At 20, I was full of ambitions, opinions, and priorities; like a burlap sack, stuffed with potatoes, ready to spill out all over the floor. I was anxious to do things and explore the world. I expected to use my inside-life as a road-map for this exciting exploration. I knew I had a simple inside-life, but I expected to have an outside-life as big as I was willing to make it. Potentially, there was no end to the outside-life I could create for myself, if I just willed myself to achieve it. But, I was wrong. Silly boy.
Let me pause at this point and define some terms. My “inside-life” consists of my thoughts, feelings, emotions, and beliefs; while my “outside-life” is made from my behaviors, accomplishments, possessions, and experiences. My inside-life is private, known only to myself and God. My outside-life is visible to others, and open to comparison and judgement.
By the time I was 40, I was beginning to realize that my abilities and opportunities to build an outside-life was not as big as I had originally hoped. I was having to reset (i.e.; lower) my expectations. Over the years, my inside-life had grown somewhat, but only incrementally. I had accumulated a lot of experiences in my outside-life, but they didn’t seem to amount to a whole lot. I had matured, but I was starting to settle for less. I no longer allowed myself to aim high, because I didn’t want to keep adding to my lifelong list of disappointments.
When I turned 60, something snapped. I was tired of small-thinking, narrow-living and cramped-being. I decided to stop playing it safe, so I made a new plan. From then on, I decided to use my outside-life to explore my inside-life.
Telos and Purpose
Alasdair MacIntyre, a Scottish philosopher, believed that every natural entity, including humans, has a specific purpose or telos (Greek for “end”, “completion”, “goal”). This purpose is not something imposed from the outside but is inherent in the nature of the being. MacIntyre argued that understanding the proper function of a human being, or their telos, is crucial for understanding their moral and ethical life. He proposed that human beings, like other natural entities, have a specific purpose, and that living virtuously involves fulfilling that purpose. This “function argument,” suggests that by identifying what it means to be human, we can determine the good for humans.
The Bible says that God created me with a unique and proper human function. It is good, ethical, virtuous and meaningful for me to live according to the telos and purpose God gave me.
Turning My Life Outside-In
I have biked 7,000 miles; and tent-camped every month for 30 months in a row. These experiences have redefined my understanding of freedom, beauty, peace, existence, and meaningfulness. This week I’m finishing my 2nd year studying Philosophy at Cambridge. None of my grades are impressive, but I enjoy the challenges of being in school, learning new concepts, developing my own ideas, defending my opinions, and watching myself change on the inside. At 63, this all makes me very… gruntled (i.e.; satisfied and pleased). But why? Because I am growing on the inside. My outside-life is pouring into my inside-life like a waterfall filling a lake.
Fantastic! Over the top writing and explanation.
So proud of you!
Norm