Thus speaks the celebrated Sankara in his Viveka Chudamani or "Jewel Crest of Discrimination":-
For all souls, a human birth is difficult to obtain,
more so is a male body;
rarer than that is Brahminhood;
rarer still is the attachment to the path of Vedas;
higher than this is erudition in the scriptures;
discrimination between the Self and not-Self,
Realisation,
and continuing in a state of identity with the Supreme Soul
– these come next in order.
Not to be attained except through the well-earned merits of a billion births.
Being the person that I am, I cannot agree with most of these words. But my agreement with spirit of these words is as profound as my disagreement with its manifestation. There must be some fundamental purpose to existence from which all other mundane purposes derive. Having an aptitude to discover that purpose and being equipped to go on that quest are indeed things for which one needs to be extremely grateful.
So, here is my version of the opening verse in the Chudamani:-
It is one of the greatest possible gifts to take shape in this Universe as a sentient being;
Even greater, is the mind that stares back at the Universe and wonders at the meaning of it all, ;
If that mind embarks on a quest, unimprisoned by propaganda and self serving reasoning, that is even greater;
If at the end of such a quest, this fundamental purpose is found to not exist and hence all mundane purposes seem superficial, then pretending that there is indeed a grand purpose and enthusiastically continuing with life is the greatest of all..
