“We don’t know where we’re going but we are on our way.” This quote by Deepak Chopra, MD was his introduction to a documentary featured on Iconoclasts on the Sundance channel, where he teams up with Mike Myers, the highly versatile actor comedian of Austin Powers. They focused on storytelling and comedy as being the paths to “higher levels of consciousness.” It was experiential improvisation at its best and what impressed me the most about this unlikely team formation was that I was able to connect to the theme at such a personal level and a that new connection opened a new thought path for me. Therefore, I asked myself again the inevitable question of whether or not life has a purpose and how it is that I would identify it soon enough so that I do not miss it. How catastrophic to miss the point of one’s life and journey on this planet. We often define our purpose by what we select as our career path. We work and work, strive to be successful, hope to acquire abundance or wealth, and also aspire to somehow be recognized for our efforts. But what if that path we took was not the one intended by purpose. What if we missed it?
“Everything is going to be ok; now let’s go have fun.” Mike Myers shares his late father’s philosophy of life with this thought. I connected with him instantly as he talked about his father’s death and how he felt so devastated because he had wanted for his dad to be able to see him succeed as a professional actor and comedian. My dad died relatively young and he worked so hard his entire life. He never had time to be sick but when he finally took the time to be healed from what he thought was a simple health problem, he died two months later. No one expected him to die. I do not think that he thought he would die so quickly. At that time in my life I became the rebel. I questioned God’s reasoning for killing my dad. I wanted to know what really happened to someone when they die. Recently, I have wondered if he knew his purpose and whether or not he had chosen the right path to fulfill that purpose. He too had a wonderful sense of humor. I remember his chuckle most of all. He found humor in everything and he had the ability to make people laugh. Maybe that was his purpose.
I think that I chose the right path for me. I fell in love with the idea of being a teacher at a very young age. Of course, my very first teachers were my parents; they talked to me about all kinds of things and explained the why of things very concretely for me to understand. However, my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Fisherman, mesmerized me with her keen ability to make all things seem magical. She must have been a person who knew clearly what her purpose was in life. I knew intuitively that this was someone that I would try to emulate. I wanted to have the power of provoking thought in other people.
Chopra talks about divine discontent. At this stage in my life I wonder if I have lived a life of divine discontent. I know that I have been the rebel in many respects. I know that I question. I believe that creativity is a very important part of my life. Have I limited my own my creativeness because of divine discontent.
Chopra and Myers realize various points of “synchronistic thinking” between them. The death and the disposing of the ashes of their respective fathers was one of those connecting points between them. I loved Chopra’s story about when he disposed of his father’s ashes and found that his father had done the same with his grandfather. His father had left a record of what had happened for other generations to read when it became his turn to dispose of his ashes in the Ganges River. Chopra continued the tradition and left a note for his children to read when his ashes are brought to that very site; that is a wonderful opportunity for closure. I think that I will follow suit. I try to communicate to my children the things that are important so that they do not have to wonder about things that gave meaning to my life. They gave my life meaning and purpose; I hope that they know that. But, I want to leave them a last note that will relieve them of the grief that I felt when my dad and mother passed. Of course, I know that they have to grieve and mourn but I want to have the power to help them heal. That is what a parent does most of the time. Why not help them heal at the moment of our physical disconnection. I know now of course that the love between us will never detach from our souls. We are eternally connected through love.
So I think that I am finally on the path to understanding of consciousness, the meaning and purpose of my life. I know that healing is something that I have tried to do for myself. As a teacher, I have had to take on many different roles. I believe that teaching literature and the arts helps students to heal. Storytelling and humor definitely helps to reconstruct the negative into the positive. There are so many ills that young people face these days. There are fears of random acts of violence, terrorism, and so many insecurities that affect the psyche of our youth. These negative energies that have become so common in our social environment and their effects create a need for healing the soul and spirit on a daily basis. So perhaps my purpose will be to help in the healing process. Teaching children to imagine and create a more peaceful existence, and to instill in them that love is the driving force and most meaningful thing in life is a tall call of purpose. But, I am willing to answer the call. We are here for such a short time. Someone said, “Life is such a little while.” I suppose that we need to make it magical like Mrs. Fisherman made for us in Kindergarten. Why not? Everything we needed to learn we learned in kindergarten.
The following are some quotes that have inspired me:
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”—Ella Fitzgerald
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”—Lao Tzu
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.
