In 2015 I quit my job of 2 years. I had no plans. There was no job lined up. When people would ask what I did for work I would explain I designed boxes. "Someone designs boxes? That's a job?" "Yes. Boxes don't magically fall out of the sky." A year later I shaved my head entirely bald for a commercial. Cancer patients and their relatives, would tell me how they were personally moved by the ad. From then on when asked what I did for a living I replied, "I use to make boxes, but now I make people cry."
After quitting I travelled to Texas. I had 3 short flights there and back. On the first flight I asked my seatmate what the purpose of life was. I had quit my job, had no real purpose, and felt existential. He replied the purpose of life was to find your passion. The man was a sales account manager who looked like Peter Griffin, but with nice hair. He told me he loved people and his job was talking to people all day. Peter with better hair was the kind of salesman who could talk himself in and out of anything. He offered to buy me beer. He started telling me about his close Asian neighbours and their hot Asian daughter. If only he were younger he would have dated her. Then Peter invited me back to his hotel. Not before asking me inappropriate sexual questions to feel me out. This kind of behaviour (from men I did not know) would happen often. In fact I was so use to it I didn't register what any of Peter had said as a red flag. I was desensitized to the point were I thought Petter was a nice man. Because he was like all men. By the grace of God I ended up staying with two girls who had their flights cancelled and was stuck at the airport as well. They had an airline hotel voucher and invited me to join them. We had the best time. Those girls saved me from what I can only imagine.
On the second flight I sat next to an elegant older lady with a stylish silver bob. As we talked I revealed I quit my job and was searching for the purpose of life. I was a traveling cliché. She seemed unfazed. She told me back in the 80's no one thought about the purpose of life. This was a problem my generation seemed to have. In the 80's you just worked. There was no purpose to life. You worked and did what you had to do. She had been a single mother and raised two daughters. She was also a CPA. I could tell she had done well for herself, but wasn't thrilled about her daughters choice of boyfriends. Until her answer I hadn't considered that life could have "no purpose". "Find your passion" was hackneyed and her answer was stoic, straightforward. But I wasn't satisfied. It felt lacking somehow, detracting. Statistically I had only met 2 Americans. One of each gender, both white. Yet they were the most common, tragic, archtypes of each kind. The weighted rapey man who pursued his passions. All of them. And the single mother of two who strived and succeeded in life. It reflected to me the successful dismantling of the family paradigm.
On my third flight I sat next to a Canadian. He was working in America on a H1B1 visa. My GST-less comrade was a middle age man in finance. I told H1B1 about my dilemma and the two answers so far. He spoke to me plainly and shared that the purpose of life was—God. To believe in Jesus. Now I didn't love the other answers, but I disliked this answer the most. I couldn't conceive why God would be the purpose of life? Isn't that redundant? I asked, "Why?"
"Because if you don't believe in God, and his son Jesus you're going to hell. You need Jesus to be saved."
"So everyone who doesn't believe is going to hell?"
"Yes. That's why I pray for non-Christians every night." The conversation quickly ended there. I was unconvinced. I had no clue why H1B1 believed this. I didn't even think God was a possible option for the purpose of life. I dismissed his answer. The outcome of my field survey, in the sky, was a failure. The trip was a dud. I returned to Canada still purposeless. An empty soup can personified.
I never put 2 and 2 together. In fact I never put 4 and 4 together. First, if you can encounter Satan, (see previous) then you can encounter God. If you can encounter God, then God could be the purpose of life. Second, if H1B1 prayed for non-Christians, and I was a non-Christian, cis-gendered, bilingual-baldy going "straight to hell", then maybe he prayed for me. That same night. Maybe he prayed for his flight companion with no purpose. For her lost soul to be found. For her life to be saved. Before Satan tethered her soul to hell.