We are born to die. It’s really not that much different than farmers who bring calves into the world for the sole purpose of fattening them up and slaughtering them into veal. Well, it is different in that those calves have a defined purpose: to be transformed into meat for someone to consume. We humans have less of a defined reason to exist. We choose to reproduce (or not), if we’re fortunate then we get to love, and hopefully we laugh a lot along the way. Some of us search for a meaning in all of this, choosing to worship a deity (or not) in order to feel like we have a purpose.
But do we?
If our raison d’être is to improve the planet that is “fortunate” enough to host our species, then we are certainly doing it wrong. If you, like me, adopt the credo of “live, laugh, love,” then that is definitely a fine way to live your life and things for which to strive. Would you go so far as to say those are our reasons for existing? I don’t know. They absolutely make life more enjoyable while we are here for (ideally) a handful of decades…but were we put here to live, laugh, love…and then die?
I’ve discovered a great joy in providing assistance and encouragement to those who want or need it. I have been put on this Earth to use my platform and influence to make this a better place. Is this my purpose in life? It sure does feel like it. Does everyone have such a purpose? I have no idea. It feels like there is but a small amount of people who prioritize improving others’ lives. Do you feel like you were put here for a specific reason? I didn’t, for a long time. It didn’t evoke nihilism or anything like that, but it did frequently inspire me to contemplate “what is this all about” and “why am I here?”
Every major step in my life has felt like there was something behind it. The universe conspires, man plans and God laughs, que sera sera, pick one or adopt another phrase. We are all alive at exactly the same time in this incomprehensibly vast universe. You’ve made choices in life and your character has been constructed & altered, and that all led you here. You’re either sitting in front of a computer or staring intently at your mobile device (something we do approximately 97% of our waking hours) & reading the words of someone you likely know, respect, trust, admire, are related to, work with, dated, laugh at, loathe, mock, or at least a little interested in. I appreciate that (all of it, honestly) a lot and strive to make it worth your time, effort, and investment. It is that gratitude that inspires me to end this post here for you “free subscription” types and continue for my Paid Peeps. Normally, I might think that you’re not missing much by avoiding the “pay” route, but in this case…you might be.