Personal Story: What is the Goal?

As a kid I was not goal-oriented, and I was even less so in my early twenties. I was – well – meandering.

Around that time, I made my first India trip – on bicycle(!), along with my brother. We made the big haul from China over the Karakoram range into Pakistan and then across to India – definitely not something I would do today, but that is a different story.

Upon reaching India, so many asked us, “What is the goal?” I was asked this again, and again, and again. And, always, I just shook my head in wonderment, not really able to answer.

At one stop, a group of teenagers approached me, one of whom was definitely the spokesman of the group. He was a confident young fellow and very assertive. Surrounded by his mates, he asked me, “What is the goal?” And I gave my usual non-answer. As I really did not know what to say – we were just traveling: To see, to experience. I thought the whole point was not to have a goal. So I did not give any reply, per se.

I looked strange to them with my helmet and biking gear etc. That might have been tolerable. But that teen just could not accept that I did not have a goal. Again he asked, and again I non-answered.

Then I mumbled, “We are just traveling around.”

Hearing this, his face lit up! He seemed completely at ease and accepted me as is. He formally announced to his comrades, “He is making a tour – that is his goal.” That teen helped me a lot. From then onwards, during that biking expedition (which really turned into a yoga / meditation journey) whenever I was asked, “What is your goal”, then I would automatically reply, “I am taking a tour.” And everyone was invariably satisfied.

Although changing fast, India’s roots lie in spirituality. And spirituality is most definitely goal-oriented. Everything is done with a purpose – with a specific aim in mind. We eat to nourish the body; we sleep to rest the body; we act to serve others; we meditate to realize the divine within. Every action, big or small, is goal-oriented.

Today, I can see life in no other way: What is the goal – what is the purpose. Everything should be part of a greater aim – an ideal.

As 2012 draws to a close, that “resolution” term is bound to arise. But that doesn’t always resonate with everyone – it is a term with all kinds of meanings for different people – some find it inspiring, others see it as otherwise.

So I ask you – what is your goal? Put it in any time-frame you like, think of it in any way you wish, but until I get an answer, I will continue to ask you, “What is your goal?”

And you cannot say, “I am taking a tour!”

Okay then, with the rules laid down, here I am waiting – what is your goal?