The Beautiful Question

BY: LISA D’AMORE

The Beautiful Question

There are seven billion people in the world that we are currently living in.

Seven billion of these people live, for an amount of time which we are unsure of and then exit life through death. So what is it that these seven billion

people do in the time in between?

LET’S FIND OUT…

What, as individuals, is our purpose here on

Earth? I chose this question because as a junior in college, I often find myself questioning my choice of major. I am extremely happy with it, but why did I choose it?

Why did you choose your major? Why do we choose anything?

I chose my major (nursing) because I felt as though my purpose in life is to serve others. After assisting my mother through her battle against breast cancer, I truly felt as though my purpose in life was to help others overcome difficult battles of their own. My purpose, I believe, lies in helping others; healing them, inspiring them and providing them with the faith and encouragement that is necessary to strive for happiness and survival.

PURPOSE The reason for which something exists or is

done, made, used, etc. An intended or desired result; end; aim; goal. Determination; resoluteness. The subject in hand; the point at issue. Practical result, effect, or advantage: to act to

good purpose.

SO WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?

WHAT IS MINE?WHAT IS

EVERYBODY ELSE’S?

I believe that we have specific

purposes in life, but what do other people think?

Interviews I took the time to interview eight different

people to obtain an idea of what people think when they ask themselves about purpose, and more specifically, their own.

The following slide will show a list of all seven questions provided to eight different people. The slides after that will take one question at a time, and display the eight different answers from the participants.

Questions 1. What is purpose? If possible, please provide your own original

definition. 2. Do you think that we as individuals have a purpose here on

Earth, throughout our lives? 3. Do you think that you, specifically, have a purpose here on

Earth? 4. If you answered yes to the question above, please state your

purpose (if you feel comfortable). 5. How do we discover this purpose? 6. When do we discover this purpose? 7. If you do not believe we have a purpose, please explain why.

Question 1: What is purpose? If possible, please provide your own

original definition. “Purpose is the motivation to fuel your actions. It is the reason you do

anything.” “Purpose is the reason something is done or made.” “To me, purpose is your reason for your every day actions and your

contribution to this Earth and the people that inhabit it.” “Purpose is your reason or the reason you do things in life.” “Purpose is what gets you out of bed every morning.” “I think that purpose is what makes you smile at the end of the day and

look forward to tomorrow.” “Our purpose on Earth is what drives us to do something, feel something

or say something.” “You are your purpose. Whatever it is, go out and do it.”

Question 2: Do you think that we as individuals have a purpose here on

Earth, throughout our lives? “I think we as individuals have the purpose to live fulfilling lives that are harmonious with one

another and nature.” “I think we do have a purpose here on Earth, we each have a destiny to fulfill before our time

on Earth has ended.” “Yes, I believe that people have a purpose on Earth. For each individual, the purpose is

different. It may be reflective in your career choice, such as working in the medical field and nursing sick people back to health, or being a police officer and protecting and saving the lives of many people. An individuals purpose on Earth can also be discovered through a small act of kindness, such as saying hello to someone you pass by on a walk and brightening their day, or sitting with a kid at the lunch table who is eating alone, or holding the door open for the person behind you.”

“I think every individual person has a purpose in their life to fulfill throughout their years.” “Yes, whether today or tomorrow. We have duties to fulfill” “I think that all of us have a purpose, even if we don’t know what it is.” “Of course. Without purpose, we would have nothing to strive for.” “Personally, our purpose in life is something that drives us to do something. If we didn’t have

one, what would we do? Even if it isn’t saving a life but helping an old woman cross a street, or spotting someone some extra change, our purpose is to fulfill that role and to play our part in what we call life.

Question 3: Do you think that you, specifically, have a purpose here on Earth?

Question 4: If you answered yes to the question above, please state your purpose

(if you feel comfortable). “I think that I have the purpose to live the best life that I can and make the most of the time that is

given to me because there are no guarantees. I believe my purpose is to provide love and care for those around me and to be there when people need me.”

“I believe I do have a purpose to be on this Earth, whether it may be a simple act of kindness or a great deed, I feel that I was put on this Earth to succeed as a nurse and significantly impact someone’s life through my care.”

“Yes. I believe that my purpose on Earth is to be a good friend to others, to be supportive, and also to help people. I have chosen to be a nurse, a volunteer fire fighter and an EMT because I enjoy helping people in an urgent time of need.”

“I do think I have a purpose here on Earth and I believe it is to care for others and show love and affection to those who may not have it from their loved ones. I believe I’m here to help those in need to make others lives better.”

“Most definitely. I think my purpose is to be a great person to my friends, family and even my acquaintances. I think that my duty is to play the best role that I can in all that I do, and inspire others to do the same.”

“I think my purpose here on Earth is to change lives for the better.” “I, along with everyone else, have a specific purpose on Earth. I think mine is to acquire as much

knowledge as possible and share that knowledge with others.” “Yeah. My purpose is to work hard and make difference. Volunteer to make things easier for others.

Be a helping hand in times of need.”

Question 5: How do we discover this

purpose? “We discover this purpose through self actualization which may take many years.” “I think we discover this purpose through the gratitude we receive during a

significant action or through the realization of a special talent we acquire.” “I believe that everyone discovers his or her purpose in life at different times.

People may participate in an event or meet an individual that changes his or her life, and then it may be at that moment that they realize their purpose on this Earth. I feel as though people discover their purpose on Earth after completing an act that makes them realize why they were put here.”

“This varies from person to person.” “I’m not exactly sure how to put it. It’s just something that happens, and you’ll

know when it does.” “When something changes our lives, for good or bad, that’s when we discover our

purpose.” “When we get that feeling that lets us know we did something great.” “This purpose is discovered through a series of events that allow us to discover

who we truly are, and thus, discovering our purpose.”

Question 6: When do we discover this

purpose? “There is no set time line for us to discover our purpose but through life experiences and the mistakes that we make and through personal growth we begin to develop a sense of what our purpose in this world is.”

“We discover our purpose gradually throughout our lives; I don’t think this happens overnight.”

“I do not think there is a specific time when people discover that they have a purpose, but it is different for everyone. Some people may never discover their purpose on Earth and they appear to others as “not having their life together” or as “all over the place.” Some people may discover that their purpose after they choose a major and career path and start practicing in that art. Others may discover it while at work, and realize the career choice isn’t for them and they have found something else that they feel they were put on this Earth to accomplish.

“I think it’s usually discovered after a certain event in our life that occurs and makes us realize what we should be doing with our lives.”

“There is no solid answer for this question. We don’t know when or where or how we will discover the purpose; it just happens when the time is right.”

“When something changes are lives. Or when we change someone else’s.”

“Discovering a purpose is like learning. It takes time, we don’t know what we’ll learn or when we’ll learn it.”

“I think for some people, we discover our purpose when something good happens, or vice versa, when something tragic happens. Either way, I think we discover it when an awakening life event occurs.

Question 7: If you do not believe we have a purpose,

please explain why. No person involved with the interview

responded to this question – which leads to the conclusion that 8 out of 8 people are firm believers that all of us have a purpose.

So, what do you think?

Religious Aspects On Our Purpose In

Life: Muslim Islam: To a Muslim, the whole purpose of life is

“ibadah” or worship to the One True Almighty God on Terms and under his conditions.

The term “worship” to a Muslim includes any and all acts of obedience to Almighty Allah.

Islam teaches that this life is only a test or trial for the individual to show him his true nature, which leads the individual to view death as a beginning of the final and lasting life in the Hereafter.

Religious Aspects On Our Purpose In Life:

Buddhism In Buddhism, the primary purpose of life is to

end suffering. The Buddha taught that humans suffer because

we continually strive after things that do not give lasting happiness. We desperately try to hold on to things – friends, health, material things – that do not last, and this causes sorrow.

Religious Aspects On Our Purpose In Life:

Christian From a Christian novel titled The Purpose Driven Life, it was

quoted that “many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose. The Bible says, “Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life.”

It also states, “you can usually succeed in reaching a goal if you put your mind to it. But being successful and fulfilling your life’s purpose are not at all the same issue! You could reach all your personal goals, becoming a raving success by the world’s standard and still miss the purposes for which God created you.”

How to know you’ve found your purpose in

life The Purpose: Super Soul Sunday

My Perspective My perspective on my purpose here on Earth has only solidified throughout my course of

research. On a religious level, being a Christian, I do believe that I have a purpose to fulfill within the religious aspects of my life (to serve God, to serve others, and to do what he needs to me do). With that being said, within my duty to fulfill the purpose to serve others, I find that in my everyday life by my goal of becoming a nurse and helping others each and everyday. I have felt that this was my purpose since I assisted my mother throughout her battle against breast cancer. From that moment on, I was fully confident that each patient, or person, I ever met would need to be treated like my own family in order to receive the best love and care possible. I firmly believe that our purpose is to be the best people that we can possibly be, and using our gifts to make the world a better, healthier and happier place. So, overall, my answer is that: yes – each and every one of us has a purpose to fulfill throughout our lives. Perhaps not on a religious level, but I think that our purpose is whatever we believe it to be and what we feel it is – the purpose that will change the lives of those we meet and change us as well. Each and every person/religion/etc. has a different perspective on this matter, and I can agree that all are arguable. I believe I have found my purpose, and to look further in the future I believe I could look more into various religions (aside from Muslim, Buddhism and Christianity), read many more books (when time allows it) and interview many more people. Overall, I can genuinely say that I was happy with all of the results that led me to my solidified conclusion. I think that if each and every one of us realizes that we are born with a purpose, that we will then be able to realize that we are also born with potential – these two things can inspire us to do bigger and better things.

Bibliography http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyN5tK0Varc Islam Tomorrow, . N.p.. Web. 25 Apr 2013.

<http://www.islamtomorrow.com/purpose.htm>. Mantiglia, Susan, Kirsten Schempp, John Castro, Kathryn Bednarcyzk,

Angelo Macchiano, Casey DeSimone, Nicholas Raccuia, and Kelsey Sheehan. Personal Interview. 13 Apr 2013.

. N.p.. Web. 25 Apr 2013. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/purpose>.

. N.p.. Web. 25 Apr 2013.http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/beliefs/purpose.htm

Warren, Rick. The Purpose Driven Life. Michigan: Zondervan , 2002. Print.