Our purpose is what you make it

You know, when you get to a certain age you begin to question your purpose. The successes of the past seem impossible to replicate; your energy is not sufficient to compete against the younger generation. So you may become lost, seemingly without purpose. And I have thought of this as my father did.

Years ago. I remember driving down to Florida to meet-up with my parents who spent the winters in the warm climate. And one night me and my father went out for a walk and just talked. And he talked about his lack of purpose and his inability to know what to do. He said that he could spend a year writing a book, as he had done previously, but he knew it was pointless because of all the rejections he had had in the past. He didn't know what to do. And I couldn't advise him because I was young and energetic and life was in front of me.

And this became a real problem when my mum died and dad was on his own. He was a very social person and here he was alone and he used to say: when I come into this house, it's like a tomb.

But he found out that a night school in his local area was asking if anyone would like to help out offering English lessons to recently arrived migrants who didn't speak the language. He contacted them and they, probably because no one else offered, accepted him. So here he was, a person that quit school at age 13, but had a charisma and an intellect, and had no idea how to teach these migrants, found himself in front of these people.

But he figured it out. He established connections with these people and the learning happened because of it. More and more people came to the classes. He became 'the Teacher'. The school actually tried to pay him but he was over 70 so the policy was that they couldn't.

When he died, dozens of his old students came to the funeral and some spoke to the audience; in perfect English. Not a dry eye in the house.

I talk of this story because, when you get to a certain age, our purpose is to teach the young.