Why am I here?

Universal and individual purpose

What's the point of life?

It's kind of a scary question, lurking always in the wings, haunting us when we know we're not on the right track.

Am I doing the right thing? Will I look back and wish I spent my time more wisely? Am I sleepwalking through life?

There's a clock in my living room, and I can hear it most clearly in the early mornings when I'm making my first coffee, pondering the validity of my existence.

Tick... tick... tick... tick...

To me it sounds like: "Time's almost up, buddy."

Am I fulfilling my purpose? What should that purpose be?

Unfortunately, at the level of individual purpose there's no pre-defined answer. It's up to each of us to find out and carry it out. (Tip: The Japanese concept of "ikigai" is worth investigating here.)

Fortunately, the unique flowering of individual purpose can be guided by one universal purpose:

Maximize love.

Celebrate love where it exists, and transmute fear into love where it doesn't.

This posture cleanses and satisfies us at a root existential level. It doesn't guarantee we'll find and achieve individual purpose, but it certainly better positions us for success while providing us with a stable foundation for a not always easy, but fulfilling life.