I have gone through an enormous amount
of word play trying to come up with the right one to convey the thoughts I want
to share with you. It is amazingly
difficult to find just the right one. I
believe I did so with the word Purpose.
Let’s focus on the definition of
purpose as a noun in this post.
pur·pose (noun): the reason for which something is done or
created or for which something exists.
synonyms:
motive, motivation, grounds, cause, occasion, reason, point, basis,
justification
With that in mind, I did some research on
famous uses of the word purpose (or a synonum) as a noun. Here are some of the quotes more on point to
my thoughts.
“Our prime
purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least
don't hurt them.” – Dalai
Lama
“The thing
to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in
somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may not look like you. May not call God the
same name you call God - if they call God at all. I may not dance your dances
or speak your language. But be a blessing to somebody. That's what I think.” – Maya
Angelou
“Efforts and
courage are not enough without purpose and direction.” – John F.
Kennedy
“The purpose
of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” – Pablo
Picasso
I have often puzzled my purpose. My reason for being. I don’t believe in fate or
predestination. I believe in a whole lot
of factors; events, genetics, history, etc., that shape who we become. I also believe our purpose changes over time
for many of us due to where we are at in life.
A balance of what we have learned and our years. At this point in my life, my purpose is focusing
on enjoying the beauty that is humanity.
In studying and researching art, music, written word, history and the heroes
of the past, and most importantly, heroes of today. Not necessarily famous, but someone who
connects you with humanity.
I must work to look past events of recent and
realize that is not the majority, but really just focus placed on the
sensational. In a time where we keep
hearing about the rise of extremists who believe in genocide and segregation
based on either religion, race, sexuality, or gender identity, I say again, not
the majority of people.
I believe in the innate goodness of humanity. That humankind has an amazing ability to
learn, grow, help, and love. But, to
counter that which is negative, our purpose must be, in our own and unique
individual way, to grow this believe in humankind. To focus on compassion, empathy, generosity
of not just material items, but generosity of the spirit.
“The thing
to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you can be a rainbow in
somebody else’s cloud.”
Namaste,
Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment