BY BORDI JAEN
ACCORDING to the Stoics, the meaning of life was to live “in agreement with nature”.
It’s quite vague, isn’t it? I have always believed there was a purpose for that.
It certainly doesn’t mean that Stoics advocated that we should all come back to living in the wild like our first ancestors. In my interpretation, it has always been that to live in agreement with nature meant not only in harmony with our natural environment (Mother Earth) but also to live in agreement with our own individual nature as well as the nature of others and our species.
How then, through that thinking, does an individual live in agreement with nature?
For our individual nature, its understanding requires deep pondering into who we are as human beings, as an individual unit. Some of us are made to be artists. Some of us are made to be engineers. Some of us are made to be thinkers.
It also only through the diving into the inner recesses of our minds that we can truly understand ourselves as individuals and find our places in society.
It took a great deal of time to find solid purpose for myself. It wasn’t easy. After all, I was thinking of what I would be doing for a long time to come. To put it shortly, what helped solidify my decision was a serious consideration of the things I was good at and the things I wasn’t good at, as well as the things I enjoyed doing (or saw myself doing) and the things I didn’t.
It helps to add feedback from other people because sometimes, there are things that people can notice that we, in our human frailty, fail to notice. Such is one lesson that can be derived from the tale of the Emperor’s New Clothes.
However, we shouldn’t take other people’s words too seriously because, after all, every person you’ve ever known knows only their own version of you and not who you truly are as an individual, that which only you can discover for yourself. This essence of individual purpose helps us find our identity, that which we are not human without.
Naturally, our individual nature gives forth to goals. We love making goals. We make several of them. We may wish to accomplish a certain thing at a given timeframe. We may wish to obtain something (be it material or immaterial) that we’ve longed for.
We may wish for an improvement in our character. We make goals to improve our lot in life. However, it does not necessarily mean that not fulfilling them leads to ruin. Sometimes, they lead to a new path to take.
I remember when I was very young, as a public speaker my great goal was to win a regional public speaking competition. Unfortunately, through bitter twists of fate out of my control, I never did. I only reached as far as city-wide (which I think was PRISAA).
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bummed! However, as I look back, I am glad that I did try my best and out of that great attempt was born my career in debate through which I met several amazing people and through which I shed many more tears of anguish and joy.
We might not always get the things we want in life; however, this does not mean that nothing comes out of trying and out of experience. Methinks understanding the things around us helps us to accept these setbacks and eventually grow from them.
It is only through understanding the factors that dictate whether our goals succeed or not that we may accept and learn from any result. Included is the understanding of the nature of other individuals, who are often so intertwined with many of our goals.
As mentioned in previous articles, anger and anguish may be eliminated through proper judgement of one’s situation and the people around us. It is through understanding that acceptance can occur. (Yes, this does apply in our failed romance attempts.)
I digress a little. I read something that Jeff Bezos said and I wholeheartedly agree with him: “The things you regret when you reach a ripe, old age are the things that you never did but always wished to do.”
There is a certain comfort in knowing that you tried and failed versus having to suffer the anguish of never knowing what could be and could have been. And besides, these attempts make for good stories during social gatherings!
Lastly, in the understanding of the many facets of nature that we can obtain the highest virtue: to make ourselves assets in society. I have always admired individuals, both big and small, who do their work and do it with joy because they have found meaning in it and in that meaning springs forth their civic duty. It is in agreement with our nature as a social species to want to contribute to our society!
However, people often think we have to do big things to live a life of purpose. This is incorrect. Let’s face it. Not everyone is meant to be a “big person”. There are those of small lots as well. However, this does not mean that such people cannot fulfill their social responsibility. The important thing is to know where one stands and to do well. Everyone is important. We are all humans. We’ll all die anyway. We’ll all be forgotten in the long run. But while we’re here, let us cherish our experience and live a life of purpose.
Without purpose, there is no life, only mediocre existence. Purpose breathes life into our existence.
I leave you with another two verses of my favourite poem by H.W. Longfellow, “A Psalm of Life:”
In the world’s broad field of battle, / In the bivouac of Life, / Be not like dumb, driven cattle! / Be a hero in the strife! / Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant! / Let the dead Past bury its dead! / Act, — act in the living Present! / Heart within, and God o’erhead!//PN
