it's a good book by Milan Kundera.
Overall, it talks about what happens when as human beings we lose the sense of being.
For me (again I'm talking very personally) the sense of being is my final end or purpose in life.
What is that thing that I need to do with my life.
Whenever i lose focus on that being becomes light or with no sense whatsoever.
Now it's clear that comprehension of one's purpose in life is not something that just comes down as an epiphany, but it's like a process.
We accomplish small goals one at a time, the sum of all those small goals are supposed to give meaning to our lives.
Personally, my final end or purpose is find God's will in my life and get it done.
Again I can't say I have found God's will all in once, but one little step at the time.
Life becomes unbearable whenever it does not have a purpose regardless the fact the person is theist or atheist.
I think everybody must have something to pursue. Probably, hapinness as related to self-realization as an individual within a family or in a career.
I think that nobody can live without a purpose, it wouldn't make sense.
But then again these are my personal views each one knows his/her own life, thus it necessarilly follows that each one knows how to live with or without a purpose.

TLW

I have not read the book you speak of. I do remember a movie many years ago, I think it was the same title. It was not a typical movie, but what I remember of it, the main character did not seem to be 'fully present' as a human. I didn't know about the book, I'll have to remember to add it to my "to read list".



I'm not sure that 'seeking' god's will can bring it to light for you. I'm not even sure one should try. Here's the reason why. Trying to be good and 'choosing' to do those things that you think serves some ultimate purpose, may not be the natural course, or path, you would normally follow. If you don't allow life to, at least partially be your guide, than you may not be letting nature (or your god) work through you.

I do agree that our purpose 'happens' a little at a time. Sometimes we choose the path, sometimes we take the wheel, but most times,it seems, we learn the most when we interact with life as it happens, out of love and instinct instead of out of a need to find a purpose.

PS - Chance that was the main charactes name. Chance, I think. anyone else remember this movie? It had an absolutely hysterical sex scene protrayed by Shirly McClaine. She was funny.

I agree with this. Maybe not in the same context though. I believe all of our journeys are the steps of learning we need to do. We repeat mistakes because we failed to learn the lesson within that trial in our lives. My end purpose or desire is to have been a positive influence in any life I touch throughout my life. To know this at my last breath will be the ultimate freedom.

'BEING THERE' !!! A ZEN MASTERPIECE!

Where Chance D. Gardner!!!, counsel and advisor to statesmen and popes!!! was none other than 'Chance', the gardener!!!


Delightful and inspiring 'Myth of Sisyphus' like reminder of being present to life; doing violence to our 'self-conscious' REPRESENTATION of life, which stands smack in the way of 'representationless' life itself.

THAT'S IT, that's the one Voil. Chance D Gardner. (Peter Sellers) wow, just hearing the name was like a rush of so much of that movie coming back.

Now there was a guy to whom life just happened. He didn't stumble through it,he didn't let emotions interrupt it, heck, he didn't even understand it. He just allowed it. I remember watching that move, like 3 or 4 times, because I didn't want to walk through life like Chance and I thought I was. That had to be when I was still in high school. I'm really happy I saw that movie, it not only made me think, it changed me.

Sorry for the interruption. That was absolutely a masterpiece, it had so much to say. It's a must see for anyone who has not seen it yet.

I've given up on attempting to try to guess what some invisible supreme being might want me to do. If some entity wants something from me he or she has made it so impossible to discover what it is, that clearly he of she doesn't want me to know what it is.

That's all I have to say about that.

Evidently my mission in life is to not know what my mission is.

That's the only thing I can figure.

For the non reader, the movie is actually pretty excellent too. Daniel Day Lewis basically turns every film he's in to gold.

What if this Supreme Being was directly accessed through each individual's heart with the mind following? Wouldn't we then be moved to follow our hearts as law, referring to scriptures not as law, but for comparison?

Well in truth, I can't say that I haven't been doing the will of God. For all I know I might be God's number one most faithful servant and not even know it.

I do follow my heart. It's not like I'm lost. Currently I just no plans.

But I don't feel an anxiety about that. Maybe having no plan is God's plan for me right now.

This is the other thing too. I have always thought in my mind in terms of grand focused accomplisments. All of the grand focused accomplisments that I have attempted to be part of have all fizzled out before they became "grand". Some of those were due to the death of other people. Clearly God was not cooperating in those endeavors.

However, on a lesser scale of things I have accomplished many things in my life. Hell, I was a teacher for many years. Perhaps that was my purpose and I just didn't think of it that way. Later I took care of my ailing mother for last 6 years of her life. In fact, I often do feel that perhaps that was my sole purpose in this life. I suppose that one task would have been worth it. No one else would have cared for her the way I did and she most certainly deserved to be cared for.

However, she is also gone now. So this clearly shows that plans must change. If God has a 'purpose' for us in this life, it can't be just one purpose. It must be many purposes.

Or perhaps it is just one purpose. If my "only" purpose was to care for my mother in her old age, then I have fulfilled my purpose.

I think you clearly have a purpose in your life.

There's no question what your purpose is right now. Being a mother is enough puropse. If I had kids I would know my purpose. My purpose would be to be the very best parent I can possibly be. Any other purpose would be moot in comparision.

Anyone who has kids is and confused about what their purpose is has serious problems.

But for an old fart hermit like me, purpose is less-well defined.

I do need to write a math book though. I think that's my real purpose in life right now and I'm just being to lazy to do it.

I guess I'm ultimately just being rebellious to God.

Do you WANT to write a math book? What does your heart most want? No plans may provide just the space your heart needs right here and now. Perhaps in that space of less and less definition, the voice of your heart is more and more easily heard.

I guess I ultimately do. I was bitten by a dragon of sloth a few years ago and I have never fully recovered. It has zapped my intellectual libido. I think the pilot light went out on my passion burner.

I really need to do this. I keep saying this, and that's as far as I get.

You guess? You really "need" to do this? What does that mean? When you say you keep saying this, it gives the impression that you don't believe your own words.

In the silence you call sloth, there's a place where your heart over-rides any need for intellectual libido.

Double Post

Maybe it was my heart that took the brunt of the blow.

It's said that the heart is strongest muscle in the body. Yours is whole and complete. Nothin' in the world wrong here.

well reddy, you just make sure to live "YOUR" life the best you can. i live mine, trying to find God's will, and that makes me happy.

This is exactly were the power of will comes into play. You have to use your power of will to direct your thought and action towards doing that which you want to do or think you should or must do.

Having said that, I am now going to go return to my work on the kitchen and art studio and get my mindless head out of this computer.

See you tomorrow. I am going to limit my time on this tinker toy and get to doing what I need and really want to do. This club has become a cancer eating too much of my time.

JB

the cancer has grown wisdom in the hidden caverns of your heart........