about a year ago, we took home a yorkshire terrier puppy- which are affectionately known as yorkies. she was the second to the last of the litter to be taken. at two months of age, she said goodbye to her mother, older brother and baby sister and ventured to her new home. she was to be a lonely princess in her new castle as she would be would be the sole dog of the house. with no dog role models, she sought out to discovery herself. her knowledge, at that point, was generated from observing humans. occasionally, she had a neighborhood dog interaction which mostly consisted of behind sniffing.
instinctually, the animal’s behavior was remarkable. she began attacking shoes. regardless of whether they are being worn, shoes- these inanimate objects- were subjected to ferocious growling and menacing violence. shoelaces were often targeted. a small football-shaped plastic squeaky toy was a victim of puppy rage. the toy was assaulted and violently shaken. the puppy conducted pocket searches by jamming its face into my pants. it aggressively searched for objects. an occasional pen would become a casualty and become riddled with tooth marks. she would dig into blankets and attempt to bury food.
after her shots were completed, she was unleashed upon the neighborhood. with a striking curiosity, she was constantly searching; storm drains, bushes and holes were particularly of interest.
from an outsider’s perspective, i could see her purpose. her breed is to be a ratter. her actions- the curiosity and the measured violence- were designed for her to achieve this goal.
this led me to the question of man’s purpose. as a fellow human, i am not able to make as an astute finding that i had with the dog. my past observation is that adults were to work. my more current assessment is that adults struggle between work and family life. adults struggle with their young children. adults struggle with their adult children. finally, adults struggle with their aging parents. these every growing struggles often interfere with their ability to work.
my quest for an further answer also took to me the book purporting to provide the observations of a greater being. in the torah, genesis 3, 17-19, the creator of mankind stated that “with the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, for you were taken therefrom, for dust you are, and to dust you will return.”
as someone past middle age, this statement resonates with the understanding of purpose. despite years of working, there are still bills to be paid and food to be put on the table. further, with advanced age, there is the ever growing sense of mortality. there is the need, in part, for start setting up affairs for the next generation.
in sum, at this point, needing to post this matter, i am left with the notion that man’s purpose is a balance between the notion of work and the ever present knowledge of an eventual demise. these notions, while crude, arguably advanced humans past other species. knowing that are time is limited, we take it upon ourselves to assist generations to come.
be well!!
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The Ten Commandments Project 