Chapter 7 Crown Your Life With a Majestic Purpose.
When I started my first chapter, I knew I must be considerate to you through the course of this book. As children and young adults, you need to grow along a natural and gradual path. In this way, you will go with the flow and reach your desired goals more effortlessly. Thus, I will not impart success and happiness skills right away. I want you to be convinced first, of the need for a noble purpose in life, then you should have clear morals and values. Later, I will encourage you to develop your talents for the things you love; they will lead you to your dreams and goals. You will be taught many skills, to thrive and shine. How marvellous!
As we begin our discussion on lifes purposes, several incidents instantly come to mind. Not long ago, a major conflict in the African country of Rwanda drove a million adults and children fleeing into neighbouring states in great hunger and suffering; many died of sickness, starvation and slaughter. Such catastrophes are recurring around the world. Wars and atrocities grew out of evil minds and hearts, or rather, the absence of these faculties. The world is now so much in need of love, grace and moral direction.
Recently, an Asian country reported that the its youths spend an average of 20 hours a week loafing in the streets, watching the world go by. Now, just count the number of youngsters world-wide. There are over 500 million in the 10-20 age group, and if they had the same habit they would have lost some US$30 billion a week in lost productivity or wages. (Based on US$3 an hour, 500 million x $3 x 20hrs. 1 billion = 1,000 million.) Multiplied by 52 weeks, that is US$1,560 billion a year, enough to feed and heal most of the hungry and sick people on this planet! Meanwhile, the world spends yearly, US$800 billion on arms, US$400 billion on cigarettes and US$160 billion on beer! According to UNICEF, we only need US$34 billion to put the worlds children in good hands! Such monstrous greed and need exist together. There is so much to be done, yet so much wastage. The human race are wanting badly, selflessness and Purpose.
The 1994 Human Development Report, from the United Nations, cited that the richest 20% of the worlds population enjoy 85% of the worlds output. In Asia, 700 million people live in absolute poverty, and 600 million of them, mostly women and children, still cannot read or write. Just think how lucky you are, to be able toread this! Poor nations spend heaps on weapons despite their peoples hunger, yet the cost of one jet fighter could provide the primary education of 1 million kids! There are 20 soldiers for every doctor available in the developing world. The last few years saw more innocent children killed than soldiers. Millions died, and millions more were disabled and made homeless. The list goes on, but ignorance, indifference and heartlessness remain.
Shall we ignore all these? No. Shall we have some purpose in life? Yes. Even if some of us cannot do much, we can do a little. If everyone in the world does a little, it adds up to an astronomical volume. An excellent example of doing good is Sir Bob Geldof, an Irish musician who started pop songs and big concerts in 1984, to raise funds for the famines in Africa. By 1992 the funds have reached US$200 million and fed millions. I admire Sir Geldof deeply. There are many of him among us, but we are just asleep. We didnt lift a finger to help others, to contribute something to society. It is heartening to know that despite the cruelty in some people, others have soaring ideals, and life everywhere is still graced with altruism and heroism.
Our hope of heroism and altruism lies in you. Youths with great directions and grand purposes in life will be the achievers and leaders of tomorrow. Live and work, not just for material goals, but for high and noble ideals. Some people live wonderfully long and fruitful lives after discovering themselves and what they really want. Their purpose fills them with great energy, enthusiasm and fulfilment. They have perpetual youth and excitement. They remain young at old age, they eat like baboons and sleep like babies, they have affection for others, and solid resistance to stress and illness. Those with a direction are alive, vibrant and charged with power. Conversely, those without a goal are like ships without rudders or dogs chasing their tails; they drag, droop, and drift along. This clearly brings out the difference between people: The feeble and the powerful, the insignificant and the great.
The wonderful thing about purposeis the delightful feeling of „looking forward to something. I know how youngsters feel, and I could imagine how my children felt when they woke up that morning last year, about to board the plane for a rendezvous with me at the Gold Coast in Australia. I could sense their exciting anticipation before they touched down with my wife and I was waiting right there a big rental car! Wow! Why? Because they had a purpose, to meet Daddy and to enjoy and learn more about the world. And how do you usually feel on the morning of an oncoming birthday party, school outing or holiday abroad? Great! May your life be full of such feelings of anticipation.
Another wonderful thing about purpose is that it makes working towards a goal easier, I call this the „Stepping Stone effect, and if you love the work you are doing, it is even easier, it is a piece of cake! Two years ago, at the Matang mountain near Kuching in Borneo, my children were balancing precariously over boulders of a rippling stream. They didnt find it hard work, they enjoyed it instead. They knew that soon their fishing nets would be scooping up little shrimps and sparkling blue-line Rasboras for the aquarium!That is the „Stepping Stone effect, illustrated right-on!
When work is the stepping stone towards your grand objectives, you will enjoy it; even everyday chores and routine become meaningful and fulfilling. All these are confirmed by experts, who found that happiness does not depend solely on outside situations. No doubt our inner feelings are coloured by external conditions, but real joy comes from within, groomed by values, gratitude, purpose, expectations and so on.
As early as possible, determine your purpose in life and match it to something you love, be it singing, dancing, photographing birds and flowers around the world, or nursing endangered species in the zoo. Even If you are not ready to decide, have a general purpose along these lines:
My 3 most important objectives in life are to benefit:
1. Myself.
2. My family.
3. My Fellowmen.
I know that with my worthy purpose, I automatically get such strength of mind and muscle, brain and brawn. I will see myself as I want to be, impressive and powerful. I dare to be different, leaving mediocrity. I have the I will and I can attitude. In accomplishing this adventure of high purpose, I will take time to map and enjoy the journey of numerous „stepping stones. I am a child of the universe, with the right to be excel, and deep inside me is a special gift from God, a giant, with many talents to be unfurled, and boundless power to be unleashed. I can contribute something special and unique to mankind. I have virtually an unlimited potential for greatness. I know that a good way to start now is to become as good as I can at whatever I am doing, and whatever I love doing. I will make some progress everyday.
In concluding, here are just a few examples of the many great people in history, whenever you are free, read about them. Moses and Mohammed for examples, have been viewed by many as two of the greatest men ever lived. They had a majestic purpose. Mother Teresa spent ages caring for the sick in India, and won a Nobel Prize. Florence Nightingale was honoured for similar contributions to the sick and wounded. Marie Curies family won 3 Nobel Prizes, 2 of which she won herself by contributing to scientific discoveries! Remember Gandhi of India, and President Lincoln of the U.S.? The list goes on and on. All of them use all their abilities behind a Definite Major Purpose, and for them life is a romance and a glorious adventure. They devoted their lives to a cause greater than their normal selves, and left their beautiful imprints on humanity.
"There is no road to success but through a clear, strong purpose. Nothing can take its place. A purpose underlies character, culture, position, attainment of every sort." - T. T. Munger.
"There is a loftier ambition than merely to stand high in the world. It is to stoop down and lift mankind a little higher." - W. Feather.
"A fine life is a thought conceived in youth and realised in maturity." Alfred de Vigny.
"Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints in the sands of time." - Longfellow.