Purpose

Purpose
Or
What The Hell Are You Talking about?!

For years now I’ve been hearing people say:

“You’ve gotta find your purpose in life.”

And I’ve asked:

“Why? Why not simply live each and every moment to the fullest?”

For as long as I can remember people have told other people that it is vital they find “their purpose” in life. I took a different approach. I believed my purpose would find me.
And as it turned out, it did.

But enough about me, and more of what this essay thinks it is about.

Purpose. What is it? What is it not?
What other words can be found from within p-u-r-p-o-s-e? Rose; sup; pose; pup; purp; rope; pop; and probably more. Let’s deal with what we have, one word at a time.

Rose: Is there any sweeter smelling flower? There are certainly many flowers that smell as sweet, but sweeter? This only you can decide.

Sup: As far as I know, this is slang for: “What’s up?!” Cool people use this word a lot. I use it myself sometimes, depending on whom I’m speaking with, but that is a whole other essay.

Pose: “to adopt a particular physical posture for a photograph or painting, or position somebody or something for this purpose”. There’s the word! PURPOSE. “to pretend to be somebody or something else”.
Enough said.

Pup: Who doesn’t LOVE a pup, short for puppie?

Purp: As far as I know, a purp is “somebody responsible for a crime”. I think it’s also spelled “perp”.

Rope: They say if you give a person enough rope they may very well hang themselves. I don’t know anything about that.

Pop: Remember when we called our Fathers, “Pop”? Remember when we called a can of Coke, “pop”? Oh, the good ol’ days.

But just what does any of this have to do with purpose? I don’t know. I think one of the reasons people tell us we must find our purpose in life is because they are still looking for theirs. I think. I’m not certain. This is a lifelong journey of discovery.

Why do people become doctors? Is it to help heal people? Is it to earn a good living? Is it because their Jewish Mother told them to become a doctor, or else?! Yes, yes, and yes.

Why do people become plumbers? Is it to help people? Is it to earn a good living? Is it because their Father was a plumber? Is it because they just LOVE dealing with shit? Yes, yes, and yes.

Why do people become musicians or actors? Is it because they enjoy bringing the joy of music to people? Is it because they want to lead a life never knowing where their next paycheck is coming from? Is it their calling? Do they want to help people through theatrical performance? Yes, yes, and yes.

And why does somebody want to be President of the United States? Is it because they want to make a positive difference? Is it because they want to help people? Is it because they feel obligated to serve their country? Is it because they have a vision and a calling and a purpose? Yes, yes, and yes.

We are all called to something.
Most of us are called to something.
Some of us are called to something.
A few of us are never called.
A select few can’t hear the phone ringing.
There are those among us who never answer the phone.
Tiny minorities of us don’t have a telephone.
Can you believe that?

Whatever your purpose in life, I’m pretty sure it involves helping other people. Or at least it should.

By helping other people, we help ourselves. This fact cannot be escaped. Like it or not we are all interconnected. So find your purpose, or let your purpose find you, and always remember to have a good time each and every moment, no matter what situation and challenge you find yourself in.
By doing this, your purpose truly will be realized.

Or not.

March 12th, 2010
Palm Desert, California
On the Road To Purpose