I have often dealt with the idea of purpose in many of my classes. When I am dealing with spirituality, I am convinced one of the issues is having purpose in one’s life. As I deal with students, I have the sense they know having a purpose is a good thing. Obviously many of them do have a purpose. But there are others who have not thought much about it. They may have a borrowed purpose from their parents or maybe a coach or someone they admire. They may have an implicit purpose, but have a hard time articulating it.
Often it occurs to me, younger folks may not have a clear sense of what a purpose really is. Simply speaking, a purpose is the reason for something. It can be the reason something exists. It might be the reason something is done or, even, not done. In short, purpose is the reason for being or doing something.
It is clear to me there are many different kinds of purposes. There are very focused, short-term purposes. For example, the purpose for studying hard is that I might get a good grade. Once the grade comes, that purpose is finished. These might be called terminal purposes. They are for a particular thing and that thing, i.e. the grade, is terminal. There are other purposes which sometimes are called higher purposes.
Higher purposes are usually more lofty. And they may be less particular. Often these have to do with something as general as “life.” In my classes I usually am asking students to begin thinking about their purpose in life. I would like them to begin pondering the reason for their being. Of course, the questions here are more difficult to answer. Why do I exist? There are many answers to this, including theological answers.
For example, I can give the answer for Jesuits. They conclude they exist to give greater glory to God and to all of humanity. Surely, this is quite general, but this purpose is a guiding principle for who they are and what they are to do. It provides their reason for being. Other religious traditions have their own purpose. We know that religion is just one way of living. Atheists also can have a purpose. In their perspective God will be missing, but they can have just as purposeful life and the most ardent believer.
One thing seems certain to me. Having a purpose for your life increases your chances of having a meaningful life. Hopefully, that also includes a sense of well-being and joy. There may be moments and seasons of happiness. I do think there is a link between purpose and a sense of satisfaction with life. Even though death is part of the contract of living, having a purpose gives us a great way to have a good life and living that good life fully. And then when death does come, we can bask in the satisfaction of life well lived.
With students I often ask the question about purpose and goals. Most of them are at the age where they have goals. I ask whether purpose is the same thing as a goal. You will see a quizzical look come over their face. Clearly, they have never thought about this. Most of the time they conclude that purpose is different than goal, although the two are related. As they think more deeply, it is easy to conclude that goals are always future tense. We never have goals for yesterday.
Some goals are more immediate. And some goals are more long-term. For instance, it is normal to have the goal to get an A on the test. A more long-term goal is to get an A for the course. And this, in turn, is linked to the bigger goal of getting a degree. And that goal is linked to getting the kind of job I want. As I unfold this sequence, it is easy to see how many goals may be involved at the same time. Also, we might be simultaneously working on multiple goals.
It is true that some goals are very general. Most students want to “be happy.” That is their goal. Clearly, this kind of general goal will have to get some specific focus or it is a bit like hoping to be lucky. I would like to be lucky, but I don’t know what to do to enhance my luck!
Putting together purpose and goal leads me to realize that having goals is a good thing. But having goals is not the same thing as a purpose. I can get and stay very busy chasing goals. I can overachieve and reach most of my goals. But they will be a bit like cotton candy. Once I reach the goal, I may realize it is not satisfying---or only temporarily satisfying. I think humans long for the “more” in life.
Simply getting what I want---be it relationships, money, job, etc.---does not ensure that I have a purposeful life. For me as a spiritual person, this is where the Divine One comes into play. God invites me into a relationship unlike any human relationship. God offers me a higher purpose, indeed, the highest purpose. The Holy One grants to me both a sense of worth and a worthiness. That purpose enables me to know the reason I am and the reasons I do what I do.
With this purpose, I can choose appropriate goals.
Often it occurs to me, younger folks may not have a clear sense of what a purpose really is. Simply speaking, a purpose is the reason for something. It can be the reason something exists. It might be the reason something is done or, even, not done. In short, purpose is the reason for being or doing something.
It is clear to me there are many different kinds of purposes. There are very focused, short-term purposes. For example, the purpose for studying hard is that I might get a good grade. Once the grade comes, that purpose is finished. These might be called terminal purposes. They are for a particular thing and that thing, i.e. the grade, is terminal. There are other purposes which sometimes are called higher purposes.
Higher purposes are usually more lofty. And they may be less particular. Often these have to do with something as general as “life.” In my classes I usually am asking students to begin thinking about their purpose in life. I would like them to begin pondering the reason for their being. Of course, the questions here are more difficult to answer. Why do I exist? There are many answers to this, including theological answers.
For example, I can give the answer for Jesuits. They conclude they exist to give greater glory to God and to all of humanity. Surely, this is quite general, but this purpose is a guiding principle for who they are and what they are to do. It provides their reason for being. Other religious traditions have their own purpose. We know that religion is just one way of living. Atheists also can have a purpose. In their perspective God will be missing, but they can have just as purposeful life and the most ardent believer.
One thing seems certain to me. Having a purpose for your life increases your chances of having a meaningful life. Hopefully, that also includes a sense of well-being and joy. There may be moments and seasons of happiness. I do think there is a link between purpose and a sense of satisfaction with life. Even though death is part of the contract of living, having a purpose gives us a great way to have a good life and living that good life fully. And then when death does come, we can bask in the satisfaction of life well lived.
With students I often ask the question about purpose and goals. Most of them are at the age where they have goals. I ask whether purpose is the same thing as a goal. You will see a quizzical look come over their face. Clearly, they have never thought about this. Most of the time they conclude that purpose is different than goal, although the two are related. As they think more deeply, it is easy to conclude that goals are always future tense. We never have goals for yesterday.
Some goals are more immediate. And some goals are more long-term. For instance, it is normal to have the goal to get an A on the test. A more long-term goal is to get an A for the course. And this, in turn, is linked to the bigger goal of getting a degree. And that goal is linked to getting the kind of job I want. As I unfold this sequence, it is easy to see how many goals may be involved at the same time. Also, we might be simultaneously working on multiple goals.
It is true that some goals are very general. Most students want to “be happy.” That is their goal. Clearly, this kind of general goal will have to get some specific focus or it is a bit like hoping to be lucky. I would like to be lucky, but I don’t know what to do to enhance my luck!
Putting together purpose and goal leads me to realize that having goals is a good thing. But having goals is not the same thing as a purpose. I can get and stay very busy chasing goals. I can overachieve and reach most of my goals. But they will be a bit like cotton candy. Once I reach the goal, I may realize it is not satisfying---or only temporarily satisfying. I think humans long for the “more” in life.
Simply getting what I want---be it relationships, money, job, etc.---does not ensure that I have a purposeful life. For me as a spiritual person, this is where the Divine One comes into play. God invites me into a relationship unlike any human relationship. God offers me a higher purpose, indeed, the highest purpose. The Holy One grants to me both a sense of worth and a worthiness. That purpose enables me to know the reason I am and the reasons I do what I do.
With this purpose, I can choose appropriate goals.
Comments
Post a Comment