Everything is here for a purpose, from horses to vine shoots. What’s surprising about that? Even the Sun will tell you, “I have a purpose,” and the other gods as well. And why were you born? For pleasure? See if that answer will stand up to questioning.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
As someone who has journeyed frequently into his deepest and darkest desires, whether it be with food, drink, or lust, my experience has shown me that pleasure in all its faculties - while having a time and place - ultimately, when acted on habitually, leads to a bottomless pit of despair.
I’ve been raised, like many, to see others consumed by their desires. There is no judgment in my heart, for myself or others. The battle between the primitive and conscious mind finds us all. Instead of judgment, I take an observational stance of the human condition.
What I see is that motives driven solely for pleasure casts the human spirit into a coma where the desire, whatever it may be, takes away from the purpose of living. What we bring around, comes around to find us again and again.
When the mind is clear and unbridled by the many desires men and women have used for millennia to escape from themselves, purpose is met with clarity.
I don’t draw a line between purpose and passion. Instead, I see the two as a swift sword forged together. The objective for me has always been to bring purpose and passion to every moment I’ve been gifted. It doesn’t matter what I do, or who I do it with. The most important or mundane tasks assigned to us can be done purposefully when married with enthusiasm and vigor.
I am reminded by Carl Jung’s shadow self, which subscribes to the idea that for a human to grow past primitive desires, he/she must know their capacity for the harm induced by these desires. Then one may swiftly move past them. In essence, to understand our capacity for good, we should equally understand our capacity for evil. We should still side on the side of good for goodness' sake. This speaks to the dualistic nature that’s central to wisdom from the east.
The trap I have seen many fall prey to is that they aren’t able to leave this cycle of conditioned behavior because they are still led by the primitive mind. I’ve seen it break apart families, including my very own. In this same accord, I’ve met others that carry no desires. I find their spirits to be much older than mine who's still an infant in many regards. You may be able to teach me a few things, which I welcome, always.
Marcus Aurelius was emperor of Rome. You and I are emperors of our conscious minds, and no matter how much we think we know, kindred spirits from all walks of life are willing to show us another way, and perhaps a better way, so we can walk our path steadfastly.
A high calling, is to live as if all life were on purpose. That performing all our duties with deliberate action may bring meaning to them.
With love,
Anand