Purpose

I enjoy working. It provides me with purpose, it provides for myself and my family's needs. It also fills my days.

I wonder though at what my purpose is?

This isn't meant to be an existential question. I firmly believe one of the repercussions of having free will (whether we do or do not is debatable, but I've covered my thoughts on this in a previous post) is that we have the choice to do nothing with our lives. We do not have a set "purpose," in life, rather, we create our own purpose.

However, what is the point of daily toil? Where does it eventually lead us? If the purpose of working hard is so that one day I can retire... Why not retire now? If the purpose of daily toil is so that I can have a lifestyle where I can purchase any item or travel anywhere without working - this leaves out the value found in working. This lifestyle can be achieved easily - by lowering your standards for what you want to buy.

The point is, that working hard has it's own purpose, it is not the means to an end. It is the means and the end. Working through our lives, providing benefit to society and to ourselves is a reward and a journey in and of itself. Working with a goal in mind - like eventual retirement - will not lead to happiness.

What will lead to the elusive goal of happiness?

Finding a balance. Living a life filled with work, family, prayer and knowledge. Finding time for your soul daily, regardless of whether you're working or not. Retirement shouldn't come for any of us, because our traditional model in our North American society is flawed. When we reserve segments of our lives for work and for play, we are relegating our own lives to having useful and less useful portions.

Does this reflect a good life?

A good life is seen in a holistic way. We live good lives when we don't compartmentalize. When we don't split apart our joys and our sadnesses. When we let ourselves feel.

Often times, we judge our own emotions and feelings. I often think - why am I sad? I have nothing to be sad about. I have a wonderful life, a wonderful family and friends. However, that sublimates the emotion without examining the source of it.

Our emotions, whether positive or negative are at the end of the day wellsprings of the spirit. We feel because God wishes us to feel. Our sadnesses, our happinesses, our anger and our peace. All of these are there for a reason.

These emotions and our ability to fully experience them and explore their root causes. I have come to believe that these constitute a good life. A good life stems from letting ourselves live it. From not allowing our minds to fully compartmentalize our emotions and our time into time for work, prayer, play and family. Some degree of separation is required for us to function but perhaps this is far less than we may believe.

Live and feel. That is what makes a good life, or at least a life worth living.