Cancer/writing Journal #97
Charlie Schaefer, June 2023
Sequels to The Purpose Driven Life
The Maybe Tomorrow Driven Life.
The I Just Don’t Care Driven Life
The It Doesn’t Make Any Difference Driven Life
The Apathy Works (kind of) Driven Life
The It’s Good Enough Driven Life
The I Might Get Lucky Driven Life.
The I Don’t Think I Can Driven Life
The Indolence Driven Life
The Purpose Driven Life, published shortly after the turn of the current century, was a wildly successful book, selling 50 million copies and translated into 85 languages. Sales were helped after a report that a woman who had been kidnapped read a chapter from it to her kidnapper. His decision to release her, she attributed to the message from The Purpose Driven Life.
I have never read the book. Despite that, the title annoys me on two accounts. The first is that it implies the wherewithal to take control over the chaotic, the loose cannon of id, the wild that won’t be herded. I have not seen that happen. Entropy has its way. Order can go only so long and then the return to disorder resumes its natural place despite our firmest resolve. However, we love an illusion that control is within our grasp. The Purpose Driven Life traded on that attractive illusion.
My second gripe is spiritual. The Purpose Driven Life was in the Christian/Inspirational niche of the bookmarket. Now maybe Rick Warren, its author, managed to write an actually helpful, spiritually constructive book. However the title does not tell me that. The heart of Christianity should be to release control. Surrender of the bossy self to the will of God. As Jesus said, “Not my will but thine be done.” Evidence of this is admittedly scant among Christians but that should be our goal. The title suggests self actualization. Christianity asks for self diminishment. Purpose driven self diminishment calls for some fancy footwork and again, most surely trades in attractive illusion.
This is a discussion better suited to twenty years ago. What’s up with it now? Well, 15 years ago or so, my wife’s great niece lived with us for about two years. When things were bad, she filled our house with bipolar turmoil and shrieking foul language. Toward the end, she also provided us with an infant that I dearly loved. Anyway, the other day, as I was looking for a suitable notebook to write in, I found one in which the niece had written, in bold multi color marker, “The Purpose Driven Life!” I found touching, the longing for order in a place where such disorder reigned but also found offensive, the faux promise, the fool’s gold hope, offered by the phrase. I wanted to say to the niece of 15 years ago, “Oh Honey, it ain’t happenin’. But keep your chin up. You’ll kind of muddle through.”
I like this take. How you riffed off the title. Isn't it SO COOL how you found that note your niece had written long ago? I read something this morning in which the author said we should stop telling kids they can become whatever they want and instead tell them, "You can become something you're good at--If they are hiring." I wonder what someone might someday find written in large colorful letters in your notebook!
ReplyDeleteI had taken a picture of the page from the notebook which I included with my written submission. I forgot about that when I posted this. The path to getting that picture onto this blog is not clear to me. Perhaps the path will light up if I start doing it.
DeleteI do like the advice that you can do what you are good at so long as they are hiring. Unfortunately constricted world we are in if you are young which makes no sense to me since with fewer of them, they should have luxury of a wide range of choices.