Maybe We Don’t Have a Purpose, and That’s Okay
Maybe we’re just the molecules that made it.
I read an article in Breathe Magazine (one of my favorites, highly recommend) recently that discussed ways to uncover your purpose in life. The article highlighted individuals who had discovered their “true purpose” by their love for activities ranging from trail hiking to poetry. They had realized why they were here; their full potential, their ikigai defined. Towards the end of the article, the author included some exercises you could do to help “find your life purpose.”
*grabs pen and paper*
Of course, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a magazine to tell what I was put on Earth to do; and it was only 6 simple questions. This is what I had been searching for!
As I attempted to answer the questions I noticed a pattern; I answered every single question with a resounding “I DON’T KNOW!”
What’s your first thought when you wake up?
“Hmm, breakfast?”
Last thought before you go to bed?
“Uh, did I turn off the light above the stove?”
Define your life’s purpose in one sentence.
“How the hell do I summarize my life's purpose in one sentence? Isn’t that the point of the exercise?”
*deep breaths*
My anxiety had started to set in. Here's a little background before we dig too deep; I am a 29-year-old wife and new mom in the process of changing careers, and to say the least, I’ve been on a journey of finding myself more lately than I've ever been. It could be the rise of social media (the easiest place to lay blame), or maybe an almost mid-life crisis, but I can't help but feel like I’m floundering in search of my raison d’etre.
I realize I’m not alone, the idea of life, creation, and everything in between has stumped humans since the beginning of time, so it’s fair we’d try and answer a few questions by assigning ourselves a purpose. We’re just looking for a sign of where we're supposed to belong; what’s my purpose in life, when it appears as though everyone’s got everything figured out.
But, before I spiraled completely out of control, my rational brain came to the rescue. Is life so simple that our whole premise for existence can be reduced to a simple sentence? I enjoying hiking and a nice sonnet as much as the next, but finding purpose in a specific task seems constricting.
According to scientists, it took 45 billion years for life to form on our little home planet called Earth. With such astounding odds, it's hard to believe we could limit our amazing feat at intelligent life to defining ourselves by our hobbies?
Until it hit me, I stopped stress scribbling answers to my magazine survey and started to think; looking inward at what I really valued in life and about it. I realized, our individual purposes for existing aren’t defined by the things that we do.
Our purpose is to live.
Yes, there are things we enjoy doing. We have hobbies that bring us joy and careers that inspire us to grow. Some of us are on an endless quest for knowledge or a quest for the perfect shoes. We define ourselves with labels and bios. In reality, maybe we don’t have a purpose at all, and that’s okay; that's the beauty of life.
In our strive for purpose, or our reason for existence, whatever you choose to call it, experience all that you can, try new things, take trips, fall in and out of love—each of these tiny moments defines our purpose: to live life to the fullest.
Maybe we’re the lucky molecules that made it.
Don’t narrow yourself; the world has too much to offer. There are too many adventures still in store.
Living is our purpose. Enjoy it.
