Our Life Mission
An ancient Jewish legend says that one night, Rabbi Akiva (an important scholar, philosopher and sage who lived in Judea between the first and second centuries AD) was returning home in such deep meditation after studying the Hebrew scriptures, that he got lost on the way home. Before he knew it, he had accidentally made his way to the main gate of a Roman military fortress, and found himself face to face with the invading enemy. Before he could turn around and retrace his steps, the inquisitive voice of a Roman guard who stood atop the gate echoed over him: "WHO ARE YOU? AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Frightened, the rabbi replied somewhat disoriented: "What?" The deep voice of the Roman soldier resounded again: "WHO ARE YOU? AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?" The rabbi then asked, "How much do you get paid to ask these questions?" The guard answered, "Two drachmas a week." To which Rabbi Akiva replied, "I would pay you twice as much if you stood outside my house and asked me these same questions every morning!!"
This fabulous story brings us deep reflections on our life purposes, suggesting that it would be highly useful to us if we received a daily questioning of who we are and what our direction in life is. However, first of all, it is necessary to ask ourselves if we have a direction to be lost, since many of us live only reproducing our routine, without even raising our heads looking for a north. Individuals like this have, as their most evident purpose, only to live another day, without really having a clear definition of who they are, and what is their reason for existing.
It is very common for us to seek definitions of ourselves through characteristics brought from the external world, such as a title, a nationality, a profession. If the Roman soldier asked us these two questions, we would quite possibly answer them. "I'm Joe Bloggs, an engineer, and I'm here to build bridges and roads." However, this type of answer only diverts our attention from what is really being asked.
When I worked as a life coach, as I would start working with a new client, with the sole intention of getting to know better who I was dealing with, I used to ask the person to self-define without using academic titles, profession, nationality or geographical origin, religion or creed, sports team or any other attribute originated in the external world. More often than not, the answer was a deafening silence. And this silence said a lot, suggesting that such a person had never invested a minute to reflect on who he/she was as a person. What the Roman soldier adds to this picture is the reflection about our purpose while we are in this world.
Many of us live in a deep identity crisis, waiting for such definitions to fall from the sky or be evidenced by some act of divine providence, which rarely happens. And the reason is quite simple; the definition of who we are and why we are here is not something to be discovered, but rather defined and chosen by ourselves. If we don't take the reins of such definitions and choices, there is a great chance that the world around us will define and choose for us. By becoming a "passenger" on such an important trip, without any control over the destination, we run a serious risk of becoming frustrated later, when we realize that our whereabouts are not the most desirable.
I’m not a big fan of appealing to jargons and clichés, but if such thought has stood the test of time, it is because something wise exists in it. And one of my favorite jargons says that the purpose of life is a life of purpose. And I would add that such purposes are usually choices, not works of chance. Therefore, I would like to suggest the following change in the questions of the Roman soldier, in order to facilitate self-reflection.
Instead of asking, who you are, ask yourself; "What kind of person or human being do I want to be? And why?" It is very likely that you will need to ask yourself more than once about your real motivation. For example, "I want to be a powerful person, who occupies high positions and my motivation is to have power and make a lot of money." Ask yourself again; "And why do you want to be powerful and make a lot of money?" I recommend that you keep asking this question until you find the real motivation, which, in this case, may be much less noble than we imagine. Another example might be; "I want to change the world and solve the problems of hunger on the planet." Ask yourself again; "And why do you want to dedicate your life to such causes?" The answer may have as its root cause genuine kindness, but it may also derive from a less noble search for approval from people dear and important to you. When you finally feel fully aligned with the answers you have given yourself, you will have found the "who" and the "why". Then try to measure the distance that separates the person you are today and the ideal one you have just defined.
The final step will be to fill your life with purposes aligned with the person you want to be, and with the motivations found. You will then have the definition of "how" to become such a person. As an inevitable result of such alignment, you will certainly feel the drive and energy to take the first steps, and your personal transformation will come naturally as a consequence.
You will then be ready to face the Roman soldier daily, and answer in a strong and meaningful manner the questions; WHO ARE YOU? AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?
