186 / To What End #2

Read this in the original at www.gapatton.net

"End" can mean "conclusion," and "end" can mean "purpose" or "objective." I've always liked the combination of ingredients phrase, "there is no end to life."

Believing that, to the extent that I have been able to, hasn't eliminated my inner compulsion to ponder and deliberate about what purpose there may be to my existence. Maybe you have a similar compulsion to pursue what I have come to think of as the "Stockdale" question: "Who am I, and what am I doing here?"

My teleological speculations have led me to a non-exhaustive list of possibilities (what political endorsement ads call "a partial list...."):

1. Survive and procreate
2. Make money
3. Possess nice things
   
4. Contribute to the community
5. Raise a good family
6. Change the world
7. See the world
8. Avoid controversy
9. Stimulate controversy
10. Become famous
11. Write a book
12. Produce a great work of art
13. Make music
14. Listen to music
15. Marvel at Nature
    
16. Understand the universe
17. Fight injustice
18. Make friends
19. Enjoy and be grateful

A partial list......