> Ok, I buy this, however, what is this "purpose/ meaning/ calling/ value" thing? What does it mean, really? How do I find mine? Human purpose is ultimately ro

> Ok, I buy this, however, what is this "purpose/ meaning/ calling/ value" thing? What does it mean, really? How do I find mine? Human purpose is ultimately rooted in human nature and its ends. We often seem to think that either purpose is something arbitrary in relation to us or that there is some secret purpose within us that we must discover. Both fall into extremes because on the one hand, human nature determines what is valuable activity, and on the other hand, the concrete ends we engage in are various and open ended, even though they are determinations of what holds generally. Happiness is ultimately rooted in the fulfillment of human nature and its end(s), and (we cannot attain perfect fulfillment in this life), at the very least, avoiding doing things which are directly opposed to our natures. So I would begin by trying to understand human beings by way of natural law. You'll see virtue come up in this context. The virtues are like a ladder of habits (in the sense of habitus) that lead to happiness. Given that, I think the grand question of "finding" your purpose starts to look a bit uninteresting. Certainly, we might say some people perceive a calling, but I would be very careful not to construe this in emotional terms. All the pop culture talk about "following your passions" is absolutely disastrous. You don't follow your passions, you follow reason. This is not to say the two must be in opposition, only that the passions are often treated with an absurd reverence, as if they were some great source of hidden wisdom or "true identity". So I wouldn't worry so much about "finding" this grand purpose of yours. If you live virtuously, you will know how to respond to the world.