I don’t have the answer.  I only have some speculation.  Perhaps Google can help.  They seem to have all the rest of the answers.  “How can this be inspirational then?” you might ask.  I can only answer that speculation can sometimes inspire.  Take a chance; read on.

I guess this is one of the three age-old questions.  It comes right after the one that goes, “Whence cometh evil?”  The third one is, “What is the third question?”

Why are we here?  For me, the beginning of this answer lies in the shortened question, “Are we here?”  And again, for me, most all philosophical roads lead to the answer “no”.  No, we’re not really here if ‘here’ is Planet Earth, mortal body, mortal mind, human consciousness type ‘here’.  I believe that this mortal experience is actually an illusion, a figment of our imagination – call it a mortal dream – just as ‘real’ or unreal as our nightly dreams while asleep. 

Perhaps the real question is, “Why do we seem to be here?”  I’ll have to admit to ‘seeming’ to be here.  I question this ‘seeming’ nearly every day on one level or another.  What is the point of human life?  First we’re born, then we live only to die and perchance move on?  I’d like to think that some part of me moves on, though clearly body, Peter Link identity, and Planet Earth experience memory do not.  At least here I have no recollection of anything like these things from the past, from before I was born into this experience.  So why should I remember this experience after I leave here?

Ultimately, supported by over a half century of thought, wondering, research and speculation, I figure that we seem to be here to work through this mortal experience, to get back to our pure spiritual selves (where we already exist in total anyway), to re-connect with our spiritual consciousness and drop the mistaken consciousness of our mortal dream — simply, to wake up.  We’re here to wake up!

But if we seem to be here, if we seem to be dreaming, if all this is not real, but an illusion, what slipped to begin with?  What went to sleep?  What got separated from the pure spiritual consciousness in the first place to even begin the seeming dream?

Religion calls it “the fall from grace”.  What fell?  Wikipedia gives us thousands of answers ranging from Plato to Taoism to TV’s The Simpsons, but each of these answers is predicated on the supposition that we are, in fact, here.  Few of them address the concept that our ‘hereness’ is an illusion to begin with.  Scientists only try to explain the mortal, material illusion of the universe and its beginnings.

W.H. Auden is said to have said, “We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for, I don’t know.”  Though I like the first part of the answer, the second half reflects nearly everybody else’s wonderment.

I just took 2 hours away from the writing of this post and Googled away to my heart’s and mind’s discontent.  I found not a single satisfactory answer.  Humans have an uncanny ability to first state the question and then immediately skirt the issue avoiding the essence of the conundrum.

Perhaps it’s because we just don’t have a clue.  Perhaps we’re not supposed to know.  Perhaps it’s all a game.  If so, then why does it all get so serious so often?  Why do all of us ants on the planet run around so trapped into our individual dreams for 50 to a hundred years?  What a concept!

For the moment, I’m going to go with the wisdom of Mr. Auden.  I’m here to give to others, to help others get through.  At least it feels noble and it makes me feel good.

But it doesn’t thoroughly answer the question for me.  Like for Mr. Auden, it’s only a partial answer.  For now, it will have to do.

If any of you out there have what you might feel is a better answer, I’m all ears.

Perhaps ultimately, we’re here to figure out why we’re here.