What's the Purpose and Point of Your Life?
By Neil Millar
A crematorium may not be an obvious place to have an insight on the purpose of life, but that, nonetheless is where it happened.
I was paying my respects to an elderly gentleman, who I'd met several times, but didn't know well. Sitting close to his sons and daughter, their children, and their children's children, I came to know him better by hearing about the wonderful tapestry he'd weaved in his 92-year visit with life.
His descendants numbered almost thirty. Listening to his life story it became clear that this was a man who'd shared jokes and tricks and songs, worked as a lollipop man in his late years and got wound up with motorists who didn't consider the lives of children crossing a road.
And as I looked around the faces in the room, smiles cracked through the tears and I caught a glimpse of the joy and wonder this man had imprinted upon three generations of his family.
And I saw his loved ones - people at various stages of their life, from those just setting out in to the retired to - something struck me.
Whatever we think of each other, we are all human beings, making mistakes, making smiles; making a mess, making fun. Making failure, making success. We're all just simply making our way.
As we make our way, we're doing it with the best tools we have in that moment. We're doing it to the best of our knowledge, understanding and ability.
Sometimes we get caught up in the trap of life. Sometimes that trap hurts. Some of us break away from it, others don't, because they don't want to or don't know how to or are just too afraid to ask someone who could help.
As the story of this father, grandfather, great-grandfather was told I wondered then, what will people say when my day of reckoning arrives?
Clearly that will all depend on who I choose to be and how I touch the lives of others. It's fair to say that the same is true for all of us.
I decided something some years ago. At the time I was obese, abused, crippled with back-pain, financially broke and recovering from two people laughing at my dreams and calling me a fat loser.
Later that day, as I looked at my son, playing with his toys on the floor, I searched my soul. 'When he looks back,' I asked, 'will he see his dad as a fat loser or will he see him as someone who loves him, stood up for him when it counted and taught him how to make dreams come true?'
I made a decision that day to become the latter part of the that question. As a result my life began to change. And as a result of yesterday I can see clearly now how that change will effect not only my life, but the lives of my children, my grandchildren, but my great grandchildren.
Thanks to an unforgettable man, yesterday, I got a greater appreciation of how we're all making our way and how important all our lives are, not just to us, but to those that follow in our footsteps.
When we consider the point and purpose of our lives, surely there can be no greater thing than to help other human beings experience love - be that through jokes, singing and magic tricks or be that through leaving behind a wholesome, worthwhile imprint on those that follow.
I have two questions for you today:
1. When your day of reckoning comes what do you want your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to have witnessed through knowing you?
2. What can you do now to move towards that?
With love and good wishes
Neil
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This article was posted by Neil Fellowes
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