Q: Let’s get deep. What do you feel our purpose is on this earth?
A: To do good work and leave the earth a better place for others. Today, tomorrow, and long into the future.
If you have children, the answer is easy. We’re here to make sure our children grow up to be happy, conscientious people not too full of themselves and willing to put in the time and effort to bring quality to the world. We want them to be fulfilled.
The satisfaction that comes from doing good work might be reason enough for being here, but to me that seems selfish. The real joy, the real purpose comes in knowing that what you’re doing this moment will somehow make a future moment better for another human being. I write short stories—partly because I can’t stop writing, but mostly because I want someone in the future to feel the way I felt when I first read something amazing. I want to be able to illuminate the world for that future person so he or she might go out and do good things that will impact her future. I make photographs for the same reason. That is how we create lasting legacies that mean something.
This is why I get up in the morning and play with my son. This is why I go to work every day. This is why I make art.
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Got a question of your own? I’ll do my best to give you an answer.
