The iconic traveler traverses life’s path aspiring to arrive at his destination. Along the way, he (1) encounters many frustrations and challenges. Why does the traveler not stop and discontinue his journey – why not make a placid life and forget that ambition, that need? Simply put: he can’t — something drives him on. But there are many days that he himself does not know why he pushes onward. Some force, some hidden resolve, resides in his breast and whips him forward. That power is the belief that, in all men, there is a mission: an intrinsic obligation comprised of something mystical and magical that must be completed before the end. What does that energy want? What is the traveler to uncover? Initially, he cannot fully comprehend his calling, but much like the layers of an onion, each time a piece is peeled away, the underlying flesh is whiter and clearer – an understanding develops.
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.” (2) Is this not so? Most human beings live unrequited lives. But this does not have to be your chemin. (3) In fact, the traveler will make many blunders and errors on the way. He knows, however, that his actions will usually produce results – though not always, for life is also fickle. He is fully committed, in spite of this knowledge, to the idea that he will, ultimately, find his calling — his completion.
This “blind faith in the self,” in a person’s life mission is, increasingly, within the purview of fewer and fewer people, it would seem. Why we should ask? It is due to the overwhelming amount of information that we receive on a daily basis. “The average American (read individual) consumes 100,000 words, or about 34 gigabytes of information, every day, according to a new report. As a nation, that’s 3.6 zettabytes of information in 2008. (A zettabyte is a million million gigabytes of data. Considering that your computer’s hard drive stores a couple hundred gigabytes, that’s a “heck of a lot” of information.) A report published (recently) by the University of California; San Diego, takes a census of the data consumption of American households and found that the average American consumes 100,000 words each day from all channels: TV, newspapers, online, music and more.” (4)
This is where the skill of critical thinking must be taught and nurtured. Each of us, I believe, does have a God-given mission, but it remains sealed behind the portal of our heart unless we open it. Through prayer and meditation, we will find our way. What is truly most important for the thoughtful person is to believe that a personalized mission for you does in fact exist. We must only purify ourselves and cleanse our thinking of the useless debris to expose our path. The Angel investor and philosopher, Naval Ravikant (b. 1974), leaves us with a thought: Your goal in life is to find out the people who need you the most, to find out the business that needs you the most, to find the project and the art that needs you the most. There is something out there just for you.
A closing thought: As thinking and sensitive beings, we all feel something is necessary in life; there is something to be done with “my piece of life,” to paraphrase Sadhguru (5). There is some reason why I am here. Now, many of us choose to close our hearts to these beckonings and live in philosophical pain until we die. This does not have to be the case. What is called for, nonetheless, is an amount of action. From Osho: (6) There are no heroes and there are no cowards, there is only action.
To be noted: To be heroic is to be courageous enough to die for something; to be inspirational is to be crazy enough to live a little.
Just for fun: Cat Stevens
For reflection: How to Keep Your Brain Healthy
This week on your special walk, please reflect on that mission that has been given only to you.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful
Quote: You know what you must do with your life.
Footnotes:
1) The reference here is to mankind.
2) Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
3) Chemin is French for path
4) Americans consume 100,000 words of information each day, study says
5) Sadhguru
6) Rajneesh