Self-Limitation in Vocation

Finding our purpose in the world is one of our main goals when it comes to the development of our spirituality and values. It helps us to form our sense of self. Sometimes, following a singular vocation can cause us to limit ourselves to one area of growth, limiting others. For example, Bonhoeffer stated, “This is precisely why a myopic self-limitation to one’s vocational obligation is the narrowest sense is out of the question.” The idea that we can only have one vocational obligation suggests that we only have one purpose. From a religious standpoint, one may say that their purpose is to follow God’s path or the path of family members that came before us.

The issue with this is that we lose our sense of self in trying to live through others or in a vague direction. I would like to think that the purpose of our life is more specific to us than a generalized population. The combination of our strengths and weaknesses allows us to be unique. As a society with a melting pot of cultures and backgrounds, we each own skill sets that are transactional. This means that if I am struggling with something in my life, like school, I would look toward some who would understand and encourage me to keep going. In exchange, I would help them in an area that they are struggling in. If we were all the same people and personalities following the same vocational path, it would stunt the growth of our society and the individuals within it.