What is the Purpose of Life

It was the winter of 2020, I went to Colombia to spend my holidays, but then the pandemic happened and China closed its borders at the end of March. So, I spent a year traveling, before returning to China in December 2020 .

Unlike many people around the world, I had it easy. Even though I wasn’t physically in China, I was still getting my full salary, and I had enough savings. It felt like I was on an unofficial sabbatical. But the problem was that I had too much time on my hand, and that made me uncomfortable, uneasy, and anxious. All my life I believed that once I had enough money to sustain a lifestyle of traveling and exploring the world without working, I would be happy, I would have so much time to do what I really loved, and that would bring me true happiness.

Now I have everything, I thought, I have the time, the money, the traveling lifestyle, so why do I feel empty inside?

Then one morning, in Medellin, I was sitting in a café overlooking an urban oasis of forested hills. It was blissful, yet I felt I was putting up a façade. How could that be? I was on holidays, I was living a life I always wanted, so what was I missing?

There was an Australian couple on the table next to me, they were cheerful, and they were talking about life and its meaning. It was as if the universe had brought them to Medellin just for me. I followed their conversation for a while until it stopped making sense. “Excuse me,” I turned towards them, “sorry to barge in” I said, “but you’re talking about something that’s been bothering me for a while now.”

They smiled in sync and looked at each other. The guy pulled up a chair, I got up and sat next to him.

“You were saying,” I looked at the girl, “that once you discover your talents, your gifts, your life is complete,” I said.

“Yes, pretty much,” the girl said.

“Well, I discovered my talents when I was a child,” I said, “and my whole life has been spent on refining them, then why do I feel like something is still missing?”

“Are you giving it away?” The guy said. “What do you mean?” I said.

“We can talk about this for hours,” the girl said, “but I think what Pablo Picasso said, sums it all.”

My eyes widened.

“He said, the meaning of life is to find your gift, and the purpose of life is to give it away,” she said, “something tells me that you’re not sharing your God given gifts with the world.”

That moment was one of the best things that happened to me in 2020. That awakening led me to start this blog, which I’m glad I did. Since then I have realized that sharing my stories is what matters most. Writing is fun, but without publishing it, without sharing it with everyone out there, its not the same.

Now I’m back in China and that void is gone, that emptiness has vanished, I feel alive, I feel energized, I feel happy.

What about you? Did 2020 pandemic change you in any way? Did it make you think about the life you’re living?

And most importantly, what about your God given gifts and talents, are you giving it away?