Now since we understand that this birth is a precious gift and to be born a human is a great and very rare gift we must now turn our attention towards making this birth into a meaningful one.
We have to remember and ponder over the blessedness that we humans have gained for only the human has the chance to become free from the cycle of birth and death and no other organism or living form is given the freedom of choice.
As Shantideva mentioned, we should not fail to make use of this human birth or human form to find ways to break this cycle of birth and death and to achieve liberation.
We have to appreciate this special gift of birth and take steps to attain liberation in this very birth for we might not get another chance to be born as a human for years to come.
We could descend into the lower species where it would then not be possible to worship God and attain God-realization and enlightenment.
In the book YOGI RAMSURATKUMAR - THE MYSTERY OF BECOMING GOD by Olga Ammann published by Yogi Ramsuratkumar Bhavan, Mauritius, 2008, (Ammann, Yogi Ramsuratkumar - The Mystery of Becoming God, 2008) the author states,
“The meaning and the aim of existence must be the search for the divine. One that enables the individual to take the supreme decision of his or her life: to leave all behind and go in search of God.”
In Hans-Ulrich Rieker’s translation and commentary of the HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA OF SVATMARAMA, The Aquarian Press 1992, (Rieker, Hatha Yoga Pradipika of Svatmarama, 1992) B K S Iyengar writes,
“….the real goal of a yogi is to become a Siddha. A Siddha, a person in possession of Siddhis, has developed powers that can readily be called supernatural. There are eight Siddhis, the highest of which is nirvana, the great liberation. The Siddhis are signposts on his way to the final goal, liberation.”
In QUIET MIND, FEARLESS HEART - THE TAOIST PATH THROUGH STRESS & SPIRITUALITY, published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey, 2005, Brian Luke Seaward quotes Teilhard De Chardin (Seaward B. L., 2005),
“We are not humans having a spiritual experience. Instead, we are spirits having a human experience. …..earthly existence is enshrouded in many veils of illusion. It is a brave soul on a noble adventure who attempts to lift these veils. .... If you recognize that you are indeed a spirit on a human path, then every situation that you encounter will be a learning experience. This is how consciousness evolves. The drive that inspires the human journey is a desire to have this view of life - a clearer understanding of life’s mystery and role or purpose in it.”