Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life (1977)
Thank you for sharing this great piece of wisdom! Recently, I read Self-Reliance by Emerson, and its modern “translation” <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youmeworks.com&#x2F;self_reliance_translated.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youmeworks.com&#x2F;self_reliance_translated.html</a> and try to base my way of living on that foundation.<p>As our existence seems ultimately meaningless, and there is no universal compass to drive us through life, it is difficult for people and personally for me to keep deeply motivated about my work and other activities. On the surface, I may be driven by money, work achievements, desire to have a happy family, having fun, but often I find myself facing the deep dark emptiness of lacking a deeply ingrained purpose I would be happy to follow wholeheartedly.<p>I read an interesting thought from Jordan Peterson that a great purpose is to reduce suffering in the world. It sounds deep and great, but I think it will be hard for many people to connect their day to day activities to this noble meaning.<p>I sometimes envy of people from previous centuries, when Christianity was strong, and many found their purpose in serving God. God is dead in the Western civilisation now, and it is very hard to fill the void.