Small moments illuminate the depths of joy we are capable of experiencing. These moments are the ones that make all the suffering we endure worth living. I often feel a deep gratitude for being alive when I am in nature, (at the beach or on a hike in the woods). When the sun beams on my skin, I feel a gentle breeze in the air, sounds of tranquil nature surround me.... Either when I am alone or with someone I love, these are the moments when I feel a deep sense of joy, and would consider any suffering in life to be worth it to experience such a moment. When I experience these moments, I think it conveys the meaning of my life. I think my meaning is to just be. To be grateful, to be present, to be intentional, to be connected with my surroundings.
"The athlete, the climber who actively seeks tasks, even creates the difficulties for himself: how delighted is that climber when he finds in a rock face another difficult, even more difficult, 'variant' of his task! At this point we must note, however, that religious people, in their sense of life,in their 'understanding of being', distinguish themselves in that they go a step further than the person who merely understands their life as a task, in that they also experience the agency that 'gives them the task or that sets them before the task- the divine being! In other words, religious people experience their life as a divine mission." (page 49: Yes To Life In Spite Of Everything by Victor Frankl). The climber, the athlete, and the religious person experience a divine calling to overcome challenges and find the beauty within the experience. They know their purpose, they know why life is worth living. In a poem written by Martha Medeiros, You Start Dying Slowly-- a picture is painted of what it looks like to live without purpose, what it feels like to live without the power of the small moments.
"You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or your love,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
To at least once in your lifetime,
To run away from sensible advice...."
To know our purpose in life, we have to chase it in a sense. We have to challenge ourselves, continue to grow and learn and connect. We have to be aware of our civic duty, know our worth-- and that our worth is equal to each person we encounter in life. And we have to remember all of this, because I think it is easy for humans to conform and adapt to their surroundings. It can be easy to forget the purpose of our life in a consumer based society-- the small moments and the little things can be easily forgotten.
Pictured: a small moment when hiking along Lake Michigan.
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