Introduction
Before I put pen to paper, I asked myself “What is there to tell about my life that could be of interest to any other person, from my family, friends and associates to the wider community, if not the world at large?”
The answer is obviously important, as my writings would have to be tailored to suit one or the other objective, if not all, unless I was simply out to please myself, in which case there would be no constraints.
As my personality traits and aspirations in life have always been goal oriented, I opted for the dream of becoming an author that could make it on the world stage for the simple reason that – “he had some to say”.
So far so good, but what was it that I had say that could be of interest to anybody?
To put it in a “Nutshell", the answer lies with the one thing that combines the human race in the pursuit of a common goal, which can be put into three words: “Fun, Frustration and Fulfilment”, it’s as simple as that.
And whilst we begin our life with a clean slate, we are soon motivated to participate in the pursuit of a common goal on the premises that “Life is all about Fun”, and so we apply ourselves to the best of our ability.
And then we grow up as we develop an attitude towards our family, friends, associates, the wider community, if not the world at large, based on a mixture of positive, passive and negative experiences and memories.
With that under our belt, we enter the second phase in the pursuit of a common goal as we are expected to fend for ourselves by getting out into the big wide world, when we find out that “Life is all about Frustration”.
The phenomenon of life is reflected in the phrase that “Life is not meant to be easy”, which was originally coined by George Bernard Shaw, the Irish dramatist & socialist (1856 - 1950) in his play “Back to Methuselah”.
This brings me to my particular strengths and weaknesses as a contributor towards our common goal in the sense that every person is not only unique, but also equipped with a set of predetermined personality traits.
In the process, the world is made up of a) players in the game of life, and b) members of the audience, both of which are valid and honourable within the pursuit of a common goal, which brings me to ‘my’ predisposition.
That is, according to the experts who have studied the personality traits beyond our genetic predisposition and acquired skills and habits as a reflection of our upbringing, I am a ‘player’ in the game of life who is:
“Independent-minded, a thinker and a doer with little time for the established ways of doing things, unless they are personally tried and proven to fit a higher purpose, which cannot be explained or measured in real terms”.
This would explain the frustration during my years of personal growth and development, and particularly my experiences in the businesses of industry, which tend to be driven by the adversities of their own making.
This takes us to the third phase where “Life is all about Fulfillment”, in which case our sense of purpose is either based on our becoming a) a solution seeker, or b) a symptom bearer, both of which are honorable, once again.
In fact, it might surprise many of us to find out that there are no good guys and no bad guys, just solution seekers and symptom bearers, the significance of which can only be explained in the context of a common goal.
This reminds me of my busted eye and the surgeon who couldn’t help herself questioning my sanity with words like ”You people, why can’t you be more careful”, to which I replied “If it wasn’t for people like me, you wouldn’t have a job”, which left her somewhat speechless.
At the same time, I am not advocating that we should purposely break the law or get into trouble for the sake of providing jobs, which may be a growth industry in some parts of the world, but has no future on the whole.
At this point, you may be curious about the proposition of a common goal for all mankind, or “Our Ultimate Purpose in Life”, which has occupied the solution seekers for thousands of years without coming to an agreement.
That is, until now, as you will find out when you read my book entitled “Our Ultimate Purpose in Life”, in which I have provided a science based connection between a “Grand Order of Design” and “The Human Condition”.
In that context, this book is essentially an afterthought to the above mentioned book, as the possibility of my becoming a celebrated author could have been followed by a public demand for my autobiography.
Am I mad, do I have delusions of grandeur, or am I just expressing my fulfilment needs as a human being who has never shied away from a challenge, regardless of the great unknown and the seemingly impossible?
How can we tell the difference between the solution seekers and the symptom bearers, what are the points of reference, who determines these points, are we all mad and are we all going to die with the planet earth?
Well, I don’t want to pre-empt my other book which has all the answers to the questions, and many more, and so I will embark on telling you all about “My Life in a Nutshell”, as you are about to find out.