THE PATH TO PURPOSE: The Journey to a Life of Meaning

The true purpose of life is a life of purpose.  What that statement may lack in originality it more than makes up for in authenticity.  The most enlightened amongst us know this and live it. They know what they want out of life – materially, physically, emotionally and spiritually.  Unfortunately, as is revealed by the pervasiveness of our current societal malaise, these sage individuals and their wisdom appear to be in short supply.  The most obvious misappropriation of our priorities would be in that area we spend the vast majority of our waking hours on this planet, namely, our occupation. And so, let us begin there.

I think it's a tragedy that so many people confess that they are either doing work that they do not believe in or that they feel unconnected to.  In case you feel that I may be overstating this disaffection, we live in a world where such a massive number of people are dissatisfied with their jobs that there are actually businesses in the service of providing “vocational vacations” where people pay hard-earned money to work at another job. One they actually enjoy.  Essentially, these people range from feelings of disillusionment and disconnection to outright disdain for that which consumes a large portion of their short time on this planet.  Prostituting not only your skills, but also the most precious of non-substitutional resources – that is, your time – for something that clearly only provides you with a monetary or material gain, signifies the poorest of valuations.

This provides me with a good opportunity to distinguish between exotelic and autotelic experiences. We embark upon the former for external reasons only; whereas, the latter entail those experiences that are intrinsically rewarding, ends in and of themselves. For far too many of us, it seems that so much of what we do has no value in itself – we do it only because we expect some benefit from it. For those of us that this applies to, the time that we spend at work is essentially just wasted. Instead of being viewed as an avenue for helping you to reach your greater goals, it is seen as being called upon solely to make someone else’s goals – or as is increasingly the case, a corporate entity’s – come to fruition.  In this way, the time that is channelled into such work is usually perceived as being subtracted from the total available for living your life. This is to say that, many people consider their jobs as being something that they have to do – a burden imposed upon them from the outside or an effort that takes life away from the ledger of their existence, rather than adding to it. This is because many of us find ourselves in jobs that do not contribute to our own long-range goals and passions. The dissonance between what we want to do and what we actually do is not only sad but, also, completely unnecessary.

“The deepest personal defeat suffered by human beings is constituted by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become.” –Ashley Montagu

Be the Master of Your Own Fate

We frequently choose to do things purely for the expected extrinsic benefits, even if it goes against our larger interests.  Doing something merely because you feel you have to is rarely a recipe for happiness or success, and most certainly not when that something is the means for making your livelihood on this Earth.  Now, I do not object to money; I too generally would rather have more than less.  However, there are better ways to attain it than by doing something which provides you with no inherent satisfaction.  Too many of us seem to have lost our passion for life.  Alternatively, if you make your career something that you want to be doing because you know that is it is the right thing for you to do, you will never have to work another day in your life. Your work will be play.  Ultimately, I would auger to bet that the pervasive listlessness that characterizes contemporary society would largely be erased and replaced with a newfound energy if less and less of us were willing to exchange a paycheque for our passion, but instead sought an alliance of the two.

More pointedly, have you ever known anyone working to be happy? In my experience such people have one thing in common: they're not very happy. On the other hand, if you live your life in pursuit of what matters most to you, and you do your work with people whose friendship you value, you will have all the happiness you need. In this sense, happiness is simply a by-product of a life well lived.  An additional benefit is that when you do something that you genuinely feel connected to, your interest and mental focus will bring new energy to the task.  In this way, your work will improve along with the quality of your life; conversely, when work is no more than a means to an end, quality suffers.  For this reason, many people find that when they dismiss the morals of our money culture their passion brings them not only meaning and significance, but greater financial reward as well. Accordingly, I’ve found that the most successful people often aren’t those directly pursuing conventional notions of success; instead, they’re working hard and persisting through difficulties because of their internal motivations and their desire to accomplish something that matters to them.  

The importance of this cannot be overstated.  I'm one of those authenticity seekers and I truly believe that I’m not alone.  People go to work for more than just financial rewards. They go to work to be a part of something.  And those who find inner alignment with their work are able to bring all of themselves to their endeavors.  Equally, someone who finds their work and passion to be at cross-parallels is likely to feel that they are unable to bring their whole selves to the foremost task in their life (if not in importance, then in time spent).  This is a poor use of the limited amount of time that exists in the hourglass of life, and such a misalignment between our true selves and how we devise the hours of our days is unlikely not to manifest additional problems.  For instance, after a while these people often find that they’ve been living so long in the house of mirrors that they begin to mistake the image they were projecting for who they really are.  If my authority in this respect comes across as a bit bullish, it is only because I was once one of them. 

Sure, you are busy. But as Henry Thoreau said: “It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is what are you so busy about?”

Live with the Knowledge that Time is An Inelastic Resource

[A brief disclaimer before we move forward: I believe strongly in helping people to challenge their own assumptions. That is, to challenge their beliefs and, when the facts dictate, change them.  While I know men’s lives are not always wholly consistent with their ideals – and, on the aggregate I’m certainly no different in this respect – I am not writing anything here, nor will I moving forward, that I am not prepared to practice or do myself]. 

See I’ve learned firsthand how so very easy it is to get caught up in the thick of thin things, to lose yourself in something because it’s lucrative and carries social approval, rather than because it holds any great meaning to you personally.  The paper chase of law school, which concentrated far more on testing than education, resulted in my becoming great at jumping hoops and meeting targets but terrible at choosing which questions I should be asking or those hurdles that were worth overcoming in the first place. Consequently, the script given advised that the best law students were employed with the biggest corporate law firms. I obediently followed instructions.

I soon found myself surrounded by people who possessed robust resumes and lofty academic credentials; however, and most unfortunately, one doesn’t necessarily learn to be a better person in school. On the whole, they were far more talented than I was or am, and they certainly came from more esteemed backgrounds but they also knew it.  There was a certain carried sense of entitlement and misplaced hubris that gave them an exalted sense of market value that I never did understand.  For the most part, they generally seemed to feel as though the world owed them something far in excess of their service and even in advance of their performance.  I may not have completely comprehended where this entitlement came from exactly but, as a farm-boy from Southern Ontario, I knew that putting the cart before the horse was neither beautiful nor useful. Ultimately, after having worked with and met a great number of corporate lawyers and never finding even one who bore the slightest resemblance to me, I knew I was merely counting the minutes.  My colleagues and I had, so far as I could tell, absolutely nothing in common. To be quite honest, I thought as seriously of being a life-long corporate lawyer as I did about becoming a hippopotamus.  Nonetheless, I persisted, not because I read the office memo and slowly bought into it but on the notion that copping out in order to get my finances to the point that my bank account could no longer be balanced with an abacus was a good idea. Yet, I knew from the countless cups of coffee that I  needed to drink just to get through it that this wasn’t the right decision at that time – but then, life is not always a matter of making the perfect decisions but, rather, a matter of what we take away from the choices that we make.

To that end, life in a corporate law firm taught me some of the most important lessons in my short life. It taught me how easy it is to get caught up in an activity trap, in the busy-ness of life, to work harder and harder at climbing the ladder of success only to discover that it’s leaning against the wrong wall. This is also how I discovered that it’s possible to be busy, very busy, without being particularly effective.  See, I knew I was unhappy with my work but I don’t remember ever stopping to analyze where it all fit in my life’s equation.  To be fair, my days seemed to be fragmented into such short intervals that it precluded any time for meaningful observations or deep reflection - and I don’t think that I’m alone in this respect, I’m inclined to believe that it happens all too often and to far too many. We’re so wrapped up with egotistical things: our career, having enough money, paying the rent, getting a better car, maintaining all the things we already have – we often forget to take the time to ask whether we’re directing our energy in the right places. We don’t get into the habit of standing back and looking at our lives and saying: is this all? Is this what I want? Is something missing?

It was questions like that which eventually got to me. 

I could both see and feel the deep disconnect between my work and my heart.  There was so much more that I had wanted to do with my life. So much more that I had wanted to become.  Without sounding too trite, we all consciously or subconsciously know of the forks in the road of life. We understand that frequently there exists an easy, convenient path and then a harder path to integrity and purpose and that the two are rarely one and the same. We are constantly revealing the substance of our character in how it is that we navigate through these choices. As I know of no other way of making these choices more visible than by walking it myself, it’s at this juncture that I’ll digress from this entry to be followed with one which will embark to you my own intellectual and spiritual journey or, more specifically, of how it is that I learned the humility to run my own race.

Sources:
Anieleski, Mark. "The Economics of Genuine Happiness"
Covey, R. Stephen.  "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. "Flow"
Pink, H. Daniel. "Drive"
Sharma, Robin. "Who Will Cry When You Die?"
Thoreau, Henry David. "Walden"

SHATTERING THE MIRROR: the All-Pervasive Introspection of 21st Century Life

I’m going to say something that you might not expect of me: our generation is far too introspective. Being introspective is not, of course, a negative thing in and of itself; in fact, striving for personal understanding and improvement is commendable and can have an overwhelmingly positive effect on both individuals and their society. However, in the context of a culture that already preaches a form of hyper-individualism that would’ve taken aback Adam Smith himself, such focused self-discovery often appears to be all-consuming and to the  exclusion of other deliberations. More specifically, in our single-minded self-reflection we rarely appear to even notice, much less consider, the problems that are faced by others and the meanings ascribed to their enduring struggles in everyday life.  This has arguably produced an even greater level of distance and disconnection between people and the world in which they live.

The Introspective Approach

I would like to commence by drawing a distinction between introspection and what I'll call "outrospection". In the 21^st century, most of us are preoccupied only with the former – the idea that the way to find meaning in our lives is to look inside ourselves, to our drives and priorities – and we seem content to completely ignore the latter – the idea that the way to discover how to live contentedly is to uncover how others see the world, to put yourself in their shoes. These approaches to finding meaning in the art of life should not be treated as mutually exclusive; alternatively, they ought to be used together with the goal of developing a proper balance between them.  Currently, this is patently not the case and, as an ironic consequence, our present-day obsession with understanding and improving ourselves has been detrimental, not only to society at large, but also to our own personal growth and happiness. For instance, our affluence has never been greater and, yet, the numbers of people who report being genuinely happy are at an all-time low. I would argue that it is no coincidence that this has occurred at a time when all indicators of community and social capital have also receded.  In the context of a society that is steeped in self-interest and trained to identify themselves with their personal accomplishments – which are almost exclusively recognized in the ability to amass material things – the consumptive force of the introspective approach can be difficult to resist and may even make it feel natural to omit any genuine concern for others. Simply put, intensive self-reflection and examination, no matter how admirable the intent, can have chilling effects on our relationship with the broader community if it is to the exclusion of communal considerations.

Let me be clear, I believe that it’s important that we examine ourselves – that is, that we attempt to understand our desires and motivations.  Asking ourselves questions about what we want from our lives, such as: What drives you? What are you here for? What matters most to you? All are noble demands in any personal accounting and they are moral investigations that are worthy of both your time and contemplation. I firmly believe that when you clearly know which aims you wish to achieve over the course of your life – be they material, emotional, physical or spiritual – and you spend your days accomplishing them, that you will ultimately find eternal joy. The problem, however, is that in a commons and culture where all the voices recite both the ascendancy of the individual and the supremacy of material things over natural life, the above are not likely to be the sorts of questions that are posed in any self-analysis. Further, even if these are the questions being asked, in the prevailing context it is doubtful that the answers which carry the day will be those which place great attention on how others amongst us may see the world or deal with and find solutions to life’s daily challenges. As a result, any self-actualization that occurs in this process is limited in its application and does little to expand or widen one’s moral universe or understanding.

Egoistic Meditation

Perhaps I’m guilty for presupposing that the creation of an empathic civilization is a mark of progress for not only humanity as a whole but for each and every one us as individuals. After all, I’m not trying to tell you what your goals for yourself should be; each person needs to establish their own standards, values and meanings and I acknowledge that these answers will be largely subjective. For instance, my specific motivations and ambitions may not be the same as your own, nor necessarily should they be.  However, what I’m referring to at this stage is not one’s precise priorities but, rather, more general human motivations.  As, while we may not agree on whether or not a bigger house, faster car or better body are meaningful goals, we are likely to agree that increasing well-being and happiness are positive aims for us all. We quickly see that subjectivity only goes so far in such evaluations and this is where I want to focus my concern.

Despite being wealthy beyond the wildest dreams of any generation that has preceded us, dissatisfaction is widespread.  For example, we in the Western world are awash with luxury and technology, among a list of other accoutrements associated with wealth; yet, suicide rates are among the highest in recorded history and the number of the rest of us treating our misery with drugs and other anti-depressants has never been larger.  In fact, according to almost every measure of happiness, our lives are on the downswing.  This is the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back: we have all the individualistic materialism but it’s not making us any happier.

If this self-indulgence was helping us to attain the levels of happiness we desired, I’d gladly step down from my soapbox and shut-up (for those who know me, that may be hard to believe, so you'll just have to take me at my word). In any case, it’s not, and in spite of all our current abundance many of us report longing for an earlier time.  For example, 93 percent of Americans surveyed agreed that we are too focused on working and making money and not focused enough on family and community; 86 percent agreed that we are too focused on getting what we want now and not focused enough on the needs of future generations; and, 87 percent of adults believed that advertising and marketing aimed at kids today makes them too materialistic. The combination of a bias towards introversion and a consumerist culture has placed many of us in a trance-like coma of over-consumption, condemning us to seek meaning where it cannot be found and does not reside. Worse, while the above would seem to indicate that we understand how out of proportion our focus on individualistic materialism is, a response nonetheless appears to be lacking. The reality is that consumerism has become the new measure of our self-worth and our primary means of experience.  As a result, we increasingly find ourselves with more and nicer things but less and less genuine happiness.

Identification in Accumulation

Western materialism teaches us that happiness and well-being can be discovered through a high-consumption, luxury lifestyle. This too is individuated. Indeed, our introspective evaluations occur within a culture that conditions us to believe that our ability to obtain such material goods is evidence of, not only our happiness, but also our personal value.  In this way, we are programmed to believe that the more we can accumulate the better off we are – even if others are unable to obtain these same markers for success; in fact, especially when this is the case. For instance, our “progress” is often gauged by those possessions and accumulations we have that are able to distinguish us from others – be it knowledge, skills or, increasingly, things. In this way, the version of advancement that is sold to us is not one that is designed to bring us together but one which fosters a further separation.

As the above makes clear, our ongoing obsession with the introspective approach wouldn’t be of such a detriment to our development as individuals and as a people if it weren’t for the realities inherent in our current consumerist culture.  Modern Western civilization indoctrinates us to believe that we are imperfect beings unworthy of love simply as we are and that, in order to mend this condition, we must constantly strive to improve ourselves. Unfortunately – although these initial conditions are universal and inclusive to all of humanity – the journey in overcoming them is largely understood to be a personal one, taken on by each of us separately in our individual capacity, rather, than by humanity as a whole, united, and in the common effort and goal of advancing civilization. More, self-interest, even to the level of obsession, is made into a healthy means of promoting this ambition.  

Personalizing this quest serves to abrade and erode social connectedness and sets the boundary conditions in a way which preordains our isolation from one another. For instance, if you are constantly looking inside yourself for answers to life’s big questions, it is quite natural that during this probing you will tend to forget or delimit the significance of those around you; unsurprisingly, and in turn, others reciprocate this lack of concern for you in their own analysis. As a result, the wedge between us expands, societal discontent grows in equal measure and, in the effort to bridge the ever-yawning gap we become more and more wrapped up in egotistical things. In this way, the approach becomes a self-reinforcing process and one which leaves us further away from each other and our personal happiness.

Finding Our Way

You’ve probably picked up by now that I feel we’re simply too obsessed with the self and all of its formulations.  This obsession has limited the way that we pursue living the "good life" and has had unexpected and anomalous results.  The more we look inside ourselves for an answer to our dissatisfaction, the more others withdraw from us – a vicious cycle is born.  Under these conditions, it's only natural that we seek solace and meaning in the only place society and mass marketing tell us that we should: accumulating material possessions. This brings with it the constant stress of an unrelenting pressure to consume in order to fill the emotional vacuum that exists inside us. We’re forever anxious in the hopes that the next new, new thing will finally fill the void and each time it leaves us dismayed as it fails to give our lives the meaning we so desperately desire. And so, the need for fulfillment and unhappiness only grows. The more frantic and neurotic we become in our efforts to consume and hoard things we think might just finally give our lives meaning, show how worthy and wonderful we are and, ultimately, save us from our never-ending depression. It never does.   

I would go so far as to argue that the very act of acquiring so much stuff has turned us ever more into individuals and ever less into members of a community, exacerbating the problem and isolating us in a way that runs contrary to our most basic instincts.  Our current culture is sick with 'affluenza' and consumption and is desperately hungry for real meanings. Meaning that can only be found and realized through human relationships and the more of them the better. All of us share an impulse that is in favour of such social interconnectedness (a connection that is not merely superficial but deep and to our core). We are the most social of species; we need one another.  For example, few people when asked to recount the most important moments in their lives describe moments of solitude. You can cook yourself the most wonderful gourmet meal night after night but unless you’re sharing it with someone it’s not going to give you much enjoyment after a while.  The short of it is: non-material needs simply cannot be filled by material means.   

I think what we really need is a more empathic perspective. That is to say, I think that empathy – the ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s life – can help us to overcome our current surplus of individualism and deficit of companionship. I know that some of you will undoubtedly criticize such a call for fraternalism as merely a reactionary romanticism against an unstoppable individualism. In a world that is dominated by isolation and the dehumanizing effects of urban life, it's easy to see why such an alienated perspective might prevail but I caution you against it.  I’m not preaching against your being an individual. There is a very notable difference between "individualism" – I’m out for myself – and "individuality" – I’m myself and my society benefits from my uniqueness. My indictment against the one should not be misconstrued as a lack of the support for the other. The debate is always about seeking an equilibrium point between societal obligations and individual rights.  Repeatedly we are brought back to the natural relationship that exists between the two – or what I call 'responsible individualism'.  So that the next time we look in the mirror, maybe, just maybe, we’ll challenge ourselves to see more than our own reflection. 

Sources:
Korten, David. "The Great Turning"
McKibben, Bill. "Deep Economy"
Rifkin, Jeremy. "The Empathic Civilization"

STEP ONE: Getting Started

“Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with just a single step.” -Proverb

I’ll start with a simple confession, the works I’m about to begin to share with you are not entirely out of altruism.  While I do seek in this forum to make a series of serious contributions to debates in what I see as the key issues of our time, the real reward for me personally is not in who reads that which follows or embraces the subjects discussed; rather, my main motivation for both starting and creating this blog stems from a deep, driving desire to learn.  I have an insatiable appetite for information, a natural flair for research, an affection for serious speakers and an earnest appreciation for critical thought.  In short, I love learning.

However, that is not say that I don't hope that by reading these postings I can provide you with the inspiration and energy to get involved with these issues yourself – whether intellectually, physically, financially, spiritually, or all of the above.  Ultimately, I would like for this blog to invite discussion and, hopefully, action.  If I do my job well, by the end of our journey together you will become as interested and passionate about the pursuit of knowledge and truth in these areas of human concern as I am. To that end, my promise to you is that in the postings that follow I will impart a cornucopia of knowledge on matters and events that are worthy of not only your time and attention, but your commitment and most sincere regard.

And, yet, although I am someone who is very much engaged in these issues and who actively seeks to remain fully apprised and informed, I am also quick to concede that my own knowledge and understanding is far from complete. In fact, I’m not the world’s leading authority or even a noted expert on any of the topics that are to follow but I am someone who has taken the time and effort to read through and analyze the publications of those who are.  I know that makes me, at best, a very diligent student and an imperfect practitioner of the remedies and solutions that have been developed by others. Nonetheless, I’m sure that my opinions will often come across as objective proofs.  This has much to do with both my personality generally and my profession more particularly.  As a lawyer I’m accustomed to operating in a role of pure advocacy, where the goal is of course to “win the argument”; however, where inquiry and advocacy are combined – such as in the present forum – the goal is no longer to “win the argument” but to find the best argument.  Accordingly, I like to say that my opinions herein are strongly stated and loosely held – strongly stated in order that my points are clear and lucid but loosely held so that new facts and persuasive arguments of others can get at them and change them where necessary. Thus, what I offer you is a rough draft for raising awareness and disseminating information about the issues of our age. It is designed to encourage others to make better drafts. If it does that, it has served its purpose. In this instance, it could be said that the map is far less important than the compass.

The above should not, however, be taken to infer that my arguments are anything less than balanced and fully researched, it is only to say that I’m not so arrogant as to ignore other positions (provided they are informed and presented in accordance with the same standards for critical thought and discussion).  I myself am beholden to no institution or title and I am wary of people who are incapable of seeing virtues in arguments for differing or opposing viewpoints.  My thoughts are guided solely by a life that I have dedicated to the pursuit of truth.  Therefore, I will not subjugate my understanding or prostitute either my tongue or my pen to any cause or ideology.  More specifically, I do not believe that the solutions for society are going to come from the Left or the Right or the North or the South but, rather, from the grassroots of society – that is, people who feel compelled to do something and I sincerely doubt that this urge from within them (as with myself) will have much, if anything, to do with their political leanings or their particular location on this planet.

Nevertheless, these writings do have an overtly political purpose.  They aim to encourage you to not only change the way that you live but also to get engaged, involved and active in forcing our government and corporations to make such changes easier for us all.  In this respect, my intention is to make each blog entry a comprehensive and freestanding essay on particular issues deserving of your consideration.  I will speak to many fundamental and global issues in this process, not because my interests are scattered and varied (which they are) but, rather, because I see all of these issues as intimately related to one another.  More, it is my hope and expectation that as you read along they will help you to see these interconnections for yourself. In this way, these writings will serve to bridge the gaps that permeate our understanding by discussing issues pertaining to social justice and then seeking to connect-the-dots that are related to human rights, environmental degradation and larger deficits that exist in democracy.

Lastly, this blog is being written to be read and, so, I will be keeping it clear of footnotes and the usual grim apparatus of academic scholarship; essentially, I have tried to write something that you will enjoy reading. Don’t let that lead you to conclude that what I have to say is just a load of froth.  My felicity to the facts will be both assured and certified.  Underpinning each of these postings you will find a listing of the academic sources that were relied upon.  Yet, I will not be supplying you with a full citation including pagination or paragraphs as schooling has made you accustomed.  The reason for this is not only to keep the entries clean and readable but also in order to leave it to your individual curiousity to regard the whole of the author’s work - just as I have.  See, I want us to get away from our facile understanding of people, things and events and to learn to study the whole. Equally, don’t regard what I have to say because I list a plethora of sources, spout off an endless blast of ‘factoids’  or write with a modest dose of eloquence, regard it because you seek to expand your own understanding and to contribute to the dialogue in a way that expands mine and others.  

In short, you will find that this blog is for everyone who wants a better understanding of the world around them. It is for everyone who wants a better life and a better world, and who is looking for the practical tools to realize these goals.  This is true whether you are someone who is struggling to make ends meet or striving to be a master of the universe. That is, no matter your present position, status or title, I believe that the material found on this site will be relevant to not only you but to your family and your future. It is intended for all those who harbour an honest appreciation and desire for the truth: discovering it, sourcing it and sharing it.

Now, together, let us take this first step.

Suggestions for Topics Moving Forward are Welcome:

What would you like to learn about in the next year? In the next week? Today?