Words of Wisdom
“But effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
~John F. Kennedy
A Philosophy of Purpose
Purpose knows no bounds. It doesn’t move in any unilateral direction. It does not know left or right, up or down, male or female, black or white, night or day. It only knows right or wrong, but even that is negotiable when looking at the ontological underpinnings that create meaning in life. So what can we do to make a little purpose in our life?
I am conservative by philosophy but progressive by vision. I keep one eye on the here and now so that I can ultimately end up where I want to be in the future. This dual perspective has served me well. However, far too often, I see anxiety-laden behaviors directing the attention to events that have yet to happen or a depressive-laden focus the individual on past events they have no control over. What can we do?
I do not see sides of the aisle when it comes to creating direction. Maybe, that’s what is missing today, where the polarities of the paradox do not lead to individualized growth. Instead, they create further divides under an external locus of control that appears psychotic at best. Wow, that was a mouthful. But I needed to say it because that is what my soul is directing me to do at this time.
Courage, effort, direction, and purpose have no fan club. They do not have bots giving it 1M thumbs-ups as a means to sway popular opinion. It is the opposite. Courage does not exist in that reality because it simply does not fit the narrative of a status quo that appeases the majority. Direction is lacking, and grounding does not exist in today’s culture. I believe this is because in our need to turn on, tune in, and drop out, it seems we have ultimately dropped out of life itself. However, what possibilities could there be if we only put in a little, just a tiny bit of true effort?
What I see… is a lack of vision. Purpose does not exist without vision—an eye for the future. No, not a one-year idea, but something more significant that can transcend aisles and ideologies, and give people something to work towards.
The razor of division may surround us; however, it is up to us whether we give into its dark nature. Cancer divides healthy cells to replicate. Do we need to let dis-ease become a disease of social norm? I think not.
We need to heal the personal and collective wounds we see so apparent in systems that are failing us? We are human’s being not human doings!
With gratitude. May blessings find you on your journey to find purpose, direction, and ultimately advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.
