Understanding is everything

People often talk about belief systems like they’re built on pillars—a few core principles that hold everything up. I like that image, but when I really think about my own beliefs, I’ve realized there’s something bigger than the pillars themselves.

All my beliefs point toward one thing: understanding. That’s it. My purpose in life is to understand.

This feels right to me because it avoids two traps. It’s not so vague that it means nothing (like “be happy” or “live fully”), but it’s also not so narrow that one setback could shatter it completely. It’s flexible enough to survive life’s changes while still giving me clear direction.

I think this idea sits in the same spot in my head where God might sit for religious people—it’s the thing that gives everything else meaning. The difference is that understanding isn’t one of my beliefs; it’s why I have beliefs at all. It’s what the pillars are holding up.

When I say my purpose is “to understand,” I don’t just mean understanding my purpose. I mean understanding everything—people, systems, nature, art, why things work the way they do. The relationship between understanding and purpose is tight, though. In a way, the act of trying to understand is what creates purpose. And having a purpose helps me understand what matters. They feed each other, but they’re not the same thing. Understanding is the goal; purpose is the structure that gets me there.