Why?

When something happens, the first thing that we humans ask is why. Why me? Why now? Why this? Maybe it is because I feel more in control if I know the why of things. Maybe it is because if I know why, the world doesn’t seem quite so random. Maybe it is because I can better come to terms with whatever has happened if I know why. The fact of the matter is that knowing why doesn’t change what has occurred.  

There are also the BIG why’s. Why do bad things happen? Why do we exist? Why is the world like it is?  These are questions that humans have been trying to answer since the beginning. They are existential why questions that don’t have easy answers. They are questions that, when we do find a personal answer, only scratch the surface of the bigger question.

For me there are two whys. One is personal and is mine to answer. The other is universal and is out of my control.

The personal why is my why? What is my WHY? This why is my purpose. It is what I am called to do in this world. It is my reason for existence. It is what I spend my life honing, refining, and ultimately acting upon as I make my way in the world. It is what makes me who I am.

The universal WHY is much bigger, and I don’t believe that it is ours to understand. It is the grand design of the universe, and it encompasses all our lives. We are threads in the tapestry, but we don’t have the big picture, the big WHY.

It is important to understand my personal why but not so important to understand the why of the universe. That WHY is so much bigger than I am. However, if I understand my why, I can be more mindful of my own actions in the grand scheme of things. If my why is love, then my actions and my life resonate with my why. Without knowing my own why, I cannot be grounded or consistent. I become consumed with trying to find answers that don’t change what has gone before.

My task then is to discover my own why and to consistently apply that why to all my actions. If what I am asked to do does not fit with my why, then it is easy to say no. If my attitude does not fit with my why, then I need to change it. It takes self-examination, courage, and wisdom to know my why, but ultimately it is what makes for a purposeful and fulfilled life.

What is your why?

Barbara Garland
January, 202