Soul - What is the Purpose of Humankind

Soul is beautiful to watch, has laugh out loud moments, and has a clear message on human nature. It engaged me intellectually and aesthetically! I loved it and think it was the best movie i saw in 2020

The movie does two things remarkably well. It shows a human beings nature is both in their Person and their Purpose.

#1 Person: Human beings are unique. We aren’t just compromised of a physical body. We are complex beings made of both body and soul. The soul is who we really are. The body is the outer shell. I love how soul captures this in such a memorable way. It’s important cause it causes us to reflect on how God made all people in His image. He made all people unique. He made all people equal. Both body and soul are made by God: physical and spiritual beings. When we die and leave this body we know there’s more to this life then the physical. There is a whole spiritual realm beyond. Soul really captures this concept beautifully. But secondly soul deals with our...

#2 Purpose: the purpose of life. When we talk purpose, we talk about fulfillment, ultimate happiness. Every human being seeks happiness which is tied to their purpose. Joe Gardner (Jamie Fox) has aspirations, like playing a successful show with Dorothea Williams. He thought the gig would be what satisfies his soul, but once he reaches that he can't help but feel like he's missed the point. The conclusion Joe arrives at is that no-one has a singular purpose to which their success is bound, but rather joy in life is in how fully every moment is lived that determines a persons joy and satisfaction in life. 

This is the message writer/director Pete Docter hopes to impress: your life doesn’t boil down to some moment of success or failure, but it's in the way each moment is lived, no matter how small, that gives our life meaning.

This is a great perspective! I think the message most of us grow up hearing is “love yourself.” Actually it’s self love that makes a person persistently miserable. Anytime I love myself, I find myself bored and miserable in life. Why? We were made to love God and love others. To get out and serve in selflessness. That’s what gives a life true purpose and meaning. Making the most of every moment, making the minutes count. Soul does a great job capturing the essence of that.  

Ecclesiastes, one of my favorite books of the Bible was written for one reason: to show Gods purpose for life. Solomon tried to fill his soul with all the world has to offer: fun, substances, stuff, achievements, entertainment, money, fame, relationships, and competition. At the end of his pursuits he would agree with Mcjagger “I can’t get no satisfaction!” 

At the end of all these pursuits Solomon says something incredibly relevant to movies, “But beyond this, my son, be warned; the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). While there were no movies in his day, the principle of story, narrative, instruction applies to film. Because you can continue to find wisdom over and over in all the narratives of the world. Sometimes in all the book learning it actually draws you away from what is most central and most important. It’s not that book/movie learning is bad it’s that it can detract your focus. 

So Solomon says you want to know what gives meaning in life? It’s not your success or failures, it’s not money, it’s not experiencing every form of pleasure. Instead he says “the conclusion when all has been heard, is fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.” Fear of God is a recognition of His unparalleled greatness and treating Him accordingly. It’s ultimately a relationship with Him. This is the sum of our purpose in a nutshell: a right relationship with God. Love God, love others. That gives life meaning and purpose.