"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought." ~Matsuo Basho
Ayn Rand (of all people), points out that in a strange place, one must ask: "Where am I? How can I discover it? What should I do?"
I asked such questions of myself in my mid-twenties, and came up with three skills I particularly enjoyed using. Later, under the influence of Stephen Covoy, I wondered "what is the point?" and put together a simple set of ethical rules by which to live, and some habits to cultivate.
Ethics have proven to be a valuable tool set in answering the question "what should I do?" in small ways. Deciding to be honest, to seek simple approaches, to act with both strength and love when confronted with challenges, has prevented me from caving in to my own weaknesses on occasion. But it is still just a tool. There's no underlying significance to having a moral compass or some passions to pursue, except to the extent that they answer the question of what to do...
I'm still looking for something. Asking the question you posed me: "What is the point?"
Inside my head it's not so clean. It's "what the fuck was the point of that?" "Why fight this hard for so many things about which I honestly don't give a shit?"
Usually I try to clean that stuff up before I put it out in the world. Not worried about what people will think, but if I'm going to take someone off guard I want it to serve a purpose.
I want everything to serve a purpose. I also want to deal with reality. So - where to from here?