God's "purpose" For Me

[Kurari]

Today I was discussing with a friend about how bored I am with my job because I have a generic ho-hum office job. I've always envied people who had a dream, or could pick a profession, go to school, work for it, and obtain it. I wish I had something to aspire to, but I couldn't answer the question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" when I was 5, and I can't answer it now 25 years later because I STILL can't think of a dream.

 

So my friend says (and she knows I'm an athiest), "Everyone has a purpose, I believe God will help you find yours."

 

Normally I'm pretty indifferent to Christians and their delusions, but that really kind of hit a sore spot with me. God missed his potential with me. When I was a believer, I was totally open to whatever inspiration God would give me. He commanded it, I'd do it. If He told me to build an Ark, I'd have done whatever was necessary to learn how to make boats. My mind and my heart were wide, wide open, and I prayed for an oppertunity and a sign to show me where to go and what to do, and then I waited.

 

I waited. And I waited. And I waited.

 

Years went by. I've done a lot of different things. Built my own business, closed down my own business due to boredom. Worked for myself, worked for others, learned a lot of different skills, actually gained a little fame, and tried all different kinds of trades, and still nothing is worth doing for very long. I'll never have a career, I've just got jobs.

 

I doubt God intended for me to make my mark on the world doing data entry. I figure divinity owes me a livin' by now.

[R. S. Martin]

Well I don't know what you really want to do but it sounds to me like you'd like to go to school. Can you work in a night class on some topic or another? Or an online course? People have earned degrees that way. And if you have a good enough paying job you can do it on anything that interests you. It doesn't have to pay.

[Kurari]

Well I don't know what you really want to do but it sounds to me like you'd like to go to school. Can you work in a night class on some topic or another? Or an online course? People have earned degrees that way. And if you have a good enough paying job you can do it on anything that interests you. It doesn't have to pay.

 

I'd love to go to school. I even have the means to do it. But for what? I don't want to invest time and money into something I'm just going to move on from in three years like all the others. I have a lot of interests, but none I would want to build a career on and spend years doing. I've tried to do that several times and eventually realized I just couldn't keep interested. It sucks.

[Guest Grizzle]

Well I don't know what you really want to do but it sounds to me like you'd like to go to school. Can you work in a night class on some topic or another? Or an online course? People have earned degrees that way. And if you have a good enough paying job you can do it on anything that interests you. It doesn't have to pay.

 

I'd love to go to school. I even have the means to do it. But for what? I don't want to invest time and money into something I'm just going to move on from in three years like all the others. I have a lot of interests, but none I would want to build a career on and spend years doing. I've tried to do that several times and eventually realized I just couldn't keep interested. It sucks.

 

Hi. This is my first post ever on Ex-C. Just getting that out of the way.

 

School can mess you up if you aren't absolutely sure of what you want to do. I just got done dropping $35,000 for a year and a half of private schooling because I thought I wanted to be a pastor. So... just be sure, so you WON'T move on.

[jfraysse]

Hi Kurari:

 

It seems you have done a lot more than most people already. Running your own business is no small feat and many people won’t even try it. You obviously have skills and an aptitude. These are great enablers!

 

So what if you get bored and move on to something else. I see no dishonor in your lifestyle and I don’t think others should force a “you need a career” mindset on you, if they have. If you are truly unhappy with your life’s work, you will fix it. I have a friend whose own family almost drove him mad telling him that he was “unhappy” and needed to be doing X,Y,Z. They MADE him unhappy!

 

We are not all the same and for good reason, be it “god” or evolution or the FSM. You must realize that one of the goals of civilization is to make life boring, that is, “safe” and routine. Nevertheless, some of us will still enjoy, even crave, jumping out of perfectly good airplanes! If you need a challenge, join the Marines, the peace core or Habitat for Humanity or some other service organization.

 

I think you have the talent and I’m sure you will figure it out. I also like RubySera’s suggestion as I think you are good “college material” too. Good Luck!

 

PS: You did well in that Wedding Ceremony!

[Tealeaf]

How exacyly does this god you all fell for command you to do anything. How does/did any of this religious sign stuff actually make logical ie. non-completely acid trippy insane sense?

 

You're liven life the way I always thought/think I'd live it....as it comes! And there's nothing better. Just move to whatever floats your boat even if it does cost a shit load of money and you only spend a year with it. You only live once.

 

And Grizzle, that blows chunks. What the hell do you have to "learn" to be a pastor anyway? How to oppress logistics?

[Guest Grizzle]

How exacyly does this god you all fell for command you to do anything. How does/did any of this religious sign stuff actually make logical ie. non-completely acid trippy insane sense?

 

You're liven life the way I always thought/think I'd live it....as it comes! And there's nothing better. Just move to whatever floats your boat even if it does cost a shit load of money and you only spend a year with it. You only live once.

 

And Grizzle, that blows chunks. What the hell do you have to "learn" to be a pastor anyway? How to oppress logistics?

 

I guess a lot of what we did boiled down to "defenses of the faith", yeah. None of them were ever too convincing... which is why I'm here. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I was wasting my money and time until... well, I had wasted it. Now I've moved on to a much saner discipline (Cue Sarcasm..)... Political Science.

[R. S. Martin]

Well I don't know what you really want to do but it sounds to me like you'd like to go to school. Can you work in a night class on some topic or another? Or an online course? People have earned degrees that way. And if you have a good enough paying job you can do it on anything that interests you. It doesn't have to pay.

 

I'd love to go to school. I even have the means to do it. But for what? I don't want to invest time and money into something I'm just going to move on from in three years like all the others. I have a lot of interests, but none I would want to build a career on and spend years doing. I've tried to do that several times and eventually realized I just couldn't keep interested. It sucks.

 

Kurari, I don't mean to push you to something you have tried that doesn't work or you don't want to do. Maybe you've thought through all the alternatives. I don't know what all you've done in your life. So I'll just throw out a few examples I've seen of people I know.

 

Person #1 was a forty-something man working for a company who paid tuition for their workers to get a university degree of their choice. The theory was that the discipline of doing a degree would improve their performance on the job. I can attest to the rigors of the intellectual discipline that can be extended to other areas of life. He was interested in anthropology so he took anthropology, one course at a time. He will be working many years at completing his degree. But it adds colour and variation to his live; it breaks the monotony.

 

Person #2 was a lady who started taking one or two courses while working full time. Over the course of thirty years, taking one or two courses at at time, she completed a BA, MA, and PhD. During those thirty years she was working at her brothers chick hatchery, in a financial institution, and who knows what all else. She got her PhD several years ago and still works at the bank and for all I know she still does book-keeping for her brother's hatchery. She also teaches the odd course at the university level when she lands a contract, and has started a career in her field, but the bank is still her mainstay. Thus, she did not invest time and money in a three-year program to metamorphose into this great professional career lady.

 

These are the two examples I had in mind when I made my suggestion. I seriously doubt that this lady started out thirty-odd years ago saying she would do a PhD. She probably started out taking a course that looked interesting, with no idea where it would lead, or if it would lead to anything beyond an interesting experience. As stated, this may not at all fit your situation. I offer it simply as examples of people I know.

[Unknowing1]

I have a career but I look at it as a job. While I like what I do and am good at it, it isn't what makes my life, it's just very small part of it. I get much more satisfaction from what I do outside of work than I do from work.

 

In my case it's the job and not the field that bores me. I work in benefits, but I have moved within the benefits field to handle different types of plans allowing me to learn new things as well as allowing me to change jobs when things start to get monotonous and boring.

[Amethyst]

Like Kurari, I don't think I've found my true calling. I've had a lot of contract jobs. One or two permanent jobs. Few things seem to fit me. The things that I do enjoy, like writing and digital art, it's hard to pay the rent doing. But I write and do computer art in my spare time. I look at a job as a paycheck, not an answer to The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything. But maybe that's just me.

[par4dcourse]

I went thru the "purpose in life" crisis when I was an xtian. Here I am lawd: smart, energetic, personable, ready to do what you ask. ......nothing, nada, years of pleading for some clue. When it finally dawned on me that it was all bs an I was asking deep questions of thin air, then it made sense. Burnedout has it right. Live for today. I had a major heart attack at 45. Enjoy being here. I do, even without some grand purpose.

[R. S. Martin]

When it finally dawned on me that it was all bs an I was asking deep questions of thin air, then it made sense. Burnedout has it right. Live for today. I had a major heart attack at 45. Enjoy being here. I do, even without some grand purpose.

 

Profound words of wisdom. I love that, esp. that last part. I think it's called contentment.

 

Isn't contentment one more of those things xianity supposedly has a monopoly on? Isn't it strange how many things Christians have to tell themselves they have a monopoly on so they can sell their religion?

 

Now if Christianity didn't lie about all these things, then I couldn't have seen through all these lies and apostated based on those lies. If they had told me actual truths, and I disagreed with the truths, that would have been different. But it's lies through and through. Whitewashed supulchers. Their own lord and saviour told them NOT to do it but they do it anyway. If only they'd listen to him whom they claim to worship but they don't. They condemn me for listening to him. I really wonder how they will defend themselves when they face him on the Great Judgment Day. (Oh if only there were such a Great Judgment Day....) Maybe good girls don't make wishes like that.