Purpose

Waking up these days seems like a herculean task in itself for many of us, given that we have nothing to look forward to during the day. This got me thinking of the importance of having a purpose in life. Let’s look at the various facets of having a purpose in life.

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”

― Friedrich Nietzsche

I don’t want to sound like someone reiterating the obvious, the the following statement has more gravity than we might admit; This period, this time when we are quarantined in the confines of our homes, is the most unique and interesting period that we or many generations to follow might get to experience, especially for people like me, who have no agenda for the time being.

Of course there are people who have the privilege of being engrossed in their work, but for me, this is quite a liberating time. I can put my mind to anything I want to. And being the productive person that I am, I spend all my time binge watching television series. I know, incredibly smart.

One of these days, during the brief gaps between two consecutive episodes, I found myself wondering; what is the most major difference between the life that I’ve lead so far and the current time? Why is it that I am constantly satisfying my weird urge to be occupied by numbly consuming content? And more importantly, what was it that I used to do before that never made me ask myself this question?

I turned to the most obvious difference, maybe I had better things to do earlier than sitting and asking myself questions like a schizophrenic. And did I mention that I have a lot of time these days? What, I did 22 times already? Okay, so because I had the time, I tried and extrapolated this thought of mine to a broader application. I figured, having something to do or look forward to in life keeps us going.

Directly or indirectly, every single religion, philosophical theory or scholar mentions the significance of having a purpose in life. Having a purpose leads to a clearer mind and better decision making ability and for one to lead a life of fulfillment and constant occupation. I quote the obvious again, it is crucial that we have a worthwhile purpose for ourselves.

However, after people who are much, much more educated and intelligent than I am have attempted to establish this important fact, it makes much less sense that I do the same here. I have a little tangential view, which I’d like to highlight here.

An important thing that I saw as the commonality among many of these sermons is that a purpose looks achievable, but is never a destination. 

Let’s take an example to illustrate this fact.

Abraham Maslow, a famous American psychologist, who came up with the hierarchy of needs, talked about self-actualization as the ultimate need of human beings. What exactly is self-actualization? It is the desire of being the best possible version of oneself one can be. While this is such an amazing vision that it drives humans towards betterment, but achieving “the best version of oneself” is more of a constant mindset than an actual version of a person.

This is one key aspect of the theory of purpose that I could find. Now we go to tangent number 2.

Having a purpose, requires one to have focus, knowledge, patience, long-term vision and at times faith. Lacking just one of the three qualities may act as a detriment instead of a benefit for us. This is one confusion that requires immediate clarification. Because many of us, while having a purpose, aren’t able to actually enjoy all the positives of it.

A little lack of focus will result in one being easily distractible. A little ignorance or nearsightedness can cause a major change in the perception of the purpose one has for oneself. A little impatience or skepticism can cause one to take irrational, rash steps that are completely opposite of what one might have set out to do or give up altogether way too soon.

All the effects that are mentioned above can be seen in action every single day, in many dynamics all across the globe. And the scale of these impacts exhibit the same spectrum that the presence of the impacts do. The point that I am trying to make here is that a purpose, while in itself is a great discovery for the human kind, the presence of the supporting cast is also something that should be noted, diligently and regularly.

After highlighting the key features of having a purpose in life, I have yet another daunting question to end this thought of mine. Should a purpose be singular in nature, and if so, how crucial is it to be outlandish?