Why was I born? Why are we here?

By Katherine Smith

John W. Whitehead, head of the Rutherford Institute, “a kind of evangelical Christian civil liberties union” is an attorney and author who has written, debated and practiced widely in the area of constitutional law, social and human rights.

In his essay, Does Life Have Meaning or Are We Merely Bobbleheads in Bubbleland? Whitehead believes we have missed our purpose and the meaning to life because we didn’t listen to Martin Luther King Jr.

In April 1967, King said [W]e as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing-oriented” society to a “person-oriented” society. When machines and computers, profit motive and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.

John’s commentary: “We didn’t listen then, and we still have not learned: Material things don’t fill the spiritual void. People need more than possessions to give meaning to life.”