the basic premise of a higher purpose
notes an omnipotent intelligent and
conscious existence that it's at its
core one's real self this concept of a
higher purpose is at the base of
religions and religious practices in
Buddhism a higher purpose is at the core
of the religion nirvana
literally meaning enlightenment is the
elimination of your worldly existence
and earthly desires and actions to
eventually achieve liberation from the
constant cycles of rebirth the Orthodox
form of Hinduism involves aspects of
life that are part of Dharma or your
higher purpose
Dharma includes acquiring wealth gaining
knowledge and finally achieving
self-liberation called moksha in
Christianity the holy spirit which is a
part of the holy trinity serves as a
moral and spiritual guide for our lives
when you believe in Jesus Christ you
enter Heaven after you die thus
achieving your highest purpose as a
believer from a secular standpoint a
higher purpose means seeking something
that is bigger than yourself a higher
purpose has significance in modern
society it motivates us to find a
meaningful reason for our existence and
it provides fulfillment to our lives
because we feel the need to have
connections with others simply do a
quick google search and you will find
countless resources and industries
devoting to helping people seek a higher
purpose but we can't have a higher
purpose if we don't recognize that there
is an inner true self I believe we must
know our self in order to have a higher
purpose now this may sound
counterintuitive for me to say that the
initial focus and seeking a purpose
higher than self is to focus on yourself
but once we know our true selves we have
created a foundation from which our
lives may grow outward and upward
knowing what is at our core is the
foundation for growth self-knowledge
becomes our baseline the springboard the
strength of the base determines the
strength of the growth an example is
classical education in which there are
three stages of Trivium grammar
dialectic and rhetoric grammar or the
stage in which students are provided a
baseline of knowledge is vital for
higher stages of learning
I am currently preparing for an Advanced
Placement Language exam where and I will
be expected to provide rhetorical
analyses on various passages of texts I
will draw in my early years spent
developing a foundation and punctuation
syntax reading and spelling without the
Grammer years of my education spent
developing those basic skills any
rhetorical analysis would be impossible
to produce and impossible for our
friends at College Board to interpret
the same goes for Advanced Studies and
science math social science and the arts
ballet dancers don't begin their
training by putting on a pair of pointe
shoes and hitting the stage there are
years spent in soft shoes at the bar
learning and owning basic technical
skills I've spoken to you about the
origins of a higher purpose and that you
need to know your true self in order to
seek one so many of you may be wondering
how to achieve self-knowledge the first
step is to listen more than speak
observe more than act and absorb more
than infiltrate modern society
encourages us to take challenges head-on
and take no prisoners in our approach to
others but if we are this loud and our
interactions with others we miss the
opportunity to learn what is at our core
I challenge you to quiet your thoughts
emotions and actions absorb more than
infiltrate clear your inner slate to
start the process of self-examination be
ready for the challenge of
self-examination know that it's going to
be hard we're not born knowing ourselves
in fact our society is a constant
barrage of campaigns both literal and
subliminal aimed at affecting how we
feel about ourselves as individuals and
how we feel about our roles in our
communities my generation is under
attack pop culture driven by savvy
multi-billion dollar information
management industries provides a
constant onslaught of images that just
start real the danger to one who does
not know their true self is that they
are easily swayed to believe the false
imagery to believe in rhetoric to
literally lose themselves in the
constant pursuit of things that are not
only unattainable but inherently
dangerous know that that discovering
yourself will expose things you don't
love about yourself aren't securities
and our weaknesses it won't be
comfortable at first but with time and
mindfulness connecting with our true
self becomes second nature and enables
us to be comfortable with not just one's
strengths and successes but with one's
weaknesses and failures act with empathy
when we open up beliefs and to the
beliefs and feelings of others we are
acting within our true self we're able
to be in a state of connection with
others that in turn reveals our own
inner truths having an empathetic
mindset opens our minds and hearts to
understanding different viewpoints and
beliefs of others having this open mind
allows us
add to our own personal wealth of
knowledge from which we can then draw in
determining our own beliefs and values
an example is seeing the world as a
giant puzzle of which we are a piece
while we may strongly disagree with
others and lifestyles beliefs or values
we are all part of a larger picture the
global puzzle of humanity be comfortable
with yourself start by knowing what you
believe ask yourself what are my core
values and what values are most
important to me ask yourself how do you
approach right versus wrong thinking if
your reactions to right versus wrong
tend to be black and white or absolute
try practice thinking and what is called
the gray areas resist the urge to make
determinations with an all-or-nothing
mindset when you are willing to consider
values that seemed in congruent with
your true self you're actually affirming
what you believe subsequently be
prepared to defend your beliefs to
others and share your beliefs when
appropriate be prepared to receive
information that may conflict with your
inner values and beliefs challenge
yourself to present your beliefs with
love and in a way that is
thought-provoking rather than fear
provoking you have to realize that your
beliefs may change with time and
circumstance but our core values remain
the foundation of our true self for the
rest of our lives one step to be
comfortable with yourself is knowing
your personality how do you act when
you're alone versus with other people
who are you portraying to the outside
world and is this congruent with your
true self how do you react
the good and bad that life throws at you
when dealing with tough situations does
the presence of others lift your spirit
or do you deal with tough situations
best by taking time to be alone
know your body by understanding your
natural biorhythms Tampa prep is a great
example of understanding the natural
biorhythms of middle and high school age
students by having a later school start
time at 8:50 a.m. learn your biorhythms
by asking yourself what times of the day
are you most active and what times you
need to allow for rest and downtime know
what your body can and can't be so that
you can discard external images of that
perfect outward appearance knowing our
body type and body limitations including
disabilities allows us to accept
challenges that are possible and reject
those that are not it is the first but
very important step to developing a
healthy body image and is vital to both
young men and women in our society know
your preferences by asking yourself what
you like and dislike without the input
from others defining what you truly like
and dislike takes courage but it allows
a path free of inner conflict when we
keep doing something that we don't enjoy
or we neglect to choose what makes us
happy we are in fact giving away a part
of our true self this brings me to my
next point of knowing your dreams make
sure you know each and every step needed
to achieve your goal for example if you
want to be a professional musician ask
yourself what instrument you like to
play best the type of schooling you'll
need do you want to join a rock band or
join an orchestra so what happens when
you achieve this self-knowledge
the first thing that happens is you
recognize yourself worth feelings of
Southworth enable us to create barriers
that protect what we value believe and
dream these barriers become our inner
voice that tells us when something is
not right and tells us when to act or
speak in defense of our self or others
the more comfortable we become with our
true self the more authentic our lives
become this pursuit of self-knowledge
subconsciously creates a state of
congruence our true self matches with
the life we purposely choose to live
we've all heard the phrase lying to
oneself and the harm that such an
existence can bring I believe the times
of my life are the toughest when my
words and actions don't match with what
I believe at my core knowing myself
allows me to align my words and actions
with what I know to be true and it helps
me to defend myself through positive
self-reflection and respectful
interactions with others again so I
believe to be harmful to my core being
we can withstand disappointment defeat
and even tragedy without engaging in
self harm we can recognize the
subjectivity in life and withstand
challenges that seem personal we can
reject behaviors that bring risk to our
self or others something wonderful
happens when we are comfortable with our
true selves we are able to go beyond
reach farther and seek that purpose
higher than ourselves we can take that
growth mindset that focused within and
go beyond our own lives our own
communities and our own journeys it's no
coincidence that the inadvertent
influencers around us are individuals
who know themselves are comfortable in
their own skin and are thus able to be
vulnerable and service to others
when the chains of self-doubt insecurity
and self-harm are broken we are able to
be open to others
we're in communion with others we are
free to rebuke judgment and instead view
our interactions with others as pieces
to a giant puzzle that makeup a holistic
worldview those who leave the lives
incongruent with their true self risk
manifestations of intolerance rather
than love it's exhausting trying to
maintain a facade that is in reality
protecting a very confused fragile sense
of self and this confusion is often
released on others in the form of
bigotry and tolerance and judgment I'm
grateful to be speaking on behalf of an
academic institution that encourages its
students to be yourself go beyond
inspire next and seek a higher purpose
than self it's pretty ironic that I
stand before you today representing
these ideals since I've only been a part
of Tampa prep for six months I made a
really difficult decision to transfer
right before the start of my junior year
and in August found myself on a bus to
North Carolina on the prep junior trip
to camp in the mountains of the Pisgah
National Forest with 120 strangers
literally hours after enrolling I knew
no one and no one knew me and the
decision to transfer hasn't been easy as
I've struggled to find my place gain
opportunities and develop new
relationships I've also struggled with
the personal adversity and watch those I
love do the same but at the core of it
all knowing myself allows me to seek my
higher purpose and enables me to
persevere through the difficult times
everyone faces adversity whether
in your school life your homelite life
our professional environments or our
spiritual lives my wish for you is to
know yourself to be comfortable with the
great and not-so-great that is at your
core maintain a personal growth mindset
that becomes your base your springboard
to whatever is bigger better and higher
than your singular existence in this
world simply