Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Have We Lost our Purpose?

Purpose

I was just sitting here reflecting on some of the events that have happened in my life lately. Now that the storm has passed, I felt empty, almost like, what now? While I was weathering all the recent storms that came my way including a break up, a move, an illness, a tornado, I was busy, my mind was busy, I was physically busy reacting and adapting and fixing. I had purpose.

When something is going wrong you go into overdrive. You get through the initial anxiety of it all and come up with a plan and set it into motion. You don't necessarily even have to think about it too hard. You just naturally "do" what you have to do.  Your day is filled with activity and fixing things.

But when the storm passes, it's hard to just "be." All of  sudden you are left with the feeling of "what am I supposed to be doing now."

It made me start to wonder if our lifestyles we live in this day and age, especially here in America, have made us lose appreciation for just being. We all feel like we need a purpose. Maybe we aren't meant to have a purpose, maybe we are meant to just be? I don't know, that doens't seem right to me. When you are busy helping someone, busy making meals, busy getting life done it feels so fulfilling. When things settle you're left with an empty feeling.

Maybe this emptiness is because it is against nature's way, to be bored. We aren't supposed to be just sitting here waiting for a tv dinner to cook. We are supposed to be out there hunting and gathering. Meals were meant to take energy, time and quite a bit of activity. Now we just run to the drive through or pop something in the microwave and sit and wait.

Now when we want sex we can just turn on the internet and watch porn, we can go to a strip club and see naked people. Let's be honest, a man just needs to turn on the tv or Netflix to see boobs.

We don't have to work for anything anymore. Our minds and bodies are bored.

Is this what leads to addictions?

When you're hungry you go to the drive through or pop in a microwave dinner.

When you are bored, you turn to drugs or alcohol to feel better and to have fun.

When you are feeling a little frisky you turn to porn to get off, instead of real life human beings or relationships that are truly intimate and take time to develop and keep flourishing.

We don't have to work at anything anymore. We have lost purpose. We have made everything so easy and convenient, that our days are filled with empty hours where we don't have to be doing something, which leads to boredom, which leads to seeking out activities...some of which seem fun and keep us busy in the moment but may have heartbreaking or devastating results in the end.

1 comment:

  1. Great thoughts & observations, Lisa. I think you are onto a real problem for lots of folks today. I feel there is much truth in what you say...And as I grapple w Candy Crush Saga...failing to clear all the jelly...I am feeling a bit of lost purpose indeed! Oh, if only I could reach the next level and catch up with my niece, lol! Damn Candy Crush, you are stealing my soul! :-/

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