In our own world the mere avoidance of foolish behavior does not constitute a legitimate purpose in life. For life to have a purpose, the focus must be on achievement. One must pursue some good and not content himself with the mere avoidance of the pitfalls of stupidity. The mere avoidance of being in violation of the commandments cannot constitute the purpose of life. Such avoidance merely attests to elementary caution.
Foolish behavior causes one to drown in the river.
Avoiding it cannot be what God had in mind for human beings when He created the world. This brings us to the second aspect of the commandments. The Maharal explains that the purpose of the Torah is to point the way to reaching God. The purpose of observance is not simply to teach us how to remain within the parameters of reality. The commandments are a way to ascend to a union with God.