A Central Purpose February 9, 2009
Posted by Beth in Parenting, Personal.Tags: Parenting
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I am taking a break from my economics blog to rethink just what it is I am trying to accomplish there, and in my study of economics in general. I’d like to share a post from a blog that had helped give some structure to my thinking.
“What is a Central Purpose in Life?” by Burgess Laughlin on his personal blog Making Progress.
Take a look, then let me know what you think.
Do you have a central purpose in life? If so, what is it?
AisA Academy 
I’m not sure I have one yet, but I feel like I’m just now ready to work on one. I might just use Laughlin’s blog post as a guide as well. I’d be interested to hear the details of your work on this.
–Amy ( http://www.amymossoff.com )
Part of the difficulty for me is that I am in transition.
There was a time that being a doctor was my CPL (“central purpose in life.”) After having kids, that shifted. I tried to do both, but I don’t think you can have truly 2 central purposes, and medicine took more and more of a back seat. That shift felt right at the time, and it still does. Homeschooling helped provide the intellectual stimulus for me that being a homemaker-mother may not have done on its own.
Now though, I am at the point where I can see the end of homeschooling (though I’m not quite done yet.) Even without being the teacher-educational coordinator, the work of creating a supportive, smoothly-functioning home for my family is very important…but can that be my “central purpose.” I don’t want to denigrate the work of mother-homemaker as I find it very challenging, time consuming and rewarding…but is it enough? I can’t think of anything else I am doing right now or want to do that feels more important.
If being mother-homemaker is my CPL, what does that mean? What does it entail on a day to day basis? Where does economics fit into the picture?
Those are my thoughts as of now. More questions than answers, but it’s a beginning.
Interesting…very similar to my story, but I’m at the beginning of the mother/homemaker/homeschooler part. Not sure that’s my CPL, though. When I was younger I wound myself up in knots thinking that I had a duty to know my CPL and I got stuck doing nothing much. I finally figured out that I needed to let go and just follow my interests. That has gotten me here, to the best place I’ve ever been. So it needs to be an inductive process to identify one’s CPL, and yet a CPL is a guide and gives meaning to life. It’s a challenge.
I know I’m late to the party, but I wanted to comment. I’m quite sure that I have never had a CPL. I’ve had some ideas, but I seem to be in reaction mode much more than planning (although I do tons of that, too). Burgess’ post unsettled me – which is always a good thing when you don’t have a CPL – and made me think. There are two things in which I am and have always been interested, but which have no bearing on my immediate life so they get pushed into the background: potable water and modern home design. Now I need to figure out how to become productive in either area.