Everything revolves around the POINT

TUESDAY, 3 MAY 2005

One ad on CNN reckons some people “live inspired lives”. I like the idea, but what would be the opposite? What name should we give to a life that is not so much inspired … and inspired by what? An idea?

WEDNESDAY, 4 MAY 2005

15:41

Sometimes a person’s life unfolds in a way that leads you to understand that there is a POINT around which your life revolves. What then happens is that everything you do can be seen in terms of how far away this activity is from this POINT. Basic hygiene and food intake, for example, sustain the body, which is necessary for you to allow your life (which is not viable without the body) to revolve around this POINT. So it is with work, or then income generating labour, which is done in the first place to earn capital to sustain your life (unless your work is the POINT of your life, which is a matter you have to sort out with yourself). Another example is my own EFL projects. I am currently contemplating whether a series should consist of three or five books, how many pictures will be included, whether the book should be in colour or black and white, how many and what kind of exercises I should include, the dimensions of the book, and so on. As long as I know these decisions I have to make are still related to the POINT of my life (in this case in a secondary/sustaining/conducive role), I can continue with this activity without developing an existential crisis about it.

17:02

Everything revolves around the POINT.

The POINT is not a goal you strive for and reach – it is something around which your life revolves. You do however strive for a long time to accomplish something so that your life can revolve around this POINT.

[27/01/15: What is “purpose” and what is “point”? A purpose is a reason for doing something (like staying alive). You can either succeed with this purpose, or you can fail. A point is an axis around which things revolve. Why do things revolve around this particular axis? Perhaps because it enables you to strive towards a particular purpose. Therefore: to strive towards and fulfil the purpose of your life, your life must revolve around a certain point.]

[13/06/15: A woman says, “To keep my children happy and to raise them properly so that they themselves can one day become productive members of society and help maintain civilisation, is the purpose of my life … No, wait. The woman actually says: “The purpose of my life is to make a contribution to make the world a decent place to live in, for myself, for my children, for all the other people I love, and for all those with whom we share our world. Considering that I see that as the purpose of my existence, I see my primary role at this stage of my life as keeping my children happy and raising them properly so that they can also someday become productive members of society and do their part to maintain civilisation. To do this, to play this role properly, my children have to be the POINT around which my life currently revolves.”]

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