Day 1: It All Starts with God


The chapter starts with an an assertion that I, the reader, was "born by his purpose and for his purpose."  If this is the case, then why do I need free will?  Or am I asking the wrong question?

I guess maybe it's not a question of free will or not, but rather how to feel like you've found a sense of purpose, and with that a sense of fulfillment.  If this is the case, looking outside of ourselves at the world around us, the people around us, will give us better insight into what we will truly find fulfilling.

What is "self-actualization"?  It looks like the term came from Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, based on About.com's article on the topic.  My understanding is that self-actualization, simply put, is performing or producing at 100% of our real capacity, however that may be measured.  But, I can see a problem with this, in that how can we ever measure what our real capacity is?  Self-actualization is a nice idea, but it doesn't seem like a fruitful one.

Rick Warren continues the discussion by saying, "He planned it before you existed, without your input!"  This statement seems rather scary to me, doesn't it?  Or if not scary, it brings me back to my first question:  Why do I need free will?  Why am I not simply an automaton?  I would argue that automatons, or automation in general, serves specific purposes much better than humans do.  For instance, it's much more reliable and efficient to have an ATM machine read a debit card and dispense cash than it is to employ a human teller.  These kinds of statements actually make me more wary of Rick's message, instead of endearing me.

But what if I look at it from the point of view that even God's plan is just that: a plan.  Plans are projections, and projections are not final.  So even if I have a purpose in that plan, and even if I can choose everything but my purpose as Rick proclaims, does that mean I have to fulfill my purpose?  It seems to make sense to me that I don't have this obligation.  However, if I don't fulfill my purpose, then perhaps I will never obtain fulfillment.

Point to Ponder: It's not about me.


I've talked to some other people about idealism and a world where we call care about each other, but that ideal seems so far away.  Emotionally I buy into the idea, and intellectually I see how the idea is beneficial for all mankind, but what am I really supposed to get out of this point?

Funny, I asked instinctively, "What am I really supposed to get..."

Okay, I think I get more of this point now.  Let me try thinking about my actions and phrases in the context of what I am doing for others with each movement and word.

Question to Consider: ... how can i remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?


I don't think I can quite answer this question as it's asked, since I don't fully believe in Christianity or in God.  But if I rephrase the question to talk about living for others, maybe I can do a better job.

I was going to say, "First, do I believe that life is about living for others?"  Again, here is a focus on me, with the phrase "do I believe".  Okay, let's say that serving others is the right way for us to live.

It is the right way to live, right?  I mean, would a person really be happy to be the only rich person among a sea of slummers?  That's like asking whether we would really be happy to be the only one alive, which at this stage I can pretty easily say, "no".  Our happiness comes from our relationships with others, I do believe, so we need others to exist.  Not only do we need them to exist, we need them to be emotionally ready to reciprocate, to participate with and to engage us in our lives.  Basically, I can't be happy without other people who are happy enough to help me be happy, so why don't I help other people become happier?

I'm getting really tired now and must sign off.  I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about my business plan due tomorrow night at 7:30 PM, but I feel that reading the Purpose Driven Life is more important to me at this juncture of my life.

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