Good and thoughtful post Jaryd. It may be semantics, but I feel the challenge you have felt has been a limited understanding of the definition of purpose. Your presumed definition / description of purpose, for me, seems to be too closely linked to the ideas of certain goals or an outcome. Purpose in my view is about the journey and not the outcome itself, as you observed in your post.
Principles not greater than purpose. Principles applied with intention equals purpose!! :-)
Put another way: your post really just gives a richer definition or the *real* definition of purpose. And, I mean this in the best possible way in that your post adds to the vocabulary of what purpose really is.
See the verb form definitions of "purpose" in the dictionary and I think you will close the loop back to the true meaning of purpose. Or ask ChatGPT and see what it says to something like:
"When people feel or say they know or have a purpose, what is the definition of purpose in this context?"
The response I got was:
"A guiding principle or intention that gives an individual’s life coherence, motivation, and significance."
No reason to cast aside the Greeks or Aristotile...you are starting to understand what they understood. ;-)
Thank you, Jaryd. As a student of Stoicism, I think I have a duty to suggest another insight about purpose in addition to what has here been presented. I didn't think the Stoics were talking about a single purpose. Instead, they argued that we find purpose in everything we do. That leads us to deeds that are ends in themselves, which is what Aristotle defined as happiness.
Finding purpose in every action allows one to choose options that are aligned with their principles. So, principles precede choice for the virtuous, and choice confirms principles if the choice is purposeful. Incidentally, the purpose driven action is the foundation of rational action for human action economists. And it comes to the individual and the principles that guide their choices which reveal their purpose.
I'm confident that now that you're living the principle driven life, the purpose of every choice will become clearly assigned with your principles and those deeds shall be the end of their own end. Welcome to HAPPINESS.
Really appreciate your thoughts here Vincent. For me and for readers who are down here in the comments.
Purpose is everywhere. And purpose can be always. Once we know our principles, anything in accordance with it is purposeful.
My younger brother is someone who's taught me a lot about "doing the thing for the sake of the thing itself", and that reminds me of what you said about "your principles and those deeds shall be the end of their own end".
Yes, you hit the nail on the head with this Stef. My turn of phrase closing the loop to Jayrd's post was that: "Principles not greater than purpose. Principles applied with intention equals purpose!!"
Jaryd's shift to the new newsletter is bold, thoughtful and introspective.
Bold – Exploring vulnerable, sometimes uncomfortable topics, using his personal journey to illuminate paths for others.
Thoughtful – Diving into the heart of the human experience, offering perspective, depth, and clarity on what truly matters.
Introspective – Through honest reflection, Jaryd shares lessons from his own life—reminding us all to pause, reflect, and grow.
Thank you, Michael ❤️
Good and thoughtful post Jaryd. It may be semantics, but I feel the challenge you have felt has been a limited understanding of the definition of purpose. Your presumed definition / description of purpose, for me, seems to be too closely linked to the ideas of certain goals or an outcome. Purpose in my view is about the journey and not the outcome itself, as you observed in your post.
Principles not greater than purpose. Principles applied with intention equals purpose!! :-)
Put another way: your post really just gives a richer definition or the *real* definition of purpose. And, I mean this in the best possible way in that your post adds to the vocabulary of what purpose really is.
See the verb form definitions of "purpose" in the dictionary and I think you will close the loop back to the true meaning of purpose. Or ask ChatGPT and see what it says to something like:
"When people feel or say they know or have a purpose, what is the definition of purpose in this context?"
The response I got was:
"A guiding principle or intention that gives an individual’s life coherence, motivation, and significance."
No reason to cast aside the Greeks or Aristotile...you are starting to understand what they understood. ;-)
That’s a great perspective, Jeff. And I love the phrasing of “principles applied with intention equals purpose”. That nails it.
Thank you Jaryd. This is really helpful!
Makes me very happy to hear that. Thanks, Solomon!
Thank you, Jaryd. As a student of Stoicism, I think I have a duty to suggest another insight about purpose in addition to what has here been presented. I didn't think the Stoics were talking about a single purpose. Instead, they argued that we find purpose in everything we do. That leads us to deeds that are ends in themselves, which is what Aristotle defined as happiness.
Finding purpose in every action allows one to choose options that are aligned with their principles. So, principles precede choice for the virtuous, and choice confirms principles if the choice is purposeful. Incidentally, the purpose driven action is the foundation of rational action for human action economists. And it comes to the individual and the principles that guide their choices which reveal their purpose.
I'm confident that now that you're living the principle driven life, the purpose of every choice will become clearly assigned with your principles and those deeds shall be the end of their own end. Welcome to HAPPINESS.
Really appreciate your thoughts here Vincent. For me and for readers who are down here in the comments.
Purpose is everywhere. And purpose can be always. Once we know our principles, anything in accordance with it is purposeful.
My younger brother is someone who's taught me a lot about "doing the thing for the sake of the thing itself", and that reminds me of what you said about "your principles and those deeds shall be the end of their own end".
Happiness indeed.
…the purposeless purpose…it’s a paperback ready to roll…can even make a kids version the purposeless porpoise…wandering and meandering are underrated…
I’ll never (ever) regret time spent wandering and meandering…not enough time spent wandering, though…
Yes, you hit the nail on the head with this Stef. My turn of phrase closing the loop to Jayrd's post was that: "Principles not greater than purpose. Principles applied with intention equals purpose!!"