How Important is it to Know What Is Your Why?

What is your why — in this context — is not about the overarching meaning of life.

Photo by AZGAN MjESHTRI on Unsplash

Every single human life matters.

All lives are important. Each and every one of us is endowed with some scientifically amazing attributes. These allow us to experience our world like no other animal on Earth.

When we are first born, our lives are lived wholly in the now. All we know is waking, sleeping, and being. During this period, we’re just like the rest of the animal kingdom.

Then, as we grow, we develop a different set of sensibilities. These open us to the concepts of past and future. While they deepen our overall understanding of this world — they’re confusing as all hell.

I don’t remember a lot about my childhood. But I do remember, albeit fuzzily, spending hours at a time, alone in my backyard. But I was acting out a myriad of adventures with my Star Wars action figures in new and original stories of my invention.

I believe that I don’t recall these in detail because they existed solely in the now that was my reality, then. Sure, I continued my stories over time — but all of that was in the moment, the now of then.

As we get older, we start asking deeper questions. And while they are often intended to deepen our connections — they frequently cause more disconnect. Specifically — disconnect from ourselves.

We mistake the spiritual, philosophical question of “Why am I here?” with “What is your why?” And I would argue the latter question is the better, more important one to answer.

Why are we here?

This is a question asked by philosophers, scientists, religious leaders, gurus, and others questing for the deepest meanings.

Each person asking this question comes to it from their own perspective, biases, prejudices, beliefs, values, and whatnot. Thus, one similar answer can have two very different interpretations.

For example — How did it all begin?

The general answer a religious leader is likely to tell you is that God created it all. God, as such, is unending, can be neither created nor…