[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Reckoner

That pretty much describes how I feel about things (Going through the motions). A grand purpose is hard to find for me, because that answer will probably not be a spiritual one since I am an agnostic who leans towards atheism.

Originally Posted by Reckoner

Anyhow, those are some very tough questions for me because I've pretty much failed in answering them my whole life. Though I am young, I've pondered a long time about what exactly interests me and, I really can't find an answer.

Let's clear up two things right away: a "grand purpose" for life doesn't have to be spiritual and spirituality doesn't necessarily require religion.

That feeling of emptiness reflects a deeper desire for purpose, a goal greater than self. This is a feeling all humans share, a profound need to transcend mere existence, although some undoubtedly experience it more strongly than others.

My advice is: don't sweat it. At least, not yet. As I've hinted, it's a bit too early in life for you to be worried about your "purpose". Not that you shouldn't look for it — hackneyed though this may sound, the journey is part of the destination.

You'll go through many phases. For the moment, college awaits. Love, if it's not already there, may be just around the corner. Then comes your early working life, when you'd become fully responsible for your own bills. Adult choices will befall you, forcing you to question the practicality of pretty much everything you've believed in so far in life.

Then, one day, marriage; then a home (and a mortgage) and, finally, children. Your life will no longer be yours alone. Then, and only then, would you begin to get even the slightest whiff of what it truly means to live a purpose greater than yourself.

Meaning to say, the thing you lack at the moment is the one thing that cannot be rushed: the benefit of hindsight and perspective.

I'm intrigued, though. What do you mean by "connection"?