By Dr. Terry Macaluso, Head of School Emerita

The concepts featured in this issue of Inspire are Kindness, Clarity, and Purpose.

Worthy concepts—all of them. Of the three, however, purpose is the most complex concept to explain and the most challenging attribute to develop. Over my fifty-plus years of reading philosophy, I can say that more ink has been spilled trying to define human purpose than almost any other topic—possibly except for “happiness.” Of course, when asked “what is the purpose of life?” the answer often turns out to be—happiness.

Kindness? That makes sense. There’s not much to say about it. Without kindness, things become too difficult.

Clarity? Okay, but it is its own answer.

Purpose? Now, this is the one worth considering. It’s the kindest and clearest way to ask about the meaning of anything.

Language tends to be the problem. We believe that if we can craft a question, we should be able to find an answer. Think of all the books that wouldn’t have been written if we hadn’t asked, “Why?”

What would we do with ourselves if we weren’t busy trying to figure out what life is for? (Never end a sentence with a preposition.)

When asked, “What is X for?” philosophers have many suggestions:

Socrates: “I don’t know; you tell me.”

Plato: “Ideas are real. Physical objects in the natural world gain their essence, purpose, and meaning by representing the eternal idea in a transitory world.”

Aristotle: “Final cause tells us what a thing is; however, it’s a bit more complicated. Everything has four causes:”

• Material: What something is made of

• Formal: The essence of the thing

• Efficient: The maker or creator

• Final: The reason why a thing exists

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably afraid that I’m going to write one of those preachy philosophical treatises.

I’m not.

Right now, in this moment of human history, we can see what happens when people operate from markedly different perceptions of goodness, virtue, or purpose. This isn’t a simple, black-and-white conflict; the core beliefs that shape opposing voices’ understanding of purpose are so different that compromise or unity seem impossible. We literally cannot imagine how to bridge the gap that has been widening since we began establishing boundaries between states and between countries, and between religions and between ethnicities, and….

What we can see in the evolution of the country in which we now reside is an example of what NOT to do in a family, a tribe, a company, or a school. A union of people who disagree on what constitutes the purpose of the entity in which they share membership cannot thrive. Ostensibly, one wouldn’t join the group without having previously accepted the terms that define it. A lumberjack doesn’t interview for a position as an accountant. An accountant doesn’t carry an ax to work.

But these are entities that identify themselves with a purpose; their shared purpose is what defines them. Anyone who doesn’t share that idea of purpose doesn’t even want to join that group.

This is where it gets interesting. Most of us don’t choose our families. No one asks, on the way down the birth canal, “Are you sure you want to do this?” As families grow older and new generations emerge, attitudes shift, cultures change, and what keeps a family united over time is that shared fundamental belief present at the family’s beginning—and only if those who can choose to join or establish a family are free to make that choice. That core belief is respect for others: accepting human beings as “things in themselves,” and not just as means to some further end (Immanuel Kant).

All it takes for any group of people to form a union is one shared value. The only value that can be universally shared is accepting as accurate the value inherent in being human. From that starting point, disagreements about many things can arise—because that single shared value can “contain” anything except actions that dismiss the intrinsic worth of being human.

There is an elegant simplicity in embracing intrinsic human value as the purpose of being human. Not only does it free us from trying to define purpose through a list of “good things,” but it also provides the mindset that should guide every human interaction … without even needing to think.