MINING FOR HIGHER PURPOSE [5-minute read]

A higher purpose differs from a business or personal purpose in scope, motivation, and impact. Business and personal purposes are specific to individual or organizational goals and needs.

In contrast, a higher purpose transcends these boundaries and is rooted in a broader, more existential metaphysical vision—think Elon Musk versus Gandhi.

Once you exit your career, you become disengaged from various personal and most business purposes—those that gave you “the juice" are now extinct. You have tried substitutes: travel, volunteer work, grandkids, and various physical and social activities, but invariably, these activities lack the kind of challenge, spirit, and energy charge you need to give deeper meaning to your life.

You have become aware that you lack purpose. You feel it; a diminished sense of self is starting to impact your quality of life.

But you also know that the kind of purpose that was useful in the past will be useless in the future.

You're beginning to notice the outer effects of purposelessness: listlessness, irritability, and isolation. Resignation, resentment, and a touch of gloom are creeping in.

In other domains, you have done your work. You have stayed healthy by not fooling yourself. Prevention and early treatment are part of who you are now. When symptoms arise, you don't pretend anymore. Honesty, intentionality, and responsibility are also necessary to find your greater purpose.

Intellectualism was also an attribute you've kept going. Your mind still hungry to learn and grow. You kept yourself engaged with books, videos, and podcasts. You stayed current.

You continued seeking knowledge. You persisted in engaging your thinking mind, but it hasn’t yet opened the door to an advanced purpose.

You recognized you are purpose-driven. That's how you are constituted. You're built for purpose. But you have no purpose that inspires, enlightens, or generates commitment. No raison d'être.

How do you identify your elevated purpose, a purpose not based on the past, your previous identities, and your various acceptable personas? That train and its passengers have long left the station.

How do you distinguish a purpose calling you to be your highest self, intentional, committed, and passionate? A purpose that takes you to a higher state of being. A higher purpose.

Here’s how elders do it.

HOW ELDERS MINE THEIR HIGHER PURPOSE

Higher wisdom is required for elders to discover their higher purpose. Higher wisdom is a profound and insightful understanding of life beyond mere knowledge or intelligence. It allows elders to see the bigger picture, understand complex truths, and apply this understanding to promote well-being in body, mind, and soul.

Elders cultivate higher wisdom through awareness of the fundamental truths about life, human nature, and the universe. They see more of the whole package, including insights into the nature of existence, relationships, and the interconnectedness of all things. Higher wisdom is the answer to unlocking a higher purpose.

Elders understand that higher wisdom is already present within them. It cannot be taught, learned, or memorized. It's an inside job. It needs to be uncovered.

Therefore, excavation is needed to reach higher wisdom. They become their own archeological site. Elders must dig out self-deception, hubris, and imposter syndrome, which are heavy layers on top of their higher wisdom. They've got to go deeper through these packed layers to reach that vane of higher wisdom.

As a mining operation, elders must find the best tools. They strap on their headlamps, prepare their picks and shovels, and start digging. The tips of their picks are made of “insight,” which effectively gets through the layers.

Insights are generated by introspection, honest self-examination, unmasked truth-telling, and a willingness not to know.

Elders also realize that to uncover their higher wisdom, they must distance themselves from who they think they are.

Who they think they are exists in time—past, past-based present, and past-based or fantasy future. They learn to locate themselves in the present moment, where the past and future hardly exist, only the moment. Meditation is their shovel.

Soon, elders finally strike the mother load of higher wisdom. They can tell they’ve tapped into it because they now have a greater capacity to maintain a balanced perspective, see things from multiple viewpoints, and not be swayed by transient emotions or external circumstances. Tranquility is much more present.

Once they hit the vane of higher wisdom, they have clarity, insight, and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. Their inner peace and acceptance come from understanding and aligning with life's natural flow, not the ego flow. They’re riding the wave, baby.

Higher wisdom helps elders see beyond immediate desires or superficial goals, allowing them to identify what truly matters to them in the long term. Their objectives become clear, their vision more sharply defined, and their future goes from flights of fantasy to committed action.

The tracks are now built for the ore cars to bring precious wisdom to the surface. The cars can now be loaded with higher wisdom that delivers a broader perspective from life experiences and learning.

Elders can now see how their actions fit into the larger context of their lives and the world around them. Elders now know their place in the order of things. They realize, “What am I here for?” and their higher purpose is identified.

Higher wisdom helps elders discern which actions align with their core values and contribute meaningfully to their higher purpose, fostering a sense of fulfillment and authenticity. Higher wisdom is a guiding light that illuminates the elders’ path toward making more intentional, meaningful, and fulfilling choices.

Higher wisdom allows elders to see their particular place in healing the world while forming them to be the persons who can deliver on their higher purpose.

It is a virtuous cycle: Their higher purpose feeds who they are in the world, and the more they express their higher purpose in the world, the stronger they and it become.

My higher purpose is to bring the presence and phenomenon of elder into the world to heal the world.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Recent Podcast:
THE ROLE OF ELDERS IN MODERN SOCIETY on xraised: In this interview, Dr. Marc Cooper, Founder of The Contemporary Elder Institute and Chairman of Elder Council, explains the distinction between being “older” and being an “elder.” He shares what led him to create his work, discusses the impact of becoming an elder on aging and on the world, and highlights the positive outcomes experienced by those who have embraced the role of elder.