by Paul Brodie
What is the purpose of life?
It’s a question many of us (perhaps all) have asked at some point. I’ve asked it many times—on my blog, in conversation, and especially in the counseling room. Some people have an answer ready. Others don’t. And over the years, I’ve realized that’s okay.
For a long time, I thought everyone should have an answer. Growing up in a structured religious system, I was taught to ask and answer three core questions:
Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?
These were foundational, woven into every lesson and conversation. Purpose was a given.
But when I started asking people outside that structure—particularly people in recovery—many didn’t have an answer. And why would they? If you’re emerging from rock bottom, battling addiction, struggling with the weight of trauma and shame… purpose can feel impossibly out of reach.
And yet, the question doesn’t go away.
From Indoctrination to Inquiry
My personal beliefs have changed drastically over time. I no longer subscribe to the obedience-based model I was raised in, where you get one shot at life and are judged eternally based on how well you followed someone else’s rules. That belief created more fear than freedom. It kept me trapped in anxiety, trying to live up to an invisible standard.
Today, I lean toward something more experiential. I see life as something we choose—before birth, after death, across lifetimes. A bit like changing shoes: each life is a new pair we put on for a specific purpose or experience.
Maybe the point isn’t to be tested, but to experience.
The Garden, The Amusement Park, and The Shoes
Over time, I’ve come up with a few metaphors that help me relate to the idea of life’s purpose:
🌱 The Garden
We are gardeners in a cosmic garden, tending to what grows around us. Some of us plant vegetables. Others grow flowers. Some are caretakers of rock gardens or atomic gardens—beautiful or destructive. The question is not whether we’re gardening, but how.
🎢 The Amusement Park
Imagine waking up in an amusement park. You don’t know how you got there, why you’re there, or when you have to leave. But everything around you invites joy—rides, music, food, people. You can spend your time searching for meaning, or you can ride the roller coaster and eat the funnel cake.
I spent a lot of years running around that park, too afraid to enjoy anything, worried I was doing it wrong. Maybe you have too. But what if the purpose is just to have fun while you’re here? To choose experiences that feel aligned. To live in the present.
👟 The Shoes
The body is like a pair of shoes. Different shoes for different purposes—boots for mud, sneakers for running, sandals for summer. When a pair wears out, you don’t mourn forever. You just pick a new pair. Maybe life is like that: temporary, purposeful, changeable.
Living Without Knowing
At the end of the day, nobody really knows the purpose of life. Anyone who claims to is still speaking from their own subjective experience. Whether it’s a spiritual revelation, a psychedelic journey, or a moment of deep reflection—none of it is final truth. Just perspective.
So what do we do with that?
We choose a belief that serves us.
I don’t believe we were put here to be judged. I don’t believe in eternal punishment for a single lifetime’s “failures.” I believe in experience, in awareness, in choice. And I believe that the less I worry, the better life feels.
Finding Your Own Meaning
You don’t need to adopt my metaphors. You don’t need to have the same beliefs. But I invite you to pause and ask:
What is your purpose?
Not the one you inherited, but the one that lights something inside you. Maybe it’s creating. Maybe it’s parenting. Maybe it’s healing, or helping, or simply existing in peace.
Whatever it is, do it out of love—not fear. That shift alone can change everything.
And if you don’t know your purpose yet, that’s okay. You’re allowed to enjoy the amusement park while you figure it out.
