Accepting the Unknown: Living a Life of Purpose

K and I

Plans and I have a love-hate relationship. They tend to fall apart when I’m halfway through. At that moment, going back sounds as good as going all the way. The pain is equidistant, no matter which way you turn.

Regardless, I’ve made plans, fought with and for those plans, and ultimately, have had to let it all go when I was at the end of my rope. And come daylight, made yet new plans.

Sometimes, it seems planning is the point of a human life — to console yourself that have something to do. For the next week or for the rest of your life. At first, you learn to plan an ordinary day. Weekdays, you work. Weekends, you shop. Thrice a week, you workout.

When this bores, you plan to get out of it. This could be long term or short term: start a new career or go on a holiday. But the truth is, ultimately, you’re bound to be bored when you settle into new plan. Give the business a few years and it’ll start to feel like a chore. A perpetual holiday can also make you feel like your life has no meaning. To top this, you’ll never outrun chores, workout, or work.

And we tend to repeat this pattern in every sphere of life. We fall in love, we break up, we move on, only to fall in love again. Or we get married, continue being married, have kids, or divorce our partners. Each option has its own course…