Connecting the Dots

In A New Earth, Eckhart Tolle writes, “Your life has an inner purpose and an outer purpose. Inner purpose concerns Being and is primary. Outer purpose concerns doing and is secondary…. Your inner purpose is to awaken. You share that purpose with every other person on the planet — because it is the purpose of humanity.”

In emerging from the confines of Covid-19, I see The Great Reshuffle continuing to spawn all kinds of new ventures, and I’m energized by the ways people are carving out new outer purposes that nurture their individualities. Some high-profile examples in media stand out now:

• Former FBI Director and U.S. Attorney James Comey trying his hand at writing crime novels. The reviews are mixed so far.

• T.J. Newman, who’s taken her 10 years of experience as a flight attendant into writing aviation thrillers — in print and soon on the big screen. She’s been widely praised.

• Andrew Weissmann, a former Justice Department official, becoming a sought-after commentator and podcaster on legal matters.

They remind me of Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who delivered a famous commencement address to Stanford graduates nearly 20 years ago. He told them that you can’t connect the dots of your life going forward; you can only connect them afterward.

I think of my wide-ranging experiences in the media and education fields. In a way, each is a dot that connects to the next. Now, what will I awaken to do? What will you?