My time at Loyola has helped me to define myself and also sculpt my beliefs. In class, we have discussed the idea of one’s highest purpose, which I have also come to realize.
In the past few years it have become extremely obvious that I am meant to teach. I have found that I truly want to be able to give others the experiences I had and help to correct the injustice that is the lack of education and instruction that many children receive.
While I am very passionate about my future vocation, Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love as well as other works we have read this semester have helped me to comprehend and accept what my higher purpose truly is. My higher purpose is, as Kolvenbach describes it, “to be a woman for others”; that is, I am to live my life in a way that helps and serves others, which coincides with my chosen profession.
Just as Gilbert found herself and her balance through her travels, I have found mine through my experience the last few years. This isn’t limited to the “college experience” but also includes relationships I have formed and things I have been privileged to witness. My fellow classmates and my professors have played a huge role in helping me to define my beliefs and, ultimately, the person I want to be; similar to how Liz learned from different people she encountered, such as Richard form Texas and Sofie.
Eat, Pray, Love admittedly is Gilbert’s memoirs of her search for a balance. Through her book it has become extremely obvious that we are all in need of balance and there are some experiences that result in unavoidable changes. Gilbert discusses her longing, and even more powerful—her need, for God and faith in something.
Ultimately, Gilbert’s book has provoked me to take a deep look into my life, my beliefs, values, and faith and determine where exactly I stand within those categories. Further, I have become motivated to become a more active member of my life, that is, participating more in a deep spiritual relationship with myself and the higher power I believe in.
Gilbert does an excellent job of exploring all aspects of life as well as the unparalleled importance of the relationships with others that we form. While reading the book I was reminded of a yoga class I once took; at the end of every session she would say “Namaste”, which literally translates to “I bow to you” but is more commonly defined as a term meaning “the divine in me recognizes and respects the divine in you”. This is the higher purpose I strive for. I want to be a person that strives to help others and acknowledges that all people are worthy of respect and appreciation.
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