"Gotta Be Who You Are In This World": Some Thoughts On Purpose

There's a scene at the beginning of The Equalizer where a young lady named Teri asks Robert (The Equalizer) what happens in Hemingway’s story, "The Old Man and the Sea." Robert tells her that the old man catches the fish. She asks, "Why didn't he just let the fish go?" Robert replies, "Old man's gotta be the old man. Fish has got to be the fish. Gotta be who you are in this world, no matter what."

In the context of the story, I don’t think it was a statement of fatalistic resignation or some silly version of, "You are perfect just the way you are!" Robert was pointing out that we are all made for a purpose, with a role to play. We have to find that purpose and live it. It's an acknowledgment that we are made for some things and not others. It’s a Hollywood discussion of telos - the idea of design and purpose in the world and in our lives. I often hear this described as flourishing. I like that description.

I read two books recently that spent some time focusing on the issue of telos. A quote from each of these books will be the springboard for further discussion.