Yesterday someone posted a provocative question that showed up on my Facebook timeline. They asked, “If you don’t know your purpose, are you still looking for it?” Surprisingly, many of the comments indicated the commenters didn’t know their purpose, or that their sense of purpose was continually evolving.

I understand the latter because we get wiser and more insightful as we age, or at least most people do. And we become more aware of what talents and aptitudes we possess and which ones we don’t. But the answer to the former troubles me. It seems somehow sad that adults don’t seem to possess a sense of purpose. They live, do things, hold down jobs, have families, go here and there, but why they do and toward what end eludes them.

I don’t know who it was, but someone once said, “He who is all wrapped up in himself makes a very small package.” People without purpose seem to cycle inward, or at best revolve around a set of activities that repeat themselves. People with purpose do things not just to be doing things but because the things they do have a reason, possess meaning and intent. They move forward and outward, whereas those without purpose just go through the cycles.

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