Means and Ends

       We so often confuse means and ends. Looking at our lives, I see a lot of goals and tasks. I want to have good character, we want to provided for the family, we want to have community, we want to have a good influence of others.... but why? these are all means to other ends. Not that they are not valuable and good, but that which is ultimately satisfying will have with it pleasing and joy producing means. We sometimes think that to live for an ultimate purpose will be miserable. But I read the diary of a king who lived a long time ago who had attained a great number of things, many good things, but he said "meaningless, meaningless!" to it all. Those words challenge us.
      What means are we pursuing assuming that simply to attain the means IS to attain the right goal? Just a thought. We never want to live in vain. Lewis once wrote that if we finally get whatever it is that we've been striving for and we then find that it wasn't really as satisfying as we hoped, we can be assurred that that thing wasn't really what we were striving for. How true.