The Purpose of Life

"What do you want?," he asked me.

"Ice cream," I said.

"No, what do you really want?

"It's hot outside. I really want some ice cream."

"No, I mean what do you want out of life?  What are your hopes and dreams?"

"You mean besides eating ice cream?"

I was stumped. I hadn't really thought past my mint chocolate chip. 

The question made me think: I make a list of goals every year, I don't often stop to think what the greater purpose of those goals are, or what I want my legacy to be or what I want people to say about me when I'm gone. 

I wonder how many of you do?

It's relatively easy to write out a set of objectives for the year.  But stopping there leaves the more difficult question unanswered: what is the greater purpose of our lives?

I mean, besides eating lots of ice cream.

Many people have weighed in on this subject. 

In the final episode of Cheers, Cliff Clavin said the secret to life is "comfortable shoes," citing the accomplishments and footwear of history's great achievers as proof. 

While he might have had a point, I have a sneaking suspicion that there's something else in our, um, souls to be filled.

In that same episode, Norm theorized that happiness came from an undying devotion to the one thing most important to your soul.

There's an argument to be made for that position too. People rarely accomplish big things unless they figure out what they want and go to great lengths to make it happen.  And more importantly, by Norm's standard, my ice cream fixation would be a worthwhile pursuit.

But we probably shouldn't define our existence based on the advice of sitcoms. (Although I'd listen to an argument for Community.)

But the flaw in Norm's theory is that putting all your energy into achieving only one thing makes for an unbalanced life and makes you a bore at parties.  Not that you'd have time to go, anyway.

Douglas Adams tackled the question of "life, the universe and everything" in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but he couldn't find a satisfying answer, so he gave up and declared it to be "42." This, of course, is ridiculous. "24" would have made much more sense.

Some religious figures have said that the purpose of life is to make the world a better place by your existence.  Others have said that it is to be a reflection of God's love to those around you by giving more than you receive. 

These principles are great ideas, and they are probably as good as we can do in finding our answers.  But they don't exactly resolve questions like who you should marry, whether that goal you've put so much time into is worth it, or whether you should quit your well-paying but unsatisfying job to go live on the beach. 

So, I guess the question that matters is not so much "what's the purpose of life?" as "what's the purpose of your life?"

I mean, besides eating a lot of ice cream.

I can't tell you that.

But if you can find some intersection where what you enjoy, what you are good at, and what gives you a sense of purpose meet, you are probably getting close. If you have multiple things that fit in that category, pick one and see how far that road takes you.  When you reach a dead end, it's time to take a different road.

And if you find someone in your life who helps give you the strength and courage to get where your soul tells you that you should be going, you should probably keep that person around for the journey. Just make sure you stop for ice cream along the way.

The destination probably look different for every person, and for every person, there's probably more than one trail to get there (although some may be more winding than others). The journey might be steep, but the upward climb somehow seems just a little bit easier when you are on the right path.

That is, so long as you are wearing comfortable shoes.