One of the straightest paths to purpose in life is to take responsibility for something (or someone). Becoming a person whose presence and competence benefits others. For both your sake and theirs.
Jordan Peterson calls this the “meaningful burden” in 12 Rules for Life, and downright posits it as an antidote to depression. Echoing Victor Frankl’s famous quote “he who has a why to live for can bear almost any how” from Man’s Search for Meaning.
There’s something inherently counterintuitive about this notion that people who feel overwhelmed by life, or lost in its endless possibilities, might not need a lighter load, but a more meaningful burden instead. It reminds me of the version of burnout that stems not from overwork, but from under-purpose. Sometimes, the answer to “it’s just all too much” is, weirdly, “can I have some more, please”.
Source: The responsibility is the reward
This may or may not be exactly what I needed to hear at this juncture of life. With my ongoing struggle with nerve pain, I will admit that I have fully lost any sense of “why” in my life. I’m going to have to look inside and find one again. The universe is reminding me to get back to the work of reading certain things, like Frankl, which I started, then stopped.
I talk with the doc who led me to surgery again next week, for more options, but I’ve become burdened with the forced acceptance of the notion that I may never be completely pain free in my life again. I should probably start talking to other people similarly affected, to get more perspective on what it’s like to live with this sort of thing long term, but I haven’t wanted to give into the idea that I can’t get free of this somehow.
Since surgery helped quite a bit, I can’t help thinking that more surgery would help more, but there’s a process to follow here, before undertaking something potentially more risky than the procedure I had done before.