The Question of Existence

July 2022

Today I ponder the amazing wonder and mystery of existence. Heady stuff!  Philosophers and truth-seekers have been contemplating this for millennia.  While I am no philosopher, I ruminate on this all the same.  I think everyone does at some point.  I’ve had several close, relatively young friends pass away recently, which seems to make it even more a part of my thoughts.

It’s just a lot of questions; Why are we here?  What is our purpose, especially my purpose? What is the meaning of life, especially my life? In fact, what is the meaning of “Meaning”?  A lot of questions indeed! And these are very important questions!

Seeking our life's purpose and finding meaning in our existence often seems to be the operating system of our lives.  Notice I said “Seeking” and not “Knowing”. There is a big difference there. Truthfully, how does anyone really “know” their life’s purpose?  I do know that when I feel like I am adding value to the world my spirit is in a good place.  So that’s always my goal.

When I talk about my spirit, I mean how I am feeling about me.  My mind only seems to rest easy and think clearly when my spirit feels alive and is in harmony with my thoughts.  When I say “Thoughts”, I mean that ridiculous inner voice.  The one that most of us hear. Often it seems that our inner voice can be a good thing, but it can also lead us to the wrong place. For many of us, this is just the inner dialogue we have with ourselves as we sort out our day.

The mind is extremely powerful. In every moment of life you see, think, feel, and navigate within your day. Your senses are bombarded with information. This creates a perception of the world that has the ability to complicate things. If we let it! This can make us question what we are here to do.  Why are we here at all?  Making us feel like we are sailing on an empty sea, through storms of distress, trying to find islands of serenity.

Inner voices can be powerful. I am often confused because my inner thoughts seem to be driven by someone else’s influence on me. If you are spiritual, you may believe this may be from a divine spirit.  Yet it is more likely noise from people we have worked all our lives to seek approval from.

The question is, does our inner voice take us in the right direction, or away from our true purpose? Am I living a life struggling to achieve what someone else told me I should be doing?  What society has pushed me into?  How do I reject their ideas of how my life should be and create my own inner voice?  Will this lead me to my true purpose? If I knew my life's true purpose, would that make me feel alive inside?  Help me find happiness?

Yes, so many questions! And yes, so few obvious answers.  I think the secret may be to just keep asking the questions. Meanwhile, leading a life that leaves others to be positively impacted by our existence. Listen to the inner voice when you are at peace. That is when you can have some assurance that it will not be anyone else’s voice but your own. 

Regardless, keep searching for answers! And make your existence leave the world a better place.