By Tim Walsh, M.A., L.P.; DPA, Executive Director of Beauterre
Throughout human history, one golden thread connects us across time, culture, and place: the search for wisdom and purpose. We see it in the works of Viktor Frankl, the psychiatrist who survived a Nazi concentration camp and observed that humans have an innate drive to find meaning even in the face of incomprehensible suffering. We see it in the enduring popularity of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, which remains one of the best-selling nonfiction books of all time.
The search for purpose is not simply an exercise of the mind but is hardwired into our very design for surviving and thriving. Research consistently demonstrates that thinking and acting with a sense of purpose promotes a longer, healthier, and more fulfilling life. Those with a strong “why” tend to engage in healthier behaviors, maintain deeper relationships, and enjoy greater longevity.
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” To find that “why,” we must examine the underlying questions that drive us: Who am I, really? Why am I alive at this specific time, in this specific place, with these people? What am I here to do, and whom am I here to serve?
Answering these questions is not the end of the pursuit; it is a lifelong process. Purpose is often talked about in articles, lectures and sermons as if it means that we have to have clarity of our mission in life, a vivid vision of the future, a defined destination and that it has to involve grandiose and audacious goals. We are told by pundits to “dream big”. But, as Søren Kierkegaard wisely observed, “Life is lived forward but understood backwards.” Serving our daily roles and duties with kindness might seem like ‘little things,’ but how we show up in the world creates ripples, reverberating outward like a small rock in a pond. We can abide by the principle that our lives are a ‘sum total’ of our works realizing that a purposeful life is the cumulative result of our experiences, choices, contributions, and personal growth—all of which we appreciate fully with the 20/20 vision of hindsight.
Throughout history, people have sought purpose through power, status, wealth, and pleasure. Yet King Solomon—reputedly the wisest person to ever live—dismissed these pursuits as “vanity of vanities” and a “striving after the wind.” While wealth or knowledge can be useful tools, they are insufficient as a life’s central aim. Perhaps, in our humility, we should admit that there isn’t just one single purpose in life, but many.
The Okinawan philosophy of Ikigai offers a practical guide, suggesting that purpose and joy are found at the intersection of four things: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for.
Conversely, we can learn from those at the end of their journey. Bronnie Ware, an Australian nurse who spent years caring for patients in the last weeks of their lives, recorded their most common regrets. They wished they had the courage to live a life true to themselves rather than the life others expected. They wished they hadn’t worked so hard, had expressed their feelings more, and had stayed in touch with friends. They wished, simply, that they had let themselves be happier. I believe this is what Alan Watts meant when he said “the meaning of life is just to be alive”.
There is a profound difference between existing and truly being alive. As the famous line from the film Braveheart challenges us: “All men die, not every man really lives.”
Personally, my sense of mission is rooted in a meditation on the uniqueness of the individual. The laws and constants of the universe have functioned together to support all life. Within this grand design, you are unique. There has never been, nor will there ever be, anyone exactly like you. Your experiences, your relationships, and the sum of your life’s particulars belong to you alone.
Given these existential facts, you have inestimable worth. When we recognize this, we are driven to live with a guiding mission—a life of significance. What you do matters. How you treat yourself and others matters.
If I had to reduce my own purpose to a single motive, it would be this: to love and be loved. In doing so, we can fully enjoy our neighbors, the creation, and ourselves. We don’t just wait for life to happen; we live it on purpose. The “Why” of life matters.
