On June 25, 155,131 people died on the planet earth.
Most of them you didn’t know. Many of them, when they died, left a small group of family and friends behind to mourn their passing. They had people who loved them and whom they loved; people on whom they had a significant impact by their life (and often in their death).
There were two people, however, that when they died that day made world news. Farrah Facett and Michael Jackson also passed away on June 25th. And when they did, they essentially took over the news headlines. Yet these two iconic stars had more in common than just super stardom in the 70′s and 80′s. In fact, the thing that was common to them both was their apparent odd behavior as they transitioned from one millennium to another. It appeared that in the absence of consistent recognition and fame they had a fierce desire to reacquire that level of fame, or to replace it with something else that would make them feel the same way. Accompanying their unusually high levels of recognition was a desperate fear of becoming unknown, becoming irrelevant, inconsequential, insignificant or unimportant.
Farrah Fawcett died at 9:28am and when she did the news about her death began to spread. Big news that morning, as she had been battling with cancer for several years and had finally succumbed to the disease. Ironically at 2:26 pm most discussions about Farrah ceased and her story was completely overshadowed by a “bigger star”. Even in death, fame was elusive. Fame is fleeting.
Fame, money, weight loss, career success, material possessions; the list goes on and on. And if we choose these items as an end unto themselves we are guaranteed to be dissatisfied. Chasing these things usually leads to a focus on our scarcity rather than our abundance. But it does not feel that way when we say “I want to be rich” or “I want to be thin”. Too bad that so many people simply do not finish the sentence. “I want to be rich, so that …”, “I want to be thin, so that …”. It is the “SO THAT…” which is key to a fulfilling, meaningful, purpose filled life. Worse, many people do not even know what their purpose is. Money is great; Fame is nice; Material possessions are useful, but if they are not connected to a greater purpose they can lead to a tragic life, often with a pitiable outcome the leaves people desperate, hopeless and despondent.
What is your “SO THAT…? What is it that you are willing to die for? What is worth really living for? Are there aspects of your life that you are desperately grasping at, but that are ultimately unfulfilling? Perhaps you should take a moment to determine if your search is disconnected from your purpose.
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