Think I found my purpose

[Cochonette]

I did the 20-minute purpose-finder thing. Actually, it took me a few days. And my answer turned out not very original, though it felt that way for half a second.

To free as many beings from suffering as I can.
To create as much happiness as possible.

Well, guess what. I'm Buddhist. Nothing to see here.

Then I recalled something a friend of mine had written:

Goals
To be a matchstick to candles that sit untouched.
To find and share the beauty of things that is typically seen as otherwise.

Whoa. Her goals are, respectively, the same as mine. Except she actually came up with those goals entirely on her own... I have always thought she was a natural Buddha. The person who wrote the above is only 18 and knows not a thing about Buddhism. She's Christian.

[FazK]

I think it's great that you found your purpose in life so young, although it does sound a bit airy fairy why don't why try achieve something more concrete than creating happiness

[Cochonette]

Originally Posted by FazK

I think it's great that you found your purpose in life so young, although it does sound a bit airy fairy why don't why try achieve something more concrete than creating happiness

Well, originally I wrote things like "social justice," "spiritual justice," and then eventually it started sounding way too much like Steve's purpose, which I didn't like at all. Living consciously, courageously, and loving. That sounds great and all, but I think it's too concrete for me. I know that happiness is created out of love, courage, and consciousness. I don't feel I need to write all those things out. The purpose of those things is happiness and freedom from suffering. All I know right now is that I suffer a lot... I make myself suffer so much, one way or another... and that is what drives me to change myself, to change the world, to be a vegan activist, to go to school, "not to seek for love, but to seek and find all the barriers within that I have built to it."

I like this one, too, by Arundhati Roy:

To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.

or this :O

the answer is NOT to stop loving, NOT to stop caring, NOT to add to the darkness. The answer is to love more, deeper, wider. To love despite the darkness and the pain. Indeed, to love because of it. To love those who need it most desperately, not only those we happen to like, to love because your love is profoundly, vitally needed, not because it is self-gratifying. To love as though life depended on it. It does.

I can't come up with anything like this... I'll end up just creating a collage of the quotes I know, heh. Those guide the way, for sure, but I don't feel I truly understand them. What I do understand is that, every day, I am driven to free myself and others from suffering. Even when life completely confuses me... when I feel totally lost, I know this: I want to be free.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

I know this: I want to be free.

Cochonette, the reason I love your friend's purpose is not so much the Buddhist poetry of it, but the dynamic, positive solution-focus.

I wonder if it's the subtle negative inference of your purpose that has it not quite landing for you yet:

To free as many beings from suffering as I can.
To create as much happiness as possible.

The "as I can" and "as much as possible" holds an unconscious limitation, and may be leaving you present to limits rather than infinite power, do you think?

And "free from suffering" is both a limit and a focus on what you don't want -- What you really want is Freedom, yes, not just from suffering? "free from suffering" has a built in away-from motivation which tends to yo-yo you back to suffering. Do you think you might feel more inspired if you build your purpose as a dynamic, positive solution focus, like your pal's?

Even just that last statement of yours: "I know this: I want to be free" lands inspiringly on me, anyway. Even more inspiring to you might be generating it as an inclusive statement for the world; I know you want more than just to BE free, you also want freedom for your friends, loved ones, community, country, and planet, don't you. If you were to start by culling it down to the bare minimum, would that begin to inspire you: "my purpose is: Freedom."

The most important thing about your purpose, I think, is that it totally inspires you -- breathes life into life. What do you think?

[Cochonette]

Angela, you have a very good point! My friend is indeed very positive. "Ridiculously positive," she says. I remember I was very positive when I met her and that seemed to inspire her, and lately I've been feeling pretty negative about my life even though I've been trying to be more positive like her.

You're probably right that "free from suffering" is something negative, at least in my mind. I don't think it necessarily has to be a negative thing... that is the way the Buddha expressed it, of course. However, for me at the moment... probably.

And yes, I already said I want to free others... how can I say that my purpose is for others to be free? I say my purpose is to free others and myself. I want to be free so that I can set the world free.

I want to breathe life into my purpose.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by Cochonette

I want to breathe life into my purpose.

Yes, I think it's important for your purpose to light you up, to have you standing taller, feeling stronger, and present to inspired action. Otherwise it'll just occur like one more thing on your to-do list.

[HAGITLOVE]

This is very nice, to hear someone who finds the putpose of his life, and no other than make people happy, help people.
This touches me deeply.
The world is a better place.
Good Luck,

Hagitlove

[ar81]

My purpose in life is "to change the world".
May people say it is impossible.

In my case I have no choice but to change it.
I was not given a choice, I was given a mission.

There were days when I said "I will not change it anymore" and God seems to send me something to be changed.

In the past I was focused on making money, having a career, getting married, and everything went wrong. When I discovered that I had to change the world, suddenly my career started to improve as it was a tool to change the world, and I got married with a woman who provides great support to change the world, and money is not a problem. I am not rich at all with my 21st centiry common man wage, but at least I do not have to worry about unpaid bills. I never liked debt.

So all my attention is about what needs to be changed.
I also have realized that those who stand in the way of my mission either change their minds and ally or life puts them aside.
It looks to me like the universe does not miss a chance to have someone who tries to make everything a bit better.

[ethereal]

Cochonette,

I like your purpose, it is beautiful! Maybe because it is the same as mine Mine is worded,

"To achieve perfect freedom from suffering for myself and all sentient beings."

I guess I'm also a Buddhist now