What Is Purpose?

I see each and everyone of you as gift to our world.

thank you
you are truly a gift
to me, to fireflies
no doubt to the world
♥~

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

I think the purpose of my teen years was to learn about the world and others not as fortunate as I.

While my kids were growing up my purpose was helping kids.  That didn't change after they were grown, but my opportunities were down on ways to help.

Next was my political purpose.  Trying to help there.

Now I've come to the place in my life where helping people get by and sharing what I've run across that helps is what keeps me going.  Perfect timing with Rias site!  :)

Rias made a site where sharing and caring are top priorities.  A home for help.

Yes, I think we can make the world a better place.  I know things here have already helped me, and some of the things I've learned I will share with my friends and family offline.  Ways that will help them too.

Fish and chips.

but since you mentioned "What's it all about Alfie?" may in inject a song that i discovered from watching the move "Alfie"

The graphics do not relate but the music sure does work with this diary;

Actually two songs from that movie. This one with visuals that make me feel alive again;

What is the good, Socrates?

What is our purpose?

I like the notion that the purpose of humanity is the Earth coming to consciously know itself and its surroundings.

We are of the Earth, after all.  We come out of nature.  The difference between us and all the rest of our fellow creatures is that we have self-consciousness... and reason... and science... and scholarship.

We are thus the means through which the Earth... slowly, slowly... comes to see and understand itself.

One of the fundamental mistakes that many people make when considering humanity is in the suggestion that humanity is somehow separate from nature.  We are not.  We are nature's method of self-perception.

{Sushi last night at Sushi Delight!  It's a very tiny, very clean, very charming little joint on Market Street, near the Safeway, a few blocks east of Church St.  There are few things more satisfying than sitting down with some hot sake, a bowl of miso soup, and a platter of sushi.  Yay!}

Other times I'm pretty sure we can't get lost at all. That we have no choice but to be where we are, living how we're living. And wondering if it's the right place and the right time is silly because it simply is.

Or maybe there's no purpose. Maybe the idea of purpose is some kind of sop. It's been awhile since I read any existentialist stuff but I recall hearing the theory that "purpose" and "meaning" are ideas thrown out there to prevent humanity from committing mass suicide.

If we have a purpose it might be to witness how marvelous the world is. We screw it up when we go beyond that, when we try to remake the world. Sure, we wouldn't have bridges or elevators or supermarket doors that open as you get close to them, but maybe we don't need those. As a species, I mean.

I know engineers would disagree with that. Their purpose is to build the machines and all. And sure, remote control units and atm cards don't cause wars. Lots of societies throughout history have had wars without electronics. But they had the latest gizmo, and they used it for war. A cannon, a gun, a catapult, whatever was around, like the bone in "2001".

I know what I want to do, what I want to be, and that's the best husband I can be, the best grandpa I can be. The most amusing music maker, some sort of natty dresser. Maybe get a little taller, which might be difficult at my age but hey, it's a goal!

I don't know if those give me a purpose. They sound more like fun, interesting things to do.

I see it more as a role to play, a very real role as opposed to a stage play sort of thing. And we can continue to refine the role.

But I feel the narrower the "purpose", the narrower the role, the closer to dying I get. I don't know if that makes sense, but with 6 billion people in the world that can be delighted, that can be entertained in some way, it's better to reach out to the world. Maybe I can reach a dozen or so. :-)

This is a complicated subject. I bet someone could write a book about it.

I believe that both humans and animals are more alike than most people realize, because, believe it or not, humans are also animals;  they have feelings, the ability to reproduce, the abilility to communicate (as Eddy C's photos strongly indicate).  For better or for worse,  humans, like animals, often fight for their turf and for dominance and control over others, and have tribal/communal instincts.

Animals, too, exist for a purpose;  to keep the world going around, and, often, as a food chain or part of a food chain.The same thing goes for fishes in the sea.   When animals are obtained as pets, they can produce hours of wonderful fun and can bring out the kindness and gentleness within people.  Even some of the toughest, nastiest people I've known have pets, which indicates that these particular people, too, clearly have a softer, gentler, more tender spot that is  often not readily apparent to people outside their circle.

There are all kinds of ways to make this world a better world, and it starts in everybody's own back yard.  One does not have to attend protests and demonstrations, or stand in front of huge, heavy moving pieces of metal  machinery and risk being arrested, jailed, beaten, killed or permanently maimed to make a point or statement.  Attempts to make the world a better world can take the form of seemingly small things.  Even a telephone call to an Embassy to voice one's concern about going on, signing a petition to get our troops out of places where they shouldn't be, voting one's conscience to put people in important positions of power, even if it means a write-in vote, or voting for a third party.    For me, buying a hybrid car has not only enabled me to save a great deal on gasoline, but is a start at reducing pollution in the environment.  Taking public transportation, going on foot, or bicycling to places for errands and appointments in the good weather (living in the city makes all that possible) helps.  Driving partway, and then walking the other half to 3/4 of the way to one's destination is also quite helpful.  

Keeping myself as healthy as possible is also a purpose.  As a silversmith, I work with material that comes from the earth;  silver.  For the fluxes that I use as a necessary assistant in soldering or annealing, I use fluxes without flourides in them.  More recently, I've begun using silver solders without cadmium in them as much as possible, and these can be obtained.  I have a special ventilation system set up in my studio so that I can do this.  For the pickling and cleaning of my work after it's been soldered or annealed, I use natural citric acid, which I managed to obtain from a pharmacy, instead of the Sparex II that I previously used.  When the citric acid pickling bath needs changing (as indicated by a bright aqua color!), then I neutralize the old pickling bath thoroughly with baking soda, and then pour it down my slop sink.  Once the old pickle bath has been thoroughly neutralized, there's no danger of destruction of my pipes or anything like that.

Exercise, such as walking or biking also helps keep me healthy, both physically and emotionally.    Having a pet is also important to me, and, since humans and animals share the earth, why not share one's home with one, also.  Buying domestically bred and hand-fed exotic birds is one way to make the world a better place.  Wild-caught exotic birds are no longer imported, which is a good thing, because wild-caught exotic birds are more at risk for carrying disease, and, those who survive the ordeal of getting to our shores (which most of them don't) are so traumatized that they're much tougher, if  not impossible to train to be adequate pets.  Here's another reason for getting domestically bred and hand-fed baby exotic birds;  It takes into account the popularity of exotic birds as pets while helping to preserve what's left of the rain forests, tundras, etc. where most if not all of the psittacine (hooked beak) birds come from.  

Okay;  here's another purpose in life;   most of us eat to live, and we live to eat.  I say this, not only because food is necessary to live, but eating is a past-time that the vast majority of people enjoy.  Simplest things such as baking a chocolate pound cake, roasting a chicken, or making pasta with a garlicky meat sauce, or a batch of Chile con Carne, which I serve over brown rice,  for those cold winter nights is enjoyable.  Having friends over for a potluck dinner, going to dinner with my family, whether it be for eating in or eating out is also one of the pleasures and purposes in life.  

Doing my silversmithing work, with all the design and technical challenges that it entails is also a purpose, as well as a pleasure for me.  So is going to see my alltime favorite film, West Side Story whenever it comes to our general area, or even a neighboring state.  I always get kind of a euphoric rush of excitement when I learn of WSS's pending arrival, and I prepare months, weeks, or even days in advance for it, in anticipation and excitement.  
Whether I go by myself or with friends, West Side Story is always exciting and fun for me, and I always feel like I'm seeing this great golden oldie movie musical classic for the first time.  This is not to say that I haven't seen other films, both older and newer that I've liked,  because I have.   However, West Side Story, as a movie, has held a special place in my heart regarding movies for a great many years, and, most likely, always will.  How I came to love this great classic film is a whole other issue which will eventually be posted here on firefly-dreaming as one of my essays, at a later date, however.

No matter if one's single, married or whatever, the adage  "people need people" is very true.  Once a month, I get together for a "social" with several friends, whether it be dinner, a movie, or even just to sit around and make conversation.  Some of my old friends from my old hometown, and from my former job, I also meet once a month for dinner.  I'm also a member of a local artisan's Holidayco-op store in our area, where I managed to sell a number of my things and make an ok amount.  That, too, also involved working with people, communicating with them, and pitching in with the store.  

However, I also like solitary time with myself, also.  Living in my own loft apartment, where I don't have to constantly answer to roommates about what to watch on TV, wait one's turn to use a certain studio tool or tools, or be involved in disputes over what kind of food goes into the refrigerator and/or pantry, or worrying about irking people by luxuriating in the shower, or being able to come and go whenever I want are reasons I like living alone.  I go solo bike riding most of the time in good weather, and yet I always manage to see tons of people out riding who also had the same idea as I did; going riding on a nice day.  

So, despite differences in the way in which I communicate, socialize, converse and, in general, interact with people and look at the outside world,  negociate the world as best I can.  Avoiding people, both online and in real life who raise my hackles has also come to be a past time for me.  Life is too short to have to deal with stuff like that, particularly on a regular basis.  Differences in me from other people, however, is another issue, which I will post about on another day, however.

I also believe, however, that people need their space, and there are times (although I sometimes have a hard time reading signals that indicate that one should back off and leave someone alone.  I believe that throughout the world, people need their space, and that globalilzation has been a disaster in many ways.   I believe that separate nations throughout the world are necessary for people to have their space, and to also have some sort of normalization and separate identity.  This is important, which is why the Palestinians, for example, as well as the Israelis and most other people, need to have their own independent, sovereign nation-state, where they're a majority, and can have the self-determination, normalization and protection against ongoing oppression and exploitation by others.    

I believe that, while certain things are imperative, certain policies, imho, while they've been implemented with the purpose of remedying certain problems, and  with the best of intentions, have backfired horrendously, making people even more angry, fearful and suspicious of each other.  So,  I have often thought of solutions that best get to the root of the problem(s) and have frequently written about those, too, but this is also a separate issue for another day.

There are many different ways, both big and small, in bettering the world.  My therapist says that even with my art, I'm helping to better the world.  That may be true.  My piano tuning (when I can get tuning jobs), is also beneficial for the world.  When I tune somebody's piano, I've made someone happy, because their piano sounds better than it did before it was tuned.  

So, just simply being serves a purpose to oneself and the world.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

purpose is constantly on my mind... I think of it as a sense of mission, and you describe it perfectly...

When I am in line and feeling my purpose I feel it physically in my body.  A vibration that screams YES and propels me in the direction of my purpose. All of a sudden my life is taken over with an unstoppable energy.

and I do my best to manifest this purpose, or mission, to even the most mundane aspects of life - easier said than done, but a goal nonetheless. as someone much wiser than myself told me, "don't leave a single blank page in the diary of your life."

and I hope my search for new purpose, new missions, new challenges, will always continue.

Do you think we have all been drawn to firefly for a reason?  If so why?

YES! and for me the reason is simple... Ria! over the past year she's become a dear friend, and during some of the most difficult times I've ever faced she was always there, beyond rants and rages, with encouragement and lessons of gratitude. I believe in the mission she's made for herself, and I trust her heart. I'm also here because of you, Kathleen, and Youff, and Alma, and Jay, and Head, and Karma, and everyone else who has gathered here! you all make connecting with the "outside" world from down here in the Caribbean very worthwhile.

Do you think collectively, together we could make the world a better place?  If so, how?

again, YES! as we continue to create bonds of the heart, bonds of purpose, bonds of goodness and creating "good karma", then those tiny ripples will continue to expand, and with continued effort we'll all shine this goodness in our environments, changing the world right where we are.

What was dinner?

arroz con gandules... and tonight? leftovers!!!

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm