There Are 2 Types of People
Hot Take Series
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My Thoughts About Life Purpose
I am a person who is often high-strung, hard-headed, impatient, easy to annoy, easy to anger, etc… We could go on and on about my faults.
I am imperfect just like everyone else.
But one thing I pride myself on having is a sense of purpose, I want to be someone other people admire and look up to for guidance. I truly want to help people better their lives, this is my fundamental purpose.
While purpose as the driving force of life is a Western concept I would like to think philosophical schools like existentialism have a point.
The point that mean making is a fundamental part of the human experience. Even if that meaning is that there is no meaning to life, we have the tenacity to describe meaning (or the lack thereof) to existence.
Meaning is nearly synonymous with purpose as we can argue a person’s purpose is driven by the meaning they make in the world. If my purpose is to help people become better in any capacity then that means something to me, but I digress.
Each philosophical school talks about the concept of meaning to one extent or another, but not nearly as elegantly as existentialism… in my biased opinion.
I believe some of us aspire to clear acts of meaning, some are still searching for meaning, and others probably have no aspirations to obtain meaning or have none.
While this isn’t a philosophical debate about meaning this leads me to my next point. There are largely two different types of people when it comes to life purpose.
The Two Types of People
Recently, I had to let go of a close friend.
I will not disclose why but I will allude to it in one of my other friend’s remarks, some people are like leaves and others are like moving projectiles.
I knew exactly what he meant by that metaphor, but let me explain…
Leaves describe people with no general purpose in life. They let the wind (life) sort of push them around in any direction, they land wherever life takes them… whether they land in a beautiful scenic environment or a pile of shit is up to the direction of the wind.
Moving projectiles describe people who are moving in a particular direction with purpose or intent. Think of an arrow, a bullet, or a bird. The point is that those who are moving projectiles are moving toward something instead of being blown around by the wind.
Which one are we?
No one wants to think of themselves or be described as a leaf. We like to think we are moving with purpose in our daily lives, but when we engage in destructive, impulsive, and dangerous behaviors it’s fair to question that purpose.
Being a moving projectile doesn’t mean a person is perfect, lands exactly where they want to be, doesn’t change direction, or doesn’t go back to where they started.
Being a moving projectile means you’re moving in a direction. You are going towards something. Whether that something is a new career, getting a college degree, having a healthy relationship, personal achievement, sobriety, etc.
You are moving towards something when you’re a moving projectile.
Anyone can be a moving projectile but it takes giving up our impulses, our vices, and our destructive behaviors. It takes goals, planning, time, and management.
For such a long time, I was a leaf. I felt depressed and tried to cope with my pain through partying and drugs, but those destructive behaviors were only an escape from my responsibilities to myself and others.
Now my goal is to work towards managing my depression to lead a better life.
Anyone can become a moving projectile from being a leaf but be warned.
It is also easy to turn into a leaf from a moving projectile. It is easy to slip up and let life dictate our direction. This is why we must fight constantly.
Who are the people in our lives?
Are the people we surround ourselves with largely leaves or moving projectiles?
If so, how do you know? What makes them a leaf or a moving projectile?
It’s no surprise that we surround ourselves with influences, and in some ways, dictate who we are and who we become.
This is why it’s imperative we surround ourselves with those who are moving towards a positive direction in their lives.
The people we love may be leaves, but they’re still the people we love, and they may be good people.
However, when a leaf blows in the face of a bird in midflight it may make the bird fall or change course unintentionally. Leaves can distract us and take us down whether intentionally or not.
This is why it is imperative we keep those we deem as leaves at a safe distance and put up our boundaries.
If it gets really bad we also have the permission to cut these folks off.
That is where I arrived at.