Robert Fulghum may have found peace and purpose for us all when he posed a question to Alexander Papaderos, PhD Philosophy, during a lecture at the site of a Nazi massacre in Crete during WWII.
“What is the meaning of life?”
Fulghum queried Papaderos, the founder of a peace institute built on the site.
Alexander Papaderos was taking questions after his lecture attended by Fulghum.
The famous author, like the rest of the crowd, was horrified after hearing how the Nazis . . .
decimated Papaderos’ village
executed hundreds of the villagers
threw Papaderos into a concentration camp
And now he stands before this crowd, calmly lecturing and taking questions about this unspeakable murder.
As Fulghum asks about the purpose of life, nervous laughter engulfs the daring question.
The question: How can one know they are living their best life?
A boost of joy when settling the question of all questions/Unsplash
Oscar Wilde, Aristotle, Buddah and Jesus weighed in.
Many have studied and followed these guides.
They offer different advice for . . .
love
work
suffering
death
So, choose wisely or the result can be disastrous.
The most popular humanities course at Yale University explores them and others in a class entitled, “Life Worth Living.” Multiple professors teach it.
They compare how the great philosophies answer this question, How can one know they are living their best life? What makes life worth living? What’s worth pursuing? Is what we desire worth it? How does one know they are on the best track to flourish?
A crisis sweeping America is working a job with no sense of purpose.
Satisfaction is reasonable at 65% of U.S. workers (ZIPPIA, 6/28/22).
But passion is low at only 20%.
“Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth’s surface relative to other matter; second, telling other people to do so.”Bertrand Russell
Many folks are successful at work but struggle without purpose.
Even more, retire without purpose.
Recently, I was fascinated by an artist in the 19th century who struggled with the same thing.
James Tissot painted high-society Paris during the age of Impressionism and mentored well-known artists like Degas. He was immensely talented and successful.
Absorbing hourly reports of Ukrainian genocide is driving worldwide anger and compassion.
What else can we do to stop brutal murders like that of Mayor Olha Sukhenko?
Ukrainian mayor Olha Sukhenko with son and husband/Facebook
Neighbors found her body, hands tied, with her husband and son buried in a mass grave.
The war appears to be hopeless.
Where is God in all of this?
Where is sanity, beauty and goodness?
It’s in the power of purpose which is found in three noble ideals.
Noble Ideal #1: Protect your village
Mayor Sukhenko, 50, led her village of 1,000 with nobility and intent.
She renovated the kindergarten, cultural center and made other improvements to Motyzhyn.
Fellow mayor Tetiana Semenova, described Olha as a . . .
“. . . psycologist, priest and police, and many more things besides. Every year she put on a concert to celebrate the oldest and the youngest in the village, to thank military veterans, and to hand out awards for the best-looking street and building.” WSJ, 04/06/2022
On top of this, she led the resistance by supplying the Ukrainian military with Russian troop positions.
Russian soldiers murdered Olha and her family.
She died protecting her village.
Noble Ideal #2: Never settle for less
Less than what? The best.
The best is not your best interest. It’s everyone else’s.
How many mayors have you ever heard of sponsoring concerts to lift the spirits of the oldest and youngest alike?
Olha was happiest meeting the needs of everyone she loved and protected.
All the way to the point of dying for them.
“She was the best person until her last minute.” WSJ, 04/06/2022
Noble Ideal #3: Commit early
You don’t have to wait for a crisis to lead a life of purpose.
Why not do it right now with this simple exercise?
“If you could throw a log on a fire each time your life really made a difference, whether a small act of courage or kindness, or a work of art, would you have a bonfire or a flicker?” Richard Leider
Imagine it’s your 80th birthday. Write a statement about how your life made a difference: “My 80th birthday—‘Here is a person who . . .'”
This exercise will clarify a purposeful life like Olha, even if you make it past 50.
