Another day, another week, more grisly headlines…this time the fall of a dictator, the grim legacy of inhumanity left behind. An uncertain future for a nation.
With the full on, full frontal and ever-present nature of the media it is hard to avoid what is happening in our world. And the worse it is the more attention is drawn. This welter of reporting on others’ suffering may leave us somewhat inured or anaesthetised to pain and tragedy. Or, it may prompt us into existential questioning.
Why am I here? What’s my/the point?
When the news is dire the answers we generate may be at the futile end of the spectrum. Yet we can choose to see the world through many different lenses.
Imagine for a moment that the lens we choose is of the bigger picture. Here we start to appreciate the beauty of the system of which we are a part – our planet and, further out, the universe. The livingness, patterns and rhythms of nature come into bold relief.
Daily nature reminds us of the place we humans and other creatures occupy in that system if we care to notice the riches and richness of our planet. We can see, and often experience too, the positive power of human systems in right relationship – in friendship, in teams, in groups, in organisations, in society.
So when we think about the question ‘why am I here?’ what we are really considering is our purpose in this tapestry, the reason for our existence and the unique deployment of our talents and energy.
Our soul or higher purpose, our North Star, can take many months or even years of deep reflection to uncover. Though for others it may be obvious quickly and even very early in our lives. We know we have found it because every fibre of our being feels aligned with the group, team, organisation of which we are a part and the people with whom we are alongside. We experience a sense of being home.
Whether our purpose is immediately apparent or continuing to be elusive if we gaze through our big picture lens, we can find it…to be in right relationship with all and to ensure that all we do is raising our consciousness, elevating others and contributing to the creation of a better world for all.
When we consider it like this, our purpose becomes obviousand is so fundamental. Its uniqueness perhaps comes in the way we make our contribution and in the way we refine that being, and doing so that our self is raised ever higher and our service has ever greater impact.