There are many ways people would describe the point of their
lives. For many the list would entail
their own kids and, maybe, grandkids.
Work is the source of meaning for many people. It might be their churches, synagogues or mosques. I am sure I cannot imagine some of the
answers some folks might have to the question, what is the point of life?
Even if we have figured out the point of life for ourselves,
it is not a given that we are living life in a way that makes it certain that
we will achieve what we said was the point of life. Sadly, there are too many people who can tell
you what the point of life is and, yet, in the next sentence confess they are
living far from being able to pull it off.
I felt this way when I was younger.
There are others who would simply not be sure what the point
of their lives was. They can give you
canned answers or, perhaps, some kind of platitude. But their heart really is not in it. For example, it is easy to say the point of
life is to be loving. And then, some of
us get honest with our actual lives and have to acknowledge we are anything but
loving. Sometimes it is not intentional;
more times than not, it is a matter of neglect.
Love usually is not accidental.
It normally requires some intentionality. And if we really think love is the point of
life, then we have to intend to live in a loving fashion. Vowing to “do it tomorrow” simply means it
never will get done.
I had been thinking about this when I ran into an
interesting quotation from Audre Lorde in an article on the functions of
love. The quotation assumes that at some
point we begin to get a sense of knowing the point of life---what ultimately
satisfies us---we can act in such a way to bring it to fullness. Lorde says, “For once we know the extent to
which we are capable of feeling that sense of satisfaction and fullness and
completion, we can then observe which of our various life endeavors bring us
closest to that fullness.” Let’s unpack
this a little.
The first observation to make is Lorde does not talk about
happiness. I am sure there are many
folks in our society who would say the point of life is to be happy. Certainly, I want to be happy. I love being happy---most people do. But if the point of life is to be happy, then
at some point we are likely to be unhappy and conclude there is no point to
life. Again, I am sure most folks want
to be happy, but when life inevitably terminates in death, it is hard to make a
case for “happiness ever after.”
It is not fair to say that I have given up on
happiness. But I do not think that is
the point of life. I am happy to be
happy, but there is some other point to my life. Notice the language Lorde uses instead of
happiness: satisfaction, fullness and completion. In some sense all three of those words are
about the same thing. I know in Latin
the word, satis, means enough or
full. And certainly something that is
complete is in a sense, full. To this
extent I am fine with saying the point of life is fullness---completeness and
satisfaction.
The deep question, then, is what satisfies us? What makes our life full and complete? Surely, it cannot be things like money or
other material aspects. Inevitably, the
answer to that question will have more to do with intangibles like love or
purpose or meaning. It makes no sense to
be stinkin’ rich and live a meaningless life.
Personally, I like to talk about the point of life needing to be deeply
meaningful. I like the language of
purpose. Rick Warren, the famous
evangelical preacher, made millions talking about the “purpose driven
life.” He was on to something!
The problem with words like meaning and purpose is they can
be so general as to have little focus.
Speaking personally, I have often said loving. Again that is general. More specifically, I want to love
people---especially young people---into a place where their lives begin to
acquire meaning and legitimate purpose.
I help them understand and appreciate the inherent dignity of themselves
and others. I want them to become peacemakers.
To go back to Lorde, because I am clear about the point of
my life, I am able to choose the endeavors that bring me closest to
fulfillment. Many of these endeavors
center around teaching. But it is
teaching in a broad way. I can be a
teacher in the classroom and outside the room.
I can create teachable moments almost anywhere and at any time.
I am grateful that I know this. Because I know this, I can do it. And if I can do it, then I have come close to
the fullness of life, as I have defined it for myself. I am satisfied. Each day I want to go to bed satisfied with
who I am and what I did. And some day I
will be complete. I will have given all
that I have to give. That will be a
precious day. And by the way, I hope I am
happy, too.
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