“I was once afraid of people saying ‘Who does she think she is?’ Now I have the courage to stand and say, ‘This is who I am.’”
– Oprah Winfrey (famous talk show host, actress, and philanthropist)

I knew a young man who said he was clueless; his meaning and purpose in life were as unclear to him as the road ahead on a foggy day. And this made him unhappy.

I asked him if he was really keen to know the meaning of his life and he affirmed yes. I said, “Congratulations! That’s your purpose.”

While most people are busy completing the act of being alive, here was a young man who had zeal, who sought to transcend his daily humdrum, and find a divine meaning. Unbeknownst to him, he was doing an incredibly meaningful thing. That’s worth celebrating. He later confessed that his desire to live beyond his daily rigmarole was in itself a liberating experience.

How is our life any different from that of the animals?

The birds and animals busy themselves in eating, sleeping, mating and defending much the same way as we humans do, minus the sophistication. While we may eat at fancy restaurants, sleep on a cozy bed, get excited wooing someone or spend a considerable amount of money on buzzer alarms and security systems, the animals fight off an enemy with their claws, mate and sleep on the streets, or eat off remnants from the garbage heap. But the propensity to do each of these activities is same.

What makes us different is our ability to seek a purpose beyond all of this; we can use our intelligence and skills to make a positive difference to this world.

The challenge for many is to discover this purpose. With the surfeit of distractions, it’s natural to find men and women confused about what they really want to do in life.

To be continued…