“Would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?”
That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where …” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
– Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – by Lewis Carroll
The above quote interests me. I believe there are many people asking this very question. People are seeking direction and they turn to many sources looking for guidance on which way they should go. The truth as Lewis Carroll so aptly demonstrated in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is that many people ask for advice on which way they ought to go from here, however the issue is they don’t have a clear picture of what there purpose is and therefore where they want to go.
Without a sense of where we want to go, it is no wonder that we become confused by all of the advice that is available to us on how to get somewhere. For many of us it as if we are a sail boat set upon an open sea with out a rudder or compass going where the wind of the day takes us. I know this feeling intimately for in many ways my life has taken the direction of where the winds of the days have taken it. My life has been a wonderful journey, however in many ways a life without a sense of direction and as I observe others, I find that many people live their life the same way. So it is no small wonder that many people find themselves working jobs they don’t enjoy, living life’s they are not happy with, in relationships that they do not desire to be in, etc. When we are adrift, it is natural to find ourselves caught up on the rocks, stranded on a sandbar, moored in unknown and unexpected harbors or destroyed by the ravages of storms.
A life without purpose, without direction is a life of existence rather than a life of living. A purposeful life is fueled by passion. A life lived without purpose is an undulating sea of experiences which often leaves us tired, distraught and confused.
You may say to yourself, I don’t know what my real purpose is, or I know my purpose, however I tried and failed or I know what my purpose is however, it won’t pay the bills.
These are a few reasons for not living our purpose or should I say excuses. I think the hardest and most common one of what I listed is “I don’t know what my purpose is”.
This is understandable, for most us live in cultures which do not advocate knowing who we truly are and which also in many ways attempt to dictate our purpose based on our social/economic station in life.
The truth is, we all know our purpose or have at least had a glimpse of our purpose. The trouble is that many people have buried their purpose under the daily weight of life or under the weight of not feeling worthy, talented or smart enough to pursue our purpose.
We set up many self limiting thoughts which cause us to bury our true purpose deep within ourselves to the point where we do not acknowledge it or cannot seem to find it.
To know our purpose we must set aside all of the limitations which we have set for our self and create an awareness of our true self. This is the only true path to discover/rediscover our purpose. When we do discover our purpose, it is up to us to hold it high and drive ourselves towards living on purpose. This does not mean that we must walk totally away from our current life; it does mean that we must make adjustments in our mind and in our life to passionately live on purpose and with purpose.
When we do this, then the questions of which way we should go makes much more sense and we will receive a clear answer to get us on the correct path to our purpose.
Call it following your dream, call it being true to yourself, call it what you will, living on purpose is truly living and your life will forever change to the positive for living your life on purpose!
Posted by existere on August 10, 2008 at 1:46 am
Thank you. This is a beautiful entry.
Posted by andrewong2024 on August 10, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I really like this entry and it spoke to me especially in my current situation of making a pivotal decision.
Thanks.
Posted by Chani on August 10, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Very true. Joseph Campbell talks a great deal about this kind of thing… every life needs a purpose. The trick is that we have to define it for ourselves rather than allowing a culture to do it for us.
~*
Posted by Love on August 10, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Here is where I want to get to …
Prayers are welcome
.
http://www.gumtree.ie/cgi-bin/show_posting.pl?posting_id=25528681
Posted by coffee messiah on August 11, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Sadly our current society seems to be all about getting, rather than giving.
Maybe “giving” will make a comeback.
Cheers!
Posted by rachel on August 11, 2008 at 6:07 pm
I spent four days outside by normal venue and when I returned this morning I wrote this morning on prose I felt like ” Alice in wonderland” falling through the looking glass. Ironic to vist your blog and see that you also were using “Alice in wonderland” as a comparative. As I was working along side various artist, the subject that you speak of surfaced. Exactly what is it we are to give back to society and is it selfish to want to retain mortality in some fashion. One of the topic was commissioned art work comparative to soul intense artistically created. If we allow ourselves to be limited by someone elses dream, we drown in our own.
By the way my eyes are wide open!
Posted by mergingpoint on August 12, 2008 at 7:14 am
Like many, i too was caught in this concept of purpose until it was unveiled by my Master in one of the topics, “purpose of living”. It is the art of discovering the purposelessness that unfolds in this journey. Undefined the truth remains, defined concepts can only lead one to his world of fancy. The awareness bestowed is the silent radar that lets you go with the flow. there is a subtle difference in that existing(purposelessness) between a recluse and a being with awareness.
As always, great topic dealt with insight, mark!!
Posted by AVC on August 12, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Good post that will always be topical.
Posted by dana on August 12, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Easier said than done given the contradictions and permutations we must confront. However, I do believe that when you strip down the layers of weight we accumulate as we try to find our focus, our way in this world……..if we take the time to BREATHE every once in a while, we see that our true purpose is to love one another. All the other choices, directions, actions and reactions are moot.
But, boy oh boy its difficult on most days to stay on task isn’t it?
Posted by Alexys Fairfield on August 13, 2008 at 12:43 am
Hi Mark,
I remember a Peanuts comic strip once when Charlie Brown was in a boat looking behind him and Lucy said, “If you keep looking behind you, you won’t know where you are going.” (paraphrased)
I think that’s true to an extent. We are so caught up in what we have done that we don’t know what we can do now.
Even if we have to keep redefining our direction, at least we have direction. Where we have been can propel us to where we are going.
Posted by Harmony on August 14, 2008 at 5:52 am
Mark,
“We set up many self limiting thoughts which cause us to bury our true purpose deep within ourselves to the point where we do not acknowledge it or cannot seem to find it.”
And that is why people like you are so important in our world. Thank you for your thoughtful contributions.
Blessings,
harmony
Posted by ktsophia on August 15, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Thank you dear. That’s true. Not knowing our purpose could put oneself in errance.
I used to make lists and write about myself. And at last, I don’t know much more about my purpose
Si, I like more and more to write.
But love is not an expectation. Two persons could be on the same level, noone of them could help the other to climb the ladder.
To my mind, the first thing to do to make love breathe and grow, is not insufling doubt by impatience. If love can’t wait while it is living and growing anyway, then it is a burden.
Have a lovely noon.
A flower opens fast in Human’s eyes, but into infinite reality, who knows how long it takes?
Posted by Which Way Should I Go From Here? « Andrew: Inside & Insights on August 18, 2008 at 9:26 pm
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Posted by Brit Hammer on August 20, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Mark, you are truly special, and I’m so happy to have been led to your blog. I so enjoy reading your posts!
I loved that you used the Alice in Wonderland quote because that’s the first image in my new book on ‘finding your own voice’… It’s a fantastic mosaic by Doreen Adams. The image faces the table of contents, and I’m curious to see if anyone notices the link and comments to me…
Posted by soulintention on August 22, 2008 at 7:05 am
Alice has always been one of my favorities — We live in the Tea Party and work in the Flower Bed – The Cat — saying “It does not matter which way you go” — no it does not matter – the purpose (your purpose) will find you — it is always with you – it stirs in the night – it laughs in your ear —
to deny it – is what kills the soul –
great blog
barbara