Beyond Purpose

As part of the Tracking Wonder Quest Challenge, I listened to the podcast of a discussion on purpose between Katie Dalebout and Caroline Adams Miller, facilitated by Jeffrey Davis from Tracking Wonder.

We are all distracted from our purpose by what society expects from us. Women are trying hard to fit in with the body image created by society, leading to disorders around fixating on body weight, appearance, focusing your whole life around food.  As Katie Dalebout put it: addicted to wellness in an unhealthy way. She also mentioned how our life choices (and sometimes simple ones like not going out with friends because it means we might be diverting from our diets) are influenced by these obsessions.

I remember in Oprah Winfry's last (epic) show, she summarised the issue of many women who came on her show, who felt that they were just never good enough.  Some broke free of that through long and difficult journeys.  Both Katie Dalebout and Caroline Adams Miller went through these journeys. I loved Caroline Adams Miller "moment of truth" when she realised that nothing external is going to solve the problem for you (in her case bulimia).  It somehow gives hope that you can change your life in one moment of insight. Of course that was only the first step on her life-long journey, but the insight made it possible.  I think that is the insight we need to find when we look for our own life purpose.

Of course men have a similar problem.  In my culture (Afrikaans in South Africa) it was expected that men excel in the academic professions like engineering, judicial, doctors.  That was to show that we as a "tribe" were not the impoverished pathetic lot we were shown to be.  So many men I know were forced into these types of careers because they were "good in mathematics" whilst they might have been more interested in starting their own electrician business or become a game ranger, taking care of the wild animals they loved. 

Jeffrey Davis kept referring to the young Katie, the young Caroline: will we find the answer there?  

I remember I just always wanted to think, reflect, write, plant vegetables, walk.  When I was 14, I kept a book where I summarised the philosophers ideas. That was before internet so I spent a lot of time in the school and city library. Did I lose my voice after that?

I think I may have loved being an archaeologist - loving sorting things, loving being outdoors.  Where does that take me now?  I do enjoy my work . . . but there is that nagging feeling that I missed the real one.

I like Carolines clue:  Where do you find joy? Where do you find the spark back?  Also that your purpose possibly include other people - not what they expect of you, but how you can assist them to find their own voices; that happiness is not what we are striving for - we are looking for a meaningful life, which might be painful and difficult.

Lastly the issue around journaling.  I have often considered doing this but this is the first time that I am going to try - hopefully leading to self-awareness and engaging consciously on the journey.

Image from: By Javierfv1212 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47752449