Life in America, seems to be a constant race to achieve this or to achieve that, to overcome this or to overcome that, to become this or to become that, or perhaps to mentor for this or be mentored by that, and so forth, until we breathe our last. There isn't necessarily anything wrong with having this basic viewpoint, at least at a minimum, for those that are motivated and goal driven, it certainly seems sensible, but life at a fundamental level is beyond the somewhat bleak belief that we are in a constant race against our own mortality. It is fair to state, then, that if we don’t know what life is about, than it will be problematic, at best, to live a life that is most productive for ourselves as well as the people that we interact with and care most about on an everyday basis.
The issue that so many have, living in a country that is as rich as America, with so many material things as America, that often give us pleasure or satisfaction in our daily activities, is that we get drawn into believing that what our five senses relates to, must be the very meaning of life, but alas, that isn't even in the ballpark. For those that identify strictly with the material aspect of their body, their mind, their toys, their house, their job, their family, and so forth, life at best, is wonderful as long as the mind, prosperity, and health are good, while often it is despairing or tragic when not. In any event, good or bad, time has a way of marching on, so that even for the best of us, effective life comes to an end sooner than what we would wish, and for those struggling or meandering, the end seems interminable or endless but comes nevertheless.
The biggest trap that mankind puts itself into far too often, is that they self-identify with the person staring back from them in the mirror; and while that is certainly understandable, they fail to recognize often enough that the real you is actually your invisible soul encased within your physical body, which is quite unfortunate, because it is the soul that is immortal and the body that most definitely is not, so that those that spend an inordinate amount of time feeding the mortal and ignoring the immortal have veered significantly off the narrow path. We read in Genesis 1:27 that "…God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him…" to which a reasoned contemplation of this wisdom necessitates the conclusion that the image we are made in, cannot be our body, which is mortal and ever changing, and not even our mind, which is constantly cogitating all sorts of different information, instead it can only be that still, small voice within. It is that still and constant voice that is ever there, never to leave us, always with us, that is our real self, and this voice is the touchstone that allows us to recognize that the image of God is within each of us.
The cares and concerns of this world, troubles us, baffles us, engages us, to which, so many trap themselves into believing that this world is all that there ever is, and thereby it is a never ending task to make the world conform to what we believe it should be. Perhaps that goal is noble, perhaps misguided, or a bit of both, but clearly it is missing the big picture, which is the fundamental purpose, the fundamental success, is to first recognize whom that we are and upon that recognition to fulfill that ideal. When we truly understand that our neighbor is our self, because our neighbor is made in the same image of God, no better, no worse, it is then that we become enlightened, and is then that we recognize as if for the first time, that our real self, is part and parcel of God, and knowing this, we have unlocked the door that will through mindful devotion bring us to the ultimate success, which is the re-uniting of our soul to our Creator, which is how it was, in the beginning.