Life Purpose Stories

Considering Psychology or English

I read your website and felt compelled to email you.  I looked at the site once before and although I identified with it then, it means much more at this time in my life.  A little background on myself:  I am currently a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University.  I was a Computer Science major but recently decided I did not want to major in C.S. because it didn’t fit me and I just couldn’t envision myself enjoying a career in it.  My major considerations right now are English and Psychology and perhaps philosophy. I am interested in English due to the philosophy contained within it, in the sense that the great authors of the past (Thoureau, Dostoevsky, etc.) deal very much with the philosophy of life.  In a sense I feel that they deal with the only important issues that exist for mankind, those issues that you point out on your website, like finding a purpose, living a meaningful life, and having the proper perspective on things.  I am considering being an English teacher as I would get to talk with students about those issues that arise in Literature and hopefully aid in opening their eyes to such considerations.

I’m considering Psychology because I want to understand myself and others better.  I recently realized that I enjoy talking to others about following their dreams. Once my friends found out my desire to change from CS and heard me talk about it, a couple of them approached me to discuss their majors and career plans.  One was an electrical engineer whose passion is to be a film producer, the other an information systems major who at this point feels most inclined toward architecture.  I enjoyed explaining my perspective on things and trying to help them figure out what to do.  I see psychology as a link to a career doing such a thing.

I am very concerned with the way current society as you put it "devalues the inner life of the human psyche--emotions, dreams, images, higher consciousness".  Current society seems to see only technological advancements as progress. However, it appears to me that in the course of history while technological progress has brought about many good things, it has also caused many of the problems we now face, including the devaluation of the inner life.   This is especially apparent in the way many developments, such as TV and computers, decrease the amount of human face-to-face contact and interaction we have.  These are useful inventions but I have often wished that TV, for example, were never invented because I realize there are many more important things that I could be doing, such as reading or talking with my family.

As you mentioned, being kept from your life's purpose can lead to depression. I believe this is the reason many people are becoming depressed these days.  Our current society encourages many people to give up on their dreams, which cannot lead to a healthy lifestyle.

I once heard a quote that I think is very profound in its relation to this: "Do the only practical thing you can in life: follow your dreams."  This is something I am trying to do but I am running into the frustration of defining my dreams (my passion and life's purpose), and finding a career niche that meets them.  It is a difficult and trying thing to do.

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