Soulful Sundays: Purpose

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd

The ocean of life can be a cruel place to navigate. Ever-changing, unpredictable, and unrelenting, it is ultimately beyond our control. Success depends, in part, on our preparedness—keeping our sails fast so that we may harness the wind, maintaining our boat for bad weather, and heeding the advice of those who have been out before us. But preparation is in vain without purpose. We need a bearing to help guide us across the dark abyss.

Dharma is the ancient Sanskrit word for purpose. It shares its root with the verb “to sustain,” which points to the power contained within purpose. In Chinese medicine, the spirit of the Kidney is the Zhi (translated as “will”), and it is the force that drives us forward in life. When the Zhi is depleted, we become listless, fearful, and dull. Will is what sustains us as we move toward our goals. If we lack either will or purpose, we are lost—adrift among so many other forces determined to cast us about.

The surest way to deplete willpower is to never give it a formidable challenge. The will is an antifragile system—growing stronger when exposed to stress—but only when properly directed. A skilled blacksmith is needed to temper the steel. Here lies the necessary wisdom—the virtue of the Kidney—to guide the monstrous energy contained within. Without divine purpose that brings us closer to our fellow creation, we are pointed toward destruction.

Our dharma is to use what precious time we have left on this earth to live in such a way that sustains life and love—to cast out boldly on that mission, even if it means risking everything—because to live against our dharma is worse than not living at all.