I was walking to the shops the other day and suddenly it struck me that there was no purpose to this walking beyond the walking itself. When I set out my intent was to go and get some groceries – this was my purpose. But while ambling along by the banks of the Liesbeeck river, for a brief moment the story of my getting to the shops ceased and there was just the walking. No other story, just walking. And there was no other purpose in the world. Just this, what’s happening now, in this moment.
I’ve been writing quite a bit on this site about life purpose as something to be found, but now it seems that in fact there is nothing to be found. Your true purpose is whatever you are being or doing right now. As you read this your purpose is to sit and read. Or more precisely, one might say the reading is simply happening, you are not doing anything. There’s absolutely nothing beyond this reading, because anything that would be beyond it is a projection out of the Now into a past or future. A projection into one more story, one more fiction.
So now I will define true purpose as who you are when the stories about yourself have ceased. It is the life that lives through you, as you. How do you get to this? Stop the struggle, stop trying to make things happen when they’re just not happening. I’m glad I can blog about this so I can come back and remind myself when I forget (which happens often!).
There’s a quote from the Conversations with God series that comes to mind:
“There is nothing you have to be or do except what you are being or doing right now.”
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