The purpose of life is not to become self-centred but to evolve as a person useful in spreading light and happiness in the society, said K.P. Marikumar, Proprietor, SPARK IAS Academy, Madurai.

He was delivering a lecture on ‘Purpose of life’ under the Business Line Club of St. Michael Institute of Management Studies here. .

The event was sponsored by Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB), Tuticorin.

Marikumar said people are most often confused about the purpose of life. The existence becomes meaningful only when it is understood that one needs to be good and do good in life, evolving as a candle or a light house, which when lit, spreads only light around.

Largely, this does not happen. Instead, the more one experiences life, the more one becomes self-centred which often leads to destruction and results in unhappiness or sorrow around, at the end. Quoting from the sayings of Swami Vivekananda, he said that life is full problems but one needs to take risks to establish the purpose of life. Differentiating the terms entertainment and hobby and job and career respectively, he observed that they marked the difference between being selfish and contributing to society; being destructive and constructive in life.

Pursuit of the former lands one in seeking pleasure even in the misfortune of others while the latter gives a feeling of satisfaction of having lived a life of purposefulness as they contribute to creation and usefulness.

Citing the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Sarvodhaya leader Jegannathan, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Baba Sahib Ambedkar, K. Kamaraj, Mother Teresa and others, he remarked that ‘they alone live, who live with compassion, empathy and make others live a happy life’. Earlier, J. Sivasubramanian, Branch Manager, Nagamalai-Pudukottai, TMB, Madurai, addressing the students, explained the schemes offered by the bank and urged them to make use of them to embark on a successful career in life. Dr Bernadshaw, Course Director of the Institute, was also present.

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