This “French-speak” title folks just means your reason or purpose for existence.
Heavy, deep, and inquiring minds just wanna know. Man’s search for meaning in his life is Gumshoe’s take on this fancy French utterance. Now let’s have a glass of wine with the bread! Gumshoe will skip the escargot.
However, Gumshoe is not going on with this subjective narrative on a metaphysical basis. Gumshoe will leave that for your pastor, priest, rabbi, iman, or shaman to address that spiritual realm.
Gumshoe will confer with two of my favorite late mentors for just some plain old common “sense-ical“ thoughts.
The great American author and humorist, with his pen name, “Mark Twain“ (AKA Samuel Langhorne Clemens) gave Gumshoe the inspiration and desire to be a writer — Much to the unfortunate police supervisor who had to review Gumshoe’s witty written reports. Sacrebleu!
Secondly, the guy who made Gumshoe leave the Peace & Freedom Party and become a conservative Republican, the late President, Ronald Wilson Reagan. Gumshoe swore an oath as a California State Police Officer, to without hesitation, take a bullet for when he was the Governor. (Not so much for Nancy by the way)
NOTE: Please refer to the BizCatalyst articles, titled, “Ronnie Made Me Republican” and “The Care and Watering of Nancy’s Garden” by yours truly for more info about the Reagans.
Gumshoe’s friend Samuel is quoted to have pontificated:
The two most important days of your life are the day that you were born and the day you find out why.
Pithy as well as poignant to be sure for folks who desire to actually “mark” their personal “twains”.
President RR made this quote when he frequented the USMC Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina:
Some people spend a lifetime wondering if they made a difference in this world. But the Marines don’t have that problem.
Gumshoe ardently believes that both Sam and Ronnie would readily agree that all of us military veterans as well as all of us in law enforcement (active or retired) know why we were born and that we all made a difference in this fallen world.
God bless us all!
Well, that’s Gumshoe’s perspective from this side of life dear folks. Always remember to love the ones who love you and really try to love the ones who don’t.
Great article Gumshoe. Ken made two great points. No control on when we come into this world. On the second point I would like to comment. Growing up it took me a long time to try to figure out what was my purpose in life. I was this immature teenager who wanted to go to college cause everyone was going to college. It was also during the time of unrest in the world ie Vietnam. Lived in upstate NY and wanted to go to college to become a teacher. Then one day after having several conversations with a Marine Sgt who lived two doors away from us I take a walk up to the USMC 8th Tank Battalion and after taking a tour of the Tank Park and listening to the benefits of being a Marine (Remember I said earlier in this post that I was Immature teenager who had no idea what he really wanted to do in life) and how I could make a difference in the world I joined the Marine Corps. I remember going home and my mom was washing some lunch dishes wanting to know where I had been? I told her that I had joined the Marine Corps. My mom was stunned and started yelling for my dad. My dad who was a police officer back then and was lying down after having come home from working the night shift came out of the bedroom after hearing my mother yelling for him wanting to know what I had done. I gave him the same response. He didn’t say a word, shook his head and walked back in the bedroom. He didn’t talk to me for a few days. Finally asked me “What were you thinking”?
I quoted President Kennedy “Ask not what your country can do for you, Ask what you can do for your Country”? I really thought back then that I could make a difference. But then again I was still this immature 18 year old kid that really had no idea about life. I thought that my dad who was a World War II Marine Corps Veteran would be pleased that I had found some purpose in life. It wasn’t till later in life I learned that back then he wanted my purpose to be to go to college.
Well anyway I survived Vietnam and then I became a police officer still searching for that purpose. Twenty Five years in Law Enforcement I would like to believe that I made difference. Maybe in some ways being 76 years old I am still searching, as I am a volunteer for the last 10 years at our local hospital as a Patient Transporter.
Your articles are always thought provoking and again you stirred up another long ago memory.
Thanks again.
Semper Fi
Yes indeed my friend Tom. The siren call of “The Green Machine” was designed for very young men to beckon to its message of “The Proud, the Brave and the Strong . . . the Marines!”
At 17 for Gumshoe, I had to beg my parents for their written permission. I had a delayed enlistment for three months before my high school graduation. One week later I was on the “grinder” at P.I. The next four years were an adventure in manhood.
God has blessed and protected us both my Gyrene and blue-suited comrade. I’ve never looked back to regret being one of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children.
PS: My four younger brothers joined the Air Force at my very enthusiastic encouragement,
Tom, it sounds to me like you found 3 purposes in life. Blessed for sure.
I love your commentary my dear brother in Christ. It is a gift of faith through God’s free gift of grace that we only have to ask, seek or knock at the door to invite Him into our lives.
Coram Deo!
I agree that Clemens is one of the great writers (and wit, humorist, and philosopher) of modern times. While I understand his opinion of the two most important dates in our lives, I don’t totally agree with him. First, we have little say in the first date, that of our birth. Second, it has been my experience that few people ever really know what their purpose is and go through their lives in a state of quiet desperation.
Correct on both points my friend Ken. It is us few “blessed ones” who know our purpose in this life. Those who lead that life of quiet desperation, I feel sorry for. On another perspective, there are definitely a lot of “Walter Mitty’s” out there who live vicariously.
Thanks for your welcome comment Ken!
Great writing as always Danny.
At some point in our life we all ask the question (in one form or another), ‘What is my purpose?’ ‘Is this all there is?’……I was pushing 30 years old when I came to grips with that question in a serious way……not long after I found myself in the company of a Baptist preacher who shared Christ’s message with me for the first time…….
Our purpose in life, as God originally created man, is 1) glorify God and enjoy fellowship with Him, 2) have good relationships with others, 3) work, and 4) have dominion over the earth. But with man’s fall into sin, fellowship with God is broken, relationships with others are strained, work seems to always be frustrating, and man struggles to maintain any semblance of dominion over nature. Only by restoring fellowship with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, can purpose in life be rediscovered.
The purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We glorify God by fearing and obeying Him, keeping our eyes on our future home in heaven, and knowing Him intimately. We enjoy God by following His purpose for our lives, which enables us to experience true and lasting joy—the abundant life that He desires for us.
Our life – this 70 or 80 or so years – we have on this planet can be compared to a tiny dot…..with eternity represented by a line proceding from that dot and stretching to infinity; no end; eternally. Sadly, most people live for the dot and not the line.
God says (via His Word in Ecclesiastes 3:11) that He has set eternity in our hearts – every human being knows, deep down, that there is life beyond the one we are now living.
Seek the Lord while He may be found. Live life in light of eternity. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)…….there’s more to come!