Journey to wisdom begins with discovering purpose

When I mention the word “philosophy,” what do you think about? Probably something heady, abstract, impractical. In one way, it can be all of these descriptions, but also much more.

Philosophy comes from the Greek, meaning the love of wisdom. But, then, what’s wisdom? I think wisdom is learning how best to live. That’s a practical, often personal, and sometimes important study.

Most of us think we know how best to live, but if we’re honest don’t really take much time to consider how to live a meaningful life. We succumb often to behaviors that don’t help us or any others. There’s a stimulus and our response. That’s the basic description of human behavior.

But what if there could be a way to live more deeply, one over which we may have some control? What if we learned to pause taking any immediate response to stimuli outside our control and ask ourselves two questions that could change not only our immediate response but long-term implications, bringing us closer to who and what we want to be?

Here are two questions to ask before you make any big personal decision: First, how would you feel if someone did that to you? Second, what if everyone did what you propose to do?

If you take the time to ask these questions, that could change your future. But many do not have the time and are literally thrown into making a quick decision, one that might impact their lives for years to come.

One trick is simply paying attention to how you feel when pressed for an immediate response to a demand upon your life. If you can, take a time out and say you need to think about what you are being asked to do. Then ask the two questions before deciding.

Learning to fulfill one’s purpose in life is one of the most fundamental issues anyone deals with. It’s not always easily discerned. Sometimes it takes trials and errors to find the way right for you. Other times, the path is never found, and people wander through life wondering what it’s all about.

For philosophy students I often give a simple exercise to begin thinking about their life vocation. On a piece of paper, I ask them not to think too much about the answer but let whatever comes, come. Here’s the sentence I ask them to complete about themselves: I am here to: ___. I encourage them to write down their answers without thinking too much, but to trust what comes first.

It usually amazes me how often students worried about the question but have never taken the time to write down their responses, and how often the responses are clear and given clues about how best to live.

I once had a student pull the same life examination exercise on me. She asked me to write down my answer without thinking too much about it. Worse, she said I should write my response on the blackboard so everyone could see it.

This is what I wrote: “I am here to help other people figure out why they are here.”

Those words were my life mission, encapsulated in one sentence. I hadn’t always followed that life mission. Some times I wandered along a different path, but in the long run I realized this expressed who I knew myself to be and what I hoped to be and do for others.

Try the experiment. On a sheet of paper complete the sentence in terms of your life: I am here to____. And then take a quiet minute to think about your life, past, present, and hopes for the future. This is called wisdom.