Purpose

“Where misery existed, joy manifests itself,” waxed lyrically the ancient Egyptian scribe Khety about the Nile. Given how fundamentally important the longest river in the world was to those living nearby thousands of years ago, it is unsurprising that it became the subject of poems or attracted fervent worship (as the god of abundance, regeneration, or fertility – to name a few qualities).

In one of its most enduring roles, the river served (still does to this day) as a major transportation route – and to align with the river’s unusual south-to-north flow, ancient Egyptians chose the former to orient themselves (with Upper Egypt being situated upstream, and Lower Egypt downstream).

What determines the direction of our days is complex, and ever-changing. Can we choose optimism as our ‘true north’ (or south)? Can we – no matter where the river flows – remain mindful that happiness is a product of our pursuits (1:34)?