The Purpose of Life: Quotes from a "I Am Not Me"

Tweet

When I did my book review for "I Am Not Me" I said I would use other posts to refer to certain quotes in the book that I had tabbed off. They are quotes that grabbed me and truly make sense. "... True happiness has nothing whatever to do with amassing more and more material possessions, amassing more and more money, and enclosing yourself in your own private, selfish little world while neglecting and locking out everything and everyone outside it that doesn't contribute to that world. None of us is put on this earth to isolate himself or herself from humanity. It isn't enough to simply do SOMETHING with your life - you must do something GOOD. And to do this we must strive to discover that good which will expand our lives and allow us to live beyond the constrictive frames of ourselves. We're not put here on this earth simply to accumulate money and possessions and wallow in our own personal creature comforts. No, we're put here for a noble purpose and that purpose means moving beyond our own egos and expanding our horizons and achieving something worthwhile with our lives. We were put on this earth to serve, not to be served. And this can't possibly be done if our lives are eaten up in a constant search for more ways to embellish our own self-aggrandizement. Instead, we need to discover our own personal noble purpose and begin acting on it." - Character Matt Blackwell from [/i]I Am Not Me[i] by Leslie G. Sabo Years ago I worked for an advertising agency, which funnily enough, the main character in this novel Rodger Blackwell does. I thought to myself back then that I didn't like working to help make other people richer. Twenty-five years later I am no longer working... at all. But I am always in search of ways of making more money. I have thought, like the above quote, that I must be doing something productive. As Oprah says, "Give to the Universe and you will get back from the Universe." I feel I am doing some good, but it's probably not enough. Perhaps I am living a rather selfish life. As Rodger later says in the novel, "... We need to do more with our lives than merely accumulate money and personal possessions. We need to find out who we are and give something back to the world. Otherwise all the money in the world and all the material possessions in the world won't make us happy because we're only living selfishly for ourselves." I do not know how many people have read this novel by Leslie G. Sabo but I can say the more people who read this book, the more people Mr. Sabo has reached with these words and there is something good HE is doing. As I mentioned in my book review there is a part 2 of this novel and look forward to reading more brilliant words from Mr. Sabo. I know, it is easier said than done. That's what I say. But look at all the people out there doing good in the world and who receive good back to them tenfold. We need to think of others more than ourselves. That is not to say that we don't take care of ourselves. We cannot give to others if we haven't taken care of ourselves first. It is like a mother caring for her children. She cannot care for them if she is unhealthy. She must care for herself in order to care for her family. When one does for others and brings them happiness, we ourselves receive happiness in their happiness. The spirit of giving is unselfish and we still receive benefits from doing so.