Finding purpose for life after this global tragedy
by Mervin Straughan
April 2020
When the grief becomes bearable and the recriminations have abated, it's possible that, after this global coronavirus tragedy has passed, some of us will have come to a stark realisation about our roles in society.
April 2020
When the grief becomes bearable and the recriminations have abated, it's possible that, after this global coronavirus tragedy has passed, some of us will have come to a stark realisation about our roles in society.
During this process, we'll have asked questions of ourselves such as how we've fared as citizens and as stewards of the planet. This soul searching, will ultimately, have led us to consider our purpose. Purpose gives meaning to life.
So, how do we find it?
One way is to turn to the guiding principles of the Japanese philosophy Ikigai which translates as "our reason for being." In other words, "why we get out of bed." A simple way of explaining the Ikigai route to finding our purpose is to imagine it as the point at which four paths meet. Each path poses a question:
- What do I love doing?
- What am I good at?
- What can I get paid for?
- What does the world need?
The answers to these questions help us to identify our mission, our passion, our profession and our vocation. These combine to signpost us to our purpose.
There is a prize for following our purpose and a price for going in a different direction.
Life's a journey.
- Purpose features in Mervin's pocket-sized self-coaching book Imagine Life As Three Bus Journeys. Printed by Lightning Source, it's available for £9.99 in the UK and $11.99 in the US. Retailers include Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.