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Hey y'all,
I came across this amazing gem of writing by Kate Forster who described an interaction with a friend who had just survived cancer and felt guilty for not having some dramatic call to purpose in its wake. Here's what Kate said in response:
What if I told you that your purpose right now is to be here? That's it. All you have to do is show the fuck up.
Purpose is bullshit...or at least the version of purpose we have been sold by toxic capitalism...that we are not worthy unless we have a purpose and have productized that purpose. It is the idea that everyone is in competition with everyone else and your personal valuation is your worth. In a neoliberal world, we have all become human PNLs.
Becoming our best selves isn’t some personal revolution. It is the responsibility we have to each other. It is the kind of self-making and world-making that understands that we are inextricably tied and creates the conditions where everyone can thrive together. It is locating ourselves as part of a larger ecosystem, where everyone’s unique role and contribution is understood and appreciated. Purpose isn’t some individual endeavor; it actualizes each and every one of us as part of something bigger than ourselves. And it affirms that our highest, most realized self is one that is understood in relationship and expressed from love.
Your purpose is to be here. It is to survive despite everything and do all that you can to make sure everyone survives. It is "show the fuck up" for the more just and joyful world that we all deserve. It is to grow and evolve because our future depends on it.
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