Position:Home>Philosophy> What is one's purpose?

A long time ago, I attended a lecture!. The keynote speaker was an authority on value theory!. I had hoped to learn something from him, but I didn’t!. After the talk, as was my custom, I went up to where the speaker took post lecture questions from the audience!. My Professor, who himself had some original ideas on value theory, was in the crowd!. When he noticed me, he immediately came over and started apologizing to me!. He was apologizing for something he felt uncomfortable about, something that he said to me the last time we were together!.

At that time, I was taking his class, and, as was his style, he had just posed a question to the class!. I was not satisfied with the discussion of the question that followed, so I went up to him after class and asked, “What is the arête of man!?” I was simply repeating back to him the question he had asked the class to respond to!. He wouldn’t (or couldn’t) answer my question!. (Arête is a Greek word relating to purpose: the arête of a bow is to shoot straight!.) I didn’t know it at the time, but that semester was over for me!. Do to circumstances beyond my control, I quite CMU and moved to Arizona!. Because of my absence, he had jumped to the conclusion that his teaching method—his silence, had caused me to drop out of his class!.

But now, in his apology, Dr!. Gill wanted me to know that that was not true!. He wanted me to know that his silence was not a surrender to “man’s lack of arête!.” His silence was simply a way to make a point!. “The only person who can answer that question, your question,” he said, “is you!.” A person’s arête was always peculiar to one’s unique situation at the time of posing the question!. He was apologizing to me because he did not answer my question; that is, until that very moment, and at that moment, he completely won me over!. I knew myself to be standing in the presence of a man of impeccable character and generosity!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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I believe God has given each individual their own unique purposes in life!. I didn't what mine was until I started to read my bible!. My suggesstion to you would be to write about the individual quest to search for their own unique purpose because everyone's purpose is something different!. It's like thwe different body parts that function differently yet you basically need all your body parts to serve particular purposes!. Hope this makes sense to you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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