many of us do what we usually see around us and have gotten used to. Then we have to deal with the consequences of our wrong choices, without even knowing where we can find the right way of life. Is every lifestyle that gives pleasure to the lower aspects of our existence, enhances the outward beauty of our lives, and makes us more popular among others the right lifestyle? We may think this way because we do not know all the aspects of our existence, but certainly the One who created us and knows the structure of our existence has the best plan and prioritization for our lives, in a way that it fulfills our needs at any level and circumstance of life.We need a lifestyle that is designed on the basis of our true value, the correct prioritization of our beloveds, and the right hierarchy of love. Since we are human beings and are created from a divine spirit, we deserve nothing less than Allah. We deserve to have a role model as great as the perfect human being. However, connecting with God and the infallible person is not simply possible. It definitely requires our hard efforts. We can only trust a role model who is the most similar to Allah and is approved by Him too. Suppose we want to learn cooking, calligraphy, etc. Certainly, we seek out experts in these fields and try to follow their example. So when it comes to our bliss in this world and the hereafter, we undoubtedly need someone who deserves to be a role model. Such a person is nobody other than the perfect human being or infallible expert. In fact, we can have the human lifestyle only when we put Allah, the Ahl al-Bayt, and jihad (striving in the way of Allah) at the top of our hierarchy of love. It is only in this way that we can fulfill the goal that God has planned for us. We are created to move towards human perfection according to the criteria that our Creator has set for us. True success lies in achieving this ultimate goal, and any other lifestyle, even if it leads to inanimate, vegetative, animal, and intellective achievements, is ultimately a failure.
The Difference Between Human Lifestyle and Other Lifestyles
Most often, we do not choose something because of its good qualities and merits, but rather, we choose it because of its advantage and superiority over other things.Unlike other lifestyles that often involve us in the lower perfections of our being, the human lifestyle gives us human value and treats us accordingly. We innately desire unlimited things, and normally, acquiring unlimited perfections is the most favorite thing for us. So if we are in a state where we are not interested in God, al-Ghayb,[1] and similarity to God, or we do not care to have a lifestyle that connects us with Him, definitely there is something wrong with what we are doing and we have deviated from the right path.Our short lifetime in the world does not give us the opportunity for trial and error, and testing different lifestyles. If we spend a few years to live according to the Western lifestyle, and discard it after finding how harmful it is and choose a traditional or spiritual lifestyle, then our life will be over while we have not reached our goal.We need a lifestyle that can connect us with eternity powerfully and quickly, and as we mentioned before, the lifestyle of the Ahl al-Bayt can provide us with a perfect example of the human lifestyle since it is in harmony with our fitrah.In this lesson, we discussed the importance of lifestyle being aligned with our hierarchy of love. We stated if there is no balance between our lifestyle and the prioritization of our beloveds, we will definitely experience conflict and anxiety. The human lifestyle is set according to our true value and since it is in accordance with our fitrah, it connects us with eternity with more power and speed. We cannot tread the path of becoming similar to God and having a healthy birth into the hereafter without having a human lifestyle.
What kind of lifestyle do you prefer? Does the prioritization of your beloveds is in harmony with your lifestyle?
[1]. Al-Ghayb is an Arabic term that signifies something being hidden or unseen in some manner. It holds significance in Islam, encompassing not just the divine elements such as angels, Heaven, and Hell, but also future events.