What We Really Want... And Why

There are three basic fundamental aims or objectives that more or less every living creature wants to achieve. However, these desires or objectives are most prominent in the life of human beings. Those three are:
1. To live – Survival 
2. To gain knowledge
3. To achieve happiness

                                 1. No one wants to die
Survival – to survive is the first and foremost yearning, which every creature on the earth has. It’s a natural instinct. All big or small creatures, when faced with a life-threatening situation - either run, hide or fight with their opponents - in order to survive. However, humans - possessing the faculty of higher knowledge can apply many more strategies to ensure their survival. From early on, like some other species of animals, they lived and moved in groups to keep themselves safe from the predators. They learned how to do farming, to make sure there will be enough food for everyone. From making tools for hunting to making weapons of mass destruction of the enemies – from finding medicines to fight diseases, to developing surgical skills to improve health etc. are all part of the ‘survival’. 
Not only to prolong life but to find immortality has been a major desire of human beings since the dawn of civilization.
Finding or discovering the ways to achieve ‘immortality’ is the first and foremost common goal of both; science and the spiritual philosophies. Whereas science looks for the ways to achieve physical immortality – spirituality is concerned about the immortality of the Soul. But nevertheless – 'Immortality' is the primary goal.

                                2.  To Gain Knowledge
Humans are curious by nature. As soon as their motor skills improve, newly born babies start exploring and curiously observing everything around them – by rapidly moving their eyes or continually turning their necks to all sides - or by staring at a certain object for long. Since everything they see around is new to them – every sound, smell and touch is also something new to them - they try to grasp and understand as much as they can according to their limited capabilities at that age. The only experience they have so far – right from the time of birth - is of taste through the mouth. Therefore, they put everything they can get hold of into their mouth – in order to know and experience it with the only way they have known so far*. 

As soon as they start speaking, toddlers have never-ending questions to satisfy their curiosity. They constantly keep asking the parents or older siblings about everything they see. “What is this, what is that, what is that?" 
"What, Why and How" … seem to be their most favorite dialogues at that age. Almost all parents face this kind of frustrating situations when the children keep asking same question over and over– sometimes even to the point of their annoyance. But nevertheless, children will keep on asking until they understand it completely, or at least - partially. 
Later, the level of man’s curiosity expands to much wider surroundings. All fields of education, scientific or spiritual - from simple inquiries to the deeper meaning of life - are the extensions of this basic desire - the desire to know more. All technologies and scientific discoveries – from simple things to exploration of the universe are the results of this basic human nature – ‘To gain more knowledge’.

                              3. To achieve happiness

Third basic thing everyone wants is to find happiness. We try to get more education, achieve more skills and work harder to be able to make more money to ensure security and happiness in the future – discover new technologies and invent new gadgets in order to live more comfortably and happily. Traveling, tourism, sports and all kinds of entertainments and modes of pleasure are for the sake of happiness. If possible, we even want to consume our food - though it’s a basic requirement for survival - in different forms and varieties to derive more pleasure out of it. 

In other words, everything we do after ensuring our survival, is either to gain knowledge or to achieve happiness. 

Now the question is: why is it so? Why do we always crave to achieve these three objectives?

The answer can be found in the ancient Hindu – Vedantic philosophy, which is the base and root source of all the later Indian religions such as Jainism, Sikhism, Nirankari and Radhasoami etc.  
Some of the basic concepts of Vedanta - which are also followed by all the other above-mentioned religions or philosophies – are:
                  Ekah Brahm – Dviteeya naastay
         1. There is only Brahm – one Almighty God - perceived in different forms. 
        2. I am soul not the body. 
        3. Soul is part of the Brahm – not a separate creation.
        4. There are three major characteristics of Brahm or Ishwar:
             Sat, Chit and Aanand (in short – Sadchidaanand)
             Sat - Imperishable, Immortal
            Chit – All knowing, Omniscient 
            Aanand – All bliss, happiness 

Since Aatma, the soul is Ansh of Brahm (part of God) it wants to achieve or regain all the above-mentioned three qualities which were lost after being separated from its Mool (original source) meaning Brahm or God. 
Therefore, my basic instincts and my objectives are: 
          I am Aatman and 
         My basic Swaroop (characteristic) is Sat-Chita-Aanand
         And that is what I want to be – Sat-Chita-Aanand
         Immortal, All-knowing and Ever Blissful.

                          ‘Rajan Sachdeva’