Why Are We Here on Planet Earth?
HAVE you ever looked up into a cloudless sky at night and wondered, Why am I here? Of all the planets and other heavenly bodies, the earth alone is known to provide an ideal environment for the maintenance of a great variety of plant and creature life. Is it just by a chance combination of many improbabilities that this earth and its various life forms came into existence? Or, is there evidence that such things are the handiwork of an intelligent Maker?
Many people today believe that humans are the product of evolution and have no accountability to a superior being. So they conclude that our purpose for being on earth is to live our life according to our own desires and standards. As “no person is an island,” each would, of course, have to exercise care not to ruin relationships with those upon whom he or she depended. Basically, one’s whole life might center around pleasing oneself and trying to make some contribution to society with a view to gaining personal satisfaction and recognition in the world.
But of what real encouragement is such a view? Regardless of what a person may accomplish during his lifetime, all will be lost at death. Eventually he will be forgotten as a person, though his name may be mentioned for a number of years thereafter.
All of this gives rise to the question, Are some seventy or eighty years of life on earth really enough to make life seem meaningful? Rather, does it not seem frustrating that so much is lost at death? A person spends some twenty years growing up, another twenty years or so gaining further knowledge and experience, and not long thereafter he begins to age and weaken. Finally death puts a stop to all his work. While some of his knowledge may have been imparted to others, the sum total of his knowledge and experience is lost to posterity. What a shame and waste this is when, after so many centuries of man’s existence, there are still countless mysteries about this earth and boundless space that remain to be solved!
On the other hand, millions of persons believe that an intelligent Maker exists. If this is so, what is his purpose for the earth and man upon it? Is the earth, as many think, a place that will finally be destroyed? Is it merely a testing ground for determining the eternal fate of mankind? If the earth is such a proving ground, how could one explain why even newborn babies die? What have they done to prove what kind of persons they are? Then, too, why would an intelligent Creator rip men and women off the earthly scene long before they could get acquainted with more than just a small part of their vast testing ground? And what reason would there be for His wanting to burn up our beautiful planet, with its delightful variety of life forms?
In ever-increasing numbers people today are not satisfied with the commonly held views as to why humans are here on earth. This may well be your feeling too. But is there any way to know for a certainty the real reason for our being here on earth? Or, might it be to our advantage just to forget about this matter and live our life as best we can?
The fact is that wrong viewpoints about these things could be damaging to us. For example, if there is no Maker to whom humans have any accountability, hundreds of millions of persons are being deluded. Their beliefs may be moving them to sacrifice their time, energy and assets in furthering religious goals that will benefit no one. On the other hand, if a Supreme Being exists and this One has a purpose for man, we should want to know what that purpose is. Only then would we be in a position to live in harmony with His purpose. Yes, the view we have as to our reason for being on earth may affect our life both now and in the future.