Find Your Path

Mr. Philosophical returns with yet another down-and-dirty question about life. Thanks for joining me. Let’s loosen up those neurons in the brain and deep dive into another question worthy of Aristotle’s attention.

The religious among us will nod their heads at this statement: we are given the gift of life to fulfill a purpose. Said another way, we are placed on this spinning orb to follow a pre-ordained path.

Now, I make no judgement, one way or another, regarding that belief. I simply wonder how we know which path is ours to take and, if we don’t know as we are growing up, how do we find out which path is destined for our footsteps?

These thoughts popped into my head, unbidden, as I was giving more thought to one of my favorite literary quotes: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” We have Henry David Thoreau to thank for those “uplifting” words, I say with tongue in cheek.  I happen to agree with Thoreau’s viewpoint. I certainly saw it growing up, and I certainly see it today, so many people “stuck” in a life with no apparent exit sign, no way to jump off the economic hamster wheel, no way, apparently, to undo what needs to be undone.

I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention, but there are a great many unhappy people in the world today and especially, it seems to me, in the “advanced” industrial nations. Hope seems to be a commodity many cannot afford.  Dreams seem to be prizes just out of reach of millions of people.

For those people, and perhaps some of you reading this are among them, do you know where your true path is? Do you know what your purpose is? Is it simply to live out your days in unhappiness, frustration, even bitterness?

“Walk the road, though twists may bend,
Let courage guide where doubts descend.
Through shadowed trails and skies so vast,
Your path is yours—walk bold, stand fast.”

If you are religious, do you believe you were put on this planet to be unhappy?  And, if you are not religious, is unhappiness the goal you long for, or would you prefer to find the path to happiness?

I’m just a guy who is curious about such things. I’ve found my path and I’m quite pleased with my journey.  I’ll let you in on a secret, something I have never shared with anyone up until this very moment: I have always believed I exist to serve a higher purpose. And, when I say always believed, I mean exactly that. I believed it as a child, as do most children, I believed it as a teen, I believed it during my darkest hours when I strained to see any light at all, and I believe it now.

Does that mean I believe in a god? Not necessarily; it simply means that I was born a human, and since I was old enough to form a kernel of a reflective thought, I have believed that life must have meaning, not only for me but for all humans.  That does not mean it is ordained by some deity, but simply that it would be a crying shame if all we did was live out our lives without purpose.

And, I will toss in a bonus, one more fact I have never shared: I still do not know what my purpose is, but I’m always on the lookout, hoping to spot it, hoping to snag a passing hint, hoping in some way to realize it so I might take actions to achieve it.

I was born for greatness.

I believe we were all born for greatness.

And I believe we are the instruments by which greatness will either be achieved or not achieved.

Which begs the question: what is greatness for me? What is it for you?

And, so, I ask you again . . . what is your path? Have you found it? Have you achieved greatness? Are you seeking greatness?

“Rise beyond doubt, let courage ignite,
Dreams take flight in the heart’s own light.
With steadfast steps and purpose true,
There’s nothing we seek we cannot do.”

Happy hunting, one and all!

Bill

### Do you believe in Evil? Not evil acts, not people acting evil, but the personification of Evil? That’s the central them behind my supernatural thriller Shadow series of novels, six total, the first of which is “Shadows Kill.” You will find it on Amazon under William Holland.

Thank you!