Something That's Not a Poem

So it's a rainy Charleston day. The power to my apartment is off until either later tonight, or tomorrow morning. I barely slept last night and got up early, so I'm tired. As a result - I'm sitting in the Kudu coffeeshop, using their internet. It's good times.

Last night was a very interesting one - I uncovered and analyzed a few layers of this strange belief structure I have. I also was introduced to a new side of one of my friends. All in all, an intriguing night.

One of the things she and I spent a lot of time last night talking about was "purpose". Between coffin nails and drags on cigars, we hashed out a lot of interesting topics.

And for the first time, I was able to express coherently a belief I've always held; that because of the fact that humans are intelligent, self-aware creatures, with individual personalities, we each have a reason for our lives - a "purpose".
I don't believe that this "purpose" is a result of any creator's plans - I am an atheist and I stand unmoving on that issue. However, because all humanity shares a collective destiny - a result not of a god, but of the introduction of our civilizations coupled to our basic biology - each of our lives has a reason for being.

At this point in time, I am starting to believe that this reason for being is not a specific thing. It's as if each of our lives is the vague beginnings of a song. Subconsciously, we're all aware of what key the song is in - we know the time signature. We're tapping out the rhythm with our hearts. This song - our individual "purpose" - is something unique to every person. It's based on our personality and worldview - both the one we're brought up in, and the one we see.

We know the general direction of our purpose, and the point of our lives is to develop that. We're here to write the entirety of our song - to sing the melodies clear and bright.

But it can be so hard.

This is why I believe that people can be corrupt and can act harshly. This is why I believe cruelty exists - harmful people are people who have lost their sense of purpose. They are people who are either deliberately or unconsciously ignoring their instincts, and are acting to further their own ambition, to gain power simply for themselves.

Right now, I believe that my purpose is to attempt to express the world as I see it. I'm here, and I have this gift with language, in order to take in what I see around me and present it to other people. I'm here to strike a chord that makes others hum along.