Our real purpose,
the one that matters most,
is not that of any individual or nation,
but is, instead, the quest over eons
to transcend barbarism and selfishness
and become a more ethical species as a whole.
This will not happen in a day, a year, or even a millennium,
but, if we succeed at all,
will take hundreds of thousands of years.
That does not mean what we do now is insignificant.
Quite the opposite.
We are all pieces in an elaborate puzzle,
and every action we take, both as individuals and as nations,
moves us either closer or further away from this most noble of goals.
And that knowledge should guide all of our actions.
Of course we’re all naturally concerned with the here and now,
but if we can make each consecutive generation better than the last,
less selfish, more empathetic, kinder,
then someday we’ll have created a new species,
Homo Spiritualis if you will,
and its members will naturally empathize with others
and abhor war and cruelty.
And when they think of us, their ancestors,
they’ll no doubt be appalled by many of the things we’ve done,
but they'll also, I think, feel proud when they consider
the arduous journey we traveled to make them possible.