Finding your purpose

Alex Mativo
Aug 26, 2017 · 3 min read
Rick and Morty

The human Desire to fulfill an existential purpose has existed throughout history. This is a theme quite common in the TV series, “Rick and Morty”. Although coupled with a myriad of dark humor it expresses the desire to find meaning of one’s life with an uplifting cynicism.

For those of us who have no idea of what I am talking about (Game of thrones fans… *coughs*) ‘Rick and Morty’ is an animated show that follows the exploits of Rick Sanchez, a mad scientist and his grandson Morty as they travel across the universe and through infinite dimensions in James bond type missions.

Rick used science as a scape goat to justify his actions of abandoning his family in pursuit of the unknown and this largely affected his daughter’s upbringing as shown in her failed marriage. But during his escapades, he was forced to confront the vast scale of the infinite universe we live in and the only option was to find importance in the things right in front of him which is family and friends. This has brought him joy and catharsis.

Before I become an entrepreneur, I had a hard time trying to find my purpose in life. Like everyone else, I went through school with the notion that life is all about getting good grades and settling for a well-paying Job. But unlike most people, I wasn’t afraid to try out new things or set myself up for failure. One of my most memorable experiences was right after high school. Despite being very shy, I grew up being called ‘good looking’ by most of my friends and I thought to myself, “why not be a model”. On one random Saturday morning I found myself at an audition for a chewing gum commercial. Hundreds of models were lining up hoping to be the brand ambassador for this chewing gum company that aimed at attracting a young demographic through its new campaign.

I never ended up landing the gig because I wasn’t their ideal 6-foot model. So I thought to myself; why spend the rest of my existence trying to chase the unknown or trying to fit into someone else’s ideals when I can create my own opportunities that will make me wildly successful and happy. I founded my first company at 19 having realized that what I have always been chasing has been within me this entire time.

The lesson here:

We have to recognize and accept the absurdity and meaninglessness of life because once we do, it frees us to find our own subjective meaning and purpose.

This is explained really well by philosopher Albert Camus. To Camus we are like Sisyphus; condemned by the Greek gods to roll a boulder to the top of a hill his entire life only to see it roll Down again.

It’s hard to accept that our efforts will someday fade into Oblivion. History will eventually forget you and what you did for humanity. The only thing that will last forever is the ecosystem of family and friends you’ll create during your existence. They are far more important than the plethora of unsolvable puzzles you rush to solve every day. The moments you Shared and the happiness you created with them is eternal. That search for an existential purpose often blinds us from the stuff we actually enjoy, and keeps us from being with people that truly matter.

Why get depressed about existential meaning when life is full of things you can enjoy.

Embrace life, revel in it… Create your own subjective meaning and purpose … The only thing more terrifying than not knowing why you exist is existing and not have anyone to share your life with.

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Alex Mativo

Written by

Founder and CEO at The Ethnic Brand & Nanasi | www.ethnicbrand.co | www.nanasi.co

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