Meaning and Purpose

http://home3.inet.tele.dk/stadil/spe_kc.htm

The link takes you
to a speech given
by the creator of Calvin and Hobbes.

I found it today at just the right time.
After spending the morning
at the car shop
reading "The Fountainhead"
by Ayn Rand,
I was struck by the focus
of her characters...
their concentrated drive
to achieve one thing,
one purpose.

I began to worry about the
lack of focus of purpose
in my own life.

But Watterson reminded me
that the important things
are so frequently the things
that seem unimportant to others.

I've never focused long enough
and with enough passion
to master any particular
art or science,
but I have taken joy in each day.

I've never become proficient
at a foreign language,
but I've taken time to listen
to other people share their stories.

There has been no great novel,
no outstanding achievement,
other than the deep feeling
of integrity and satisfaction
with my life as I have lived it.

What a world it would be
if we stopped worrying
about impressing everyone else,
if we stopped trying to distract ourselves
with petty entertainments,
if we just lived well.