LIFE'S PURPOSE

So  I was doing a little research on Kierkegaard and discovered that as the originator of existentialism  this thought was the base of many modern philosophers approach to behavior and the things that motivate humans to act. Viktor Frankl was also heavily influenced by Kirkegaard in development of logo therapy. Which is founded on the belief that human nature is motivated by the search for a life purpose.

I believe all of this is derived from the new testament and Jesus' claim that man can have a personal relationship with God and thereby resist societal pressure and or even self-preservation in it's commitment to this life purpose.

This individual relationship with God has the effect of affirming one's purpose and mission regardless of circumstances. Obedience then to that purpose and mission has the power of strengthening one through any type of suffering or resistance. This life-purpose then has the ability to inspire one to be their best...essentially giving the best of themselves rather than searching and scheming to get the "best" for themselves.

That is the key difference...seeing life as an opportunity to contribute rather than an opportunity to consume.

contributing

Taking care of self

Honesty

serving

compassion

discipline

honest confrontation

ultimately consumed with contribution

consuming

laziness

dishonesty

protecting self

avoidance

Ultimately consumed with pleasure

Logotherapy is based on the premise that humans are driven to find a sense of meaning and purpose in life. According to Frankl, life’s meaning can be discovered in three different ways:

1. By creating a work or accomplishing some task
2. By experiencing something fully or loving somebody
3. By the attitude that one adopts toward unavoidable suffering

To me...this represents the totality of the psychology of christianity.

So if ultimate meaning is found in being the best version of myself then what are the ways in which I monitor that development. Against what do I compare and analyze my behavior and actions. The answer to that would be Jesus. His actions which are backed up by his teaching. His teaching which is a result of all of the Bible...together I can summarize as Honesty, Courage and Love. 

The characteristics of Love are compassion, humility and sacrifice. All of these work together to create actions that are contributing rather than consuming. Contribution can include consumption but contribution can never just be consumption. So the ultimate meaning...the ultimate purpose is to everyday contribute the best version of myself through actions to the world. This ultimately honors and glorifies the God who I believe created me and ultimately gave me life. 

Yet no matter anyone's belief system or what they feel or believe about the origin of life or life after death...they can still cling to and trust in the fact that living a life that focuses on contribution to the world and others is a life of significance. Living a life of significant meaning and purpose brings far more joy than living a life of selfishness and consumption. 

To do so requires that an individual is first honest about the frailty and briefness of their own life. Then they must acknowledge that their are certain talents and abilities that they possess that allow them to positively contribute to their immediate tribe and world. At minimum is the ability to be kind, to forgive, to care for and to love. These are universal and are core aspects of the miracle of our lives as humans. We also all have the ability to plan and create, as well as persist through suffering. If these are the only gifts an individual possesses they are enough to change their world and the world of those around them. 

Yet a key to using these gifts is the acknowledgment that they are gifts. They are not deserved they are given, in essence, we are born with them. Yet they get clouded in living in a world that in many ways promotes consuming over contribution. We therefore need to have an experience that awakens us to the power and possession of these gifts. That acknowledgment puts an individual in the place of gratitude and humility. Which is the key starting point in living a life of purpose and significance. 

So in thinking through this on a practical basis...every day that I am alive on this earth I have the opportunity and the ability to change it for the better. Through planning, action, love, forgiveness, creativity, perseverance and human connection...I have all I need to monumentally affect those in my life. Doing so brings me the greatest joy and experiencing this level of joy is the greatest gift on earth. 

So when I really think through this...it truly all goes back to the life of Jesus and how he gave us this unique gift in his life and death.  That gift is the spirit of love, forgiveness and action, which wipes the slate clean of our own sin and transforms our own selfishness into humility, gratitude and love. That is the miracle of the gospel and the power that can transform an egotistical, self-righteous murderer like Paul into the writer of most of the New Testament. It is the same power that can transform my own life and the lives of any human that is willing to surrender to the power of love and forgiveness. 

It is why in Paul's last letter...he reminds Timothy that "God does not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7  

...Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime, 

And, departing, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another, 

Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, 

Seeing, shall take heart again...

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow