My Views on the Meaning and Purpose of Life

Finding one’s purpose is probably one of the major philosophical and spiritual debates humans have. When we ask ourselves the question “What is my purpose?” we usually consider many things that are probably not going to point us in the direction of our purpose. They are good things, like family, friends, and careers. However, the thing we have to really do is get to know ourselves which can be a frightening proposition. For some, it is easy. For others, it can be an unpleasant time of reflection. Nevertheless, to know what our purpose is can free us to go in the direction we need to go and keep us from wasting time and energy doing something we do not need to do or maybe should not do. Knowing our purpose can guide us to what we should do as far as what we should study and what kind of student we want to be so that we can achieve that education all the sooner. The power of knowing our purpose is only limited by how much we allow ourselves to get our eyes off our destination. In this essay I will disuss what the meaning and purpose of life means to me.

The Purpose of Life for Me

Reflecting on myself, my interests, beliefs, and skills has never been an easy thing for me. However, as I think on this topic, I come to the conclusion that I strongly believe that each person is worthy of living his or her best life. There are people who need some help getting there, people who need gaps filled with education, with self-esteem, with hope. My purpose is to empower those I work with so that they themselves can fill those gaps. By using my creative, organizational, and people skills, I can help guide them to find their purpose. I can help them develop their skills so they can work towards their purpose.

One of the things I feel that I really lack as a teacher is in the area of teaching writing. It seems so mysterious to me. Towards that end, I plan on seeking out writing seminars and workshops for teachers so that I can guide my students into this territory that is so difficult to navigate. I will educate myself further with journal articles and other research on writing methodologies. I am interested in creative nonfiction as well as the typical writing styles my students need: argumentative, expository, etc. I also hope to seek out the assistance of my colleagues and hope to observe them as they teach writing.

Since I do not do much writing myself these days, it would be helpful for me to practice writing every day. To be able to teach a subject, one must do it. Another thing I can do is share my writing with others so that I can receive feedback and thus learn new ways to comment on my students’ work. In addition, to be a good writer, one must read. I will try different genres, such as biographies, since I tend to read only fiction. I will try to read one book a week.

Conclusion

Humorist Leo Rosten said “The purpose of life is not to be happy — but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you lived at all.” Most of us want to make a difference. It does not have to be a huge earth-shaking, world-changing difference. Making a difference in someone else’s life though can be a monumental event. I would be content with that because that person will hopefully go forth and do the same for someone else. And it goes on. Sometimes we have to take our eyes off our destination in order to take care of something or someone. This is natural and normal. However, it is important that we eventually get back on track and keep moving towards our goal. My hope is that I can keep moving toward my destination and make that difference along the way.