Hugo and the Question about Purpose

It has been a long time again. I somehow got stuck about what I actually wanted to do with this blog. I was not sure anymore. I am still not completely sure now but there might be some progress. And that is all because of a movie (again!).

This weekend I watched "Hugo" and something in that movie really struck a cord with me. At a certain point, Hugo shows Isabelle his living quarters and they climb all the way up to the top of the clock tower where they have this magnificent view over Paris.

Hugo then explains to Isabelle that he sees the world as a machine. From Hugo's experience, a machine never comes with spare parts. Every part has a function. He is just assuming that the World must function in the same way. So he cannot be a spare part and there must be a reason he is on this planet. He must have a purpose. Hugo thinks his purpose is to fix things that are broken. Then Isabelle asks herself the question: What is my purpose?

That question was exactly the question I needed at this time. What is my purpose? I loved it! Unfortunately, I did not immediately have an answer so I decided to sleep on it. I wanted to dream about it but when I woke up the next morning, I did not remember any dreams at all (that is how it usually goes anyways). However, it hit me right away ... This is my purpose: to increase understanding inspiring positive change.

I know, it sounds a bit (if not a lot!) loaded. But looking back at some of the things I have done in my life ... this hits the nail on the head. To be clear, when I talk about increasing understanding it is not only increasing others' understanding but first and foremost my own. "Positive" change is of course very subjective. And the big question is still "how" do I want to increase understanding and "about what"?

I also thought about why I picked "understanding" over "awareness". Reflecting on it, I realized awareness is just a starting point. It is not enough though to actually allow for change. For that, you need to "understand" how, what, etc. So, my first hinge was correct. "Increasing awareness" just would not be enough of a purpose for me.

With regard to the "how", there was a small sentence I added at a certain point yesterday: "through sharing experiences". For me, understanding really happens when you experience something. You can read about it but experiencing it takes it to a whole different level.

So: "Increasing understanding inspiring positive change through sharing experiences" is my purpose. Whether they be my own experiences, other people's experiences, whether it is on personal level or on a global level.

Now, I am curious ... if you want to share, please do so in the comments: what is your purpose?

There is further work to do of course, as there always will be, but keeping this in mind, I will start writing my blog again albeit most likely not on a weekly basis.

Have a wonderful week!
Rose