Overcoming Struggles: The True Purpose of Life
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
There are so many things that I wish I’d learned sooner in my life. During the quarter life crises – the stage where you move from the gumption of teenage to the first hit of life as an adult – you ask the question – “what’s the purpose of life?”
Like most people, I got on the hedonic treadmill and started the run. It continued until recently. Recently, I get my next chance at asking – “what’s the purpose of life?” With age comes experience, more reading and wisdom. So, we answer this question differently.
There are so many adages to what I will say in the next few sentences. The purpose of life is overcoming struggles. It’s true that achievement provides some satisfaction. However, at least I’ve found the quality of that satisfaction is that it’s ephemeral. It’s more of a spike. Sure, sometimes those are incredible. When you get that promotion (after working hard), you get that hit. When you get that picture with your abs in definition after working hard through fall and winter, you get that spike.
However, I’ve found that high to be fleeting...
For me, what’s a different type of a high but one that really gets me going is the flow that you get your mind to, a state of focus and one-track during the pursuit of the goal. You are motivated to solve problems, you are impervious to failure (for the most part) because you are thinking about something. At least for my type of brain, you are mostly only thinking about that one thing.
I realize that I chase those highs way more than the highs of traditional accomplishments. I also realize that it’s easy for me to say that. I remember when reading “My Experiments with Truth,” a thought I had as a late teenager. This entire book is a memoir of someone who is sharing so that other people learn from this person’s mistakes. I also remember the gumption of youth when I wanted to make my own mistakes. I think I still stay true to that instinct.
I don’t have many regrets in life. However, if there’s one thing that I wish I’d been able to appreciate earlier, it’s that the struggle is the purpose. This really helps reframe the various hiccups I faced during my career, personal life. The struggle keeps things interesting. The struggle allows you yet another opportunity to overcome the situation. Instead, in some of these situations, I chose to not deal with that muck anymore. There was the ignorant focus on convenience that was rationalized with inane things like “value of my time.”
Put another way – there’s only one life. Every experience is part of that life and being able to give it all is one of the pleasant changes I’ve had the fortune to be able to make for myself. It’s allowed for far more variety and hopefully experiences that I can now continue to accumulate to take to my grave.
In some ways, this is the ultimate cliche. Middle aged man discovers there’s more to life than work. However, I am glad that it’s clear now. I am glad that I still have the time and capability to make the necessary changes and enjoy the next decades.
Amor Fati.
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