The Societal Blueprint for Purpose

What’s the purpose of my life? This crucial question creeps into many of our mental spaces sooner or later. Despite achieving all that has been expected of us, a tinge of visceral emptiness arises and envelops all the notions of happiness we have accumulated so far.

But until that manifests, any profoundly deviating psychological jugglery doesn’t occur that would drag one away from the well-trodden path. One perfectly finds their “purpose” within the biased direction set out by the group mentality of our society. 

There is no judgment, and there can’t be, for those who are still under the spell of the norms are comfortable. It is those who were somehow released who find themselves in a bizarre position between a newfound deep world and a superficial one. 

Within these set parameters of our society, one merrily marches to compete for a seat in a prestigious university, toils for a high-paying job, and single-mindedly pursues a name in the industry. One commits wholeheartedly and allocates the available resources at its disposal to meet this end.

It’s not a single-ended game; some people aim to serve the nation with pride, some mesmerise the world with their art, a loving father goes all in to secure the lives of his children, an entrepreneur strives with all their might to take their business idea to its highest possible state, and a poet breathes their whole being into their poetry.

Not to mention the other end of the spectrum, where, for some people, life is not a serious game. It has to be played with ease, which is a profound philosophy, but in most cases, it is just laziness coupled with mindless consumption. But the people aren’t self-sabotaging consciously; they aren’t simply aware.

In either case, the common force that drives them towards where they believe they should be driven is passion. Even to exhibit laziness, one should have a passion to laze. The psychologist Carl Jung mentioned that laziness is the strongest passion of humans.

Identity: The Driving Force Behind Purpose

If we dig deeper, it’s not exceptionally hard to model this force and reason its causality. Even the slightest manifestation in the physical world is preceded by mental activities. Of course, a passionate thought is the result of attaining an object or a state that is missing, but who is the entity that felt a certain degree of emptiness and willed for fulfilment?

It is the identity with which the mind has associated. It acts as the source from which a wave of passion arises in the direction where it deems to be fulfilled. This then forms a coherent model with a source, a direction, and the causal force of the movement in that direction.

If there is a strong identification with the physical sensory organs, then one would commit to making sure that the organ gets what it wants. For example, if one’s identity is bound with their taste buds, then they are always passionate about food, or if someone’s mind associates more with ears, then they love music. 

There can be a strong identification with intelligence that leads one to vehemently pursue more degrees and certifications. And certainly, if one assumes an emotional identity, they passionately safeguard their emotions and act in every way to feel fulfilled emotionally.

One’s identification doesn’t need to be only with any one of these. It can be a combination of different forms of body, intellect, and emotion. What you identify with, you would be passionate to making that feel fulfilled and arouse commitment to meet the ends. 

Your purpose is thus a function of your identity and the different means in which it can be appeased. In that regard, our society is instrumental in shaping our identity and laying out set approaches to reach the pre-defined destinations.

It guides you to your identity based on the predispositions with which you are born. For example, if you strongly identify yourself as a body with a liking towards sports, then it precisely confirms it by giving you opportunities to perform. This reaffirms your faith, yes indeed, you are a body. 

But that’s not all, it pushes you to go after success in so many avenues that it has created for all those with similar identities. It’s not all either, where is the fun if there is no competition? It pushes you to compete, rise above others, feel pride, get more accolades, and continue. 

When Achievement Feels Empty: The Call for Self-Inquiry

As long as this game enthrals you and you feel complete, keep playing honestly and mindfully to respect others in the game. All the analysis above shall help you understand more and get in tune towards your purpose. 

However, if despite all the achievements and a pompous life, you have hit a position where emptiness has become a default mode, irrespective of what you do, then it’s time to question the basics, i.e. your identity. 

The society has laid out this identity for you and has never allowed you to truly explore yourself. Before you could explore your inner light, the external floodlights had already blinded and forced you to watch the show that everyone else was watching.

You need to deeply reflect upon your true identity. If you believe that you are the body and your purpose is in fulfilling its whims, or driving it to so-called “success”, which has been defined by society, then it’s time to change the paradigm. You can read more here about an approach to correcting the perception of your identity using Vedic self-inquiry. Similar approaches are also applicable for identification with the mind, feelings and emotions. 

Unless the fundamental identity error is fixed, purpose and direction are meaningless. Imagine a spaceship trying to navigate in the vast open sky without knowledge of its origin point. 

It is quite natural for people at this stage to feel lost, hopeless, and have no sense of commitment or drive. But remember, you are not alone; countless people have navigated through this darkness. Our ancestors have left us with invaluable treasures of wisdom to help us get out of the tunnel. 

Well Wishes!