“To have a magnificent purpose, and to be thoroughly wedded to that purpose, is three quarters of salvation. It is sad to reflect how much motiveless insipidity there is among us that is steadily resolving itself into ethical rot, for no other reason than that it has never been awakened into vigor and electrified into effect by the touch of a supreme purpose. The capabilities of these people are equal to the capabilities of other people, but no living nerve of keen design perforates those capabilities in a way to save them from relaxing into moral putrefaction.” – Charles H. Parkhurst
While I am loathe to generalize, I think it is safe to say that on the balance we have become a society of consumers who worship at the throne of the almighty dollar. Whether this evolution was deliberately and secretly crafted by a controlling few eager to subject the masses to a palatable yet efficient form of slavery or the unintended by-product gradual ethical rot, we as a society are beginning to witness exactly why it was said that the love of money – not money itself! – is the root of all evil.
The trouble with this decline is first, that it is so gradual as not to be noticed and second, that it is terribly comfortable. The river which leads to the bay of moral putrefaction is lined with high definition 3D televisions, smartphones, smart cars, air-conditioned homes and vehicles, powered appliances, addictive food and drinks, drugs that lower, raise or mask virtually every chemical process in the mind and the body and anything else you might want to make your life a little more relaxing. We’ve convinced ourselves that we no longer want for these things, we need these things! It’s almost as if we couldn’t live without them.
So millions of people slave day in and day out to slap their name on more of these things. They willingly trade their rightful inheritance – the opportunity to dedicate their lives to supreme purpose – for a little bit more of this, that or the other thing with the idea that happiness and fulfillment will soon follow. They rarely stop to ask themselves “How will this thing that I am acquiring help me to be more effective in actualizing the magnificent purpose to which my life is devoted?” Instead, they content themselves with the notion that their comfort, their pleasure, is to be worshipped above all else.
Most wouldn’t see it in those terms, for the love of money comes with a host of rationalizations that make a fundamentally irrational approach to living seem reasonable. The excuses are all bundled in a patchwork quilt made of ideas about inalienable rights, freedom, free will, democracy, capitalism and so on which are sewn together with the yarn of unfettered narcissistic self-centeredness and based on the pattern mapped out by the cult of the individual.
Again, the problem is not money or wealth or worldly possessions. All of these, when employed in the actualization of true purpose provide the very means by which invisible purpose is given form. But when they become the end and not the means to the end, we quickly see how “moral insipidity…[resolves] itself into ethical rot.” The comfort that comes on this basis is sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly, like a large dessert that satisfies momentarily yet leads to blood-sugar spikes, drowsiness, acidosis and unwanted weight and self-worth issues in the longer term.
I’m intentionally raising the heat on this topic as I am keen to find a way to inspire those within earshot to abandon the rat race mentally and emotionally for long enough to give more than just cursory thought to the matter of true purpose. This is neither a religious exercise nor a secular one, rather, it is the point which connects the real you (the unique focus of life that you are) through your body, mind and heart to the people, places and things in world around you.
Yesterday’s post asked the same question, but the response coming back was quite unspecific. When it comes to elaborating on true purpose, the tendency is to wax poetic, to generalize, to repeat back a phrase or two that resonated, but few throughout human history have been willing to declare their present understanding of their true purpose and so act in a way that the purpose is actualized in the details of living. Rather than say “We should do this”, “One should do that” or my all-time favorite, “Great point!”, why not step up and say “As I see it, my purpose is…” or “To my highest current vision, my magnificent purpose is…”
What do you have to lose? Your vision of your purpose will evolve over time, but the idea that you can wait until it is perfectly formed in your mind and heart to articulate it is one of those excuses that will keep you from ever doing anything about it. You, in the sense of the opportunity to declare and reveal your true purpose, are created equal to everyone around you. No matter how limited you may feel, you can live on purpose!
I’ve discovered over time that my purpose in life is to condition everything I undertake – every thought, word and deed – with the spirit of blessing. What is yours?
Gregory Hake 
Gregg,
This is something I’ve been giving quite a bit of thought to over the past several weeks. As I do my daily reading and journaling, in those quite moments of the day, I find that the picture in my mind’s eye of my purpose becomes more clear and exhilirating.
Ever since I was a little boy I’ve always wanted to help people, to simply help in any way that I could. I’ve always thrilled at seeing others succeed, seeing them find joy even in the smallest things in life. My heart glows when I see others discover something new within themselves, perhaps even something as simple as a new hope for life.
My purpose, as I see it at this point in time, is to reach out to others to help them become the best they can become – to see the beautiful potential that lies within – and to encourage them to stop at nothing to see that actualized in the world.
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In many ways I see my purpose as facilitating change. Whether through easing transitions, protecting things that need protecting, or through my own progress as a person making things easier on others.
Thank you for asking this question, as I had never really pinned this down so much. Writing something such as this down really makes specifics necessary.
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Thank you, Zach.
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As I see it, my purpose is to bring the spirit of forgiveness, in over abundance to this world.
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Thank you for both posing the question and challenging us to share with you through this blog Gregg.
For years my purpose was to “make a positive difference in the lives of others”, and as an overall ‘big’ purpose it still remain that.
However, as i grow older and hopefully wiser,I have been able to in more depth identify a purpose which both supports the overall purpose but also puts it into a more specific context. Today my specific purpose is to encourage others to see that business, both large and small, is not just about profits but also about adding value, genuine value, to those who entrust it with their careers and who purchase it’s products and services.
Another way of looking at this is set or assist in setting the standards for the way that business is done which encompasses not only those who run a business but also those who are a part of the business as am employee.
Another way of looking at it is to assist in each individual discovering the intrinsic greatness that resides within them and encouraging them to start displaying that greatness in their everyday activities.
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Thank you, Chuck.
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The magnificent purpose that electrifies my heart and soul is for the expression that unifies everything. Here in this consideration it really is magnificent to experience the union of Oneness. From here I also feel the urgings to bless all in my world- people, nature, all things. The gentleness that comes from this awareness softens,respects and blesses all in my world.
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Thank you, Steve.
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My purpose is to enhance and lift up everything with which I come into contact. There are plenty of suggested purposes related to accumulation, developing power over others on small and large scales, but these are no more than distractions. We each have a general purpose, we each have a specific purpose. To lose sight of that is to lose ourselves.
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Thank you, David.
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It is easy to appreciate another persons magnificent purpose as it is revealed in actions and words, but when I am called to articulate my own purpose as I see it, so many debilitating thoughts and feeling arise to negate the truth of what I know to be true. But in reality it is the magnificent and often uncomfortable pressure that comes to bare when those untruths begin to be seen for what they are, a false identity maintained over time for the sake of comfort and safety. There is no true comfort or safe harbor in maintaining an identity that is not founded upon the actions of ones highest vision. My purpose as I see it, in this day is to reflect the true beauty in all people, things and opportunities around me. The pressure-filled, ever present opportunity that comes to bare with this knowing I feel is three-fold. First, is the responsibility to recognize and lift up what is real and true within and around me, while at the same time, deliberately and specifically releasing the concepts and patterns that have molded the mask of false identity for myself and others. What will allow this to be actualized in my living is the constant letting go to the burning truth within me which in turn will allow my purpose to be ever more clearly revealed in blessing to the world.
Thank you Gregg for not only challenging me to see myself and my responsibility more clearly but to be my true self in every precious moment.
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Thank you, Melinda.
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Ok, since you put it that way 🙂 The purpose of my life is to enhance the lives of others every opportunity I get; to protect the delicate things in life, so that they may grow and flourish; to find ways to allow unfettered creativity; and to make sure that anything that anything I touch is better because of it.
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Thank you, Marianne.
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Glad you asked…again! My intrinsic purpose is to nurture the world I connect with and the people that I encounter. Seeing the promise in others and in situations. The words cherish, encourage and care would help to describe my purpose. It stings when I don’t reach that bar and keeps raising as I continue to actualize my purpose.
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Thank you, Coco.
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My earliest memories as a child was the realization that everything was upside down and/or backward on this planet. I knew I had to do something about it and saw that as my life’s purpose.
I knew that dis-ease was a result of a blockage in the flow systems of the body, heart, and mind. While providing support/education/tools for opening the flow in these areas, it became apparent that people were living from the outside in. They were trying to fit-in in this upside down world. . . .rather than sharing their gifts and passion. Through listening and asking questions, I realized this could be drawn out.
At this point my passion and life’s purpose is to provide the space for others to realize their passion so that they have the opportunity to live and give from the inside out.
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Thank you, Donna.
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Fair enough. My sense of personal purpose is one colored with a spirit of inspiration and healing. All I do, all of my ambitions, are to the end that my spirit can reach out more effectively into more avenues to catalyze a change I see so desperately is needed. The gift I was given that set me straight compels me to keep giving it, keep moving it on for it has its own little engine. I don’t know why really, but it must be those kinds of gifts that only truly blossom as you share them with others. Through this body, mind and heart of mine I am driven literally to offer it through a spirit of healing where by its nature I am forced to challenge any ineffective modalities in use today. Of course it goes much deeper than that, as I know a central avenue for this expression is to primarily offer a sacred place for people, inviolate, one in that healing can be received. This is one of life’s great truths. These are the kinds of bonds needed so badly in today’s world, bonds which are never allowed to form with the heavy, pervasive highly conditional ulterior motives accepted to be so normal. To me, all else decays in meaning.
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Thank you, Ricardo.
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