Hi everyone, in reflecting on some of life’s big questions, I wanted to share a few stances I’ve arrived at on our purpose in life, and how we may consider living to it’s fullest, in hopes it may serve you in some way. Hope you like it.
“We complicate our existence believing we need to excel, we need to make the world a better place, we need all the material goods, we must eat purely, and we must live long. We do not. It is enough to exist in whatever capacity you are in.”
— bq
Art by Miles Johnston: https://www.milesjohnstonart.com/bio
What are we to do with our lives?
How do we make our lives meaningful? What is our purpose? And how on Earth, do I find myself in the predicament of a human being, part of a larger family, humanity?
Big questions. Ones that can be answered many different ways for many different people. Here’s how I see it..
Our lives are without inherent meaning. We must imbue our own.
Let’s start with purpose, where I do not believe there is intrinsic meaning to our lives. That there is a de facto purpose to be found or revealed. Or that we were put here intentionally. I believe we are brought into existence by chance and blind forces without an assigned purpose, playing out largely unconscious lives,
A bleak proposition at first glance, as our lives need meaning where we may gather hope and resilience. Purpose is what makes the pangs of the human condition tolerable. However, In light of this, I believe we must imbue our lives with meaning from within as it is not granted externally. Taking up the mantle of choosing meaning in the absence of evidence, in the absence of knowing. It is a brave act.
Nature, and the bigger picture, hold the key to our meaning
And to do this wisely as individuals, I believe we must consider our role in the context of our group, our species. Humanity. We are often deemed separate from nature. I disagree. To do so hurts us as humans and ignores the interconnectedness of all things. We are nature. The degree to which we are aware of our connection to every living thing is the degree to which we feel whole. I believe our purpose as individuals is not separate from our purpose as a species, and as part of nature and the wider cosmos.
We are the sons and daughters of nature.
What do I mean by this? I choose to believe humanity is the son of nature. I believe humanity is the most beautiful expression of nature yet. Nature has built a resilient planet to support and stabilize us as we wrestle with the gift and the burden we carry. Nature holds no hatred for us; nature knows the weight of our burden and like a mother’s sleepless nights tending to her children, nature gives her resources and her diversity to us as we need them, doing so freely, out of love. Trusting we will repair when and how we can.
Nature without a witness is nature without value
And if we are nature, what is our purpose? And what purpose has the cosmos? What is the use of Saturn’s stunning golden rings if never observed? Never had its beauty witnessed? I believe our earth, the universe, all of its stars and galaxies, have no value in the absence of an observer, a conscious witness to appreciate what exists.
Consciousness is unique to humans and gives the universe meaning
And there it is, our purpose: to carry the flame of consciousness which lights the beauty of the cosmos. In essence, I believe we are chosen by nature as its champion to steward its most precious creation: consciousness. The ability to know and appreciate the cosmos, to see and feel beauty; To see and feel sorrow. Nature knowing our monumental task of wielding a higher mind alongside our base animal instincts.
We are the Light Keepers and we are Free
So why are we here? And why do we matter? You ask and I answer: to tend to the flame. To keep the light within your alive. To be one of the 8 million light carriers, illuminating the dark from a tiny conscious corner of an unconscious universe. Making our earth and the cosmos as we witness it, discover it, an appreciate it. Truly the guardians of the light and the protectors of the flame. Each of us of infinite value, each of us so, so very precious.
Simply being alive is the most important thing
To tend to the flame, all we need to do is to be alive. To not let the flame inside you die. All that is required is to be. That is our purpose above all, to be alive. We complicate our existence believing we need to excel, we need to make the world a better place, we need all the material goods, we must eat purely, and we must live long. We do not. It is enough to exist in whatever capacity you are in. Because by existing you fulfill your highest calling, to guard the flame.
What are we to do with this freedom?
Knowing now I fulfill my highest calling simply by being. By getting by and nothing else need be done. I know I am free. Knowing this freedom, what am I to do? I choose to take up the purpose of my wider family – humanity - to be the observer, the witness and the appreciator of the beauty of our world and my life. And i do so from a place of virtue, not obligation. I believe in growing my flame, fanning the flame of others, and bringing new flames to the fold strengthening our collective conscious. And in doing so I honour the spark of the divine within us all. And in doing so, I have a hell of a good time while I'm at it.
Become the observer, the appreciator, and the experiencer of our nature
How do I do this? By supercharging my 5 human senses so I may appreciate beauty and joy to its fullest. As a species we have become apart from our nature, stuck in our heads, and not in our senses. We should return to nature and the present moment by living in our senses and bringing the abilities of our higher minds with us, made and ally, made as one through our training and efforts: a sense of touch like rolling lightning, smell visceral and discerning, taste decadent and full of texture, hearing in rich, full surround, and sight as sharp as a predator — all to the degree which they are available to us.
