What is the Purpose of Life?

I asked my son Jason what his purpose in life is. Predictably he doesn’t have an answer.

That’s fine. I can’t express the central, pure, meaning of my life in words: the closest I can come is “joy” as suggested by the Dalai Lama. This comes closer to any simple statement I can think of, especially in the framework of all animal psychology, which suggests that our primary behavioral stimulus is the twin need to avoid pain and gain pleasure.

There are people “stuck” in the “avoid pain” place will have problems sustaining enthusiasm, and will often spend large chunks of their lives bouncing between “neutral” and “painful” without moving significantly and regularly toward “joy” — their motivation diminishes the instant the pain is gone.

Those who make the transition to “seeking joy” do their work, exercise, family time, creative time not out of guilt or fear, but sheer pleasure. And the more they do, and the better they get, the happier they become. THIS is a clear aspect of the path of Mastery. When you love something, you want to do it all the time. And when you do something all the time, so long as you keep your goal in mind, or are walking a valid path, you will get better and better every day.

But you DO have to ask “what joy do I want?” and be sure your long-term values are aligned with your daily actions. If ultimately the Warrior is seeking a “good death” then his actions cannot be purely for himself alone. He can be “selfish” to the max…so long as his definition of “self” doesn’t…