Who am I? Why am I here?<\/p>\n
These are questions the LDS church claims to have answers to. In fact, I even parroted those answers when I was a full-time missionary.<\/p>\n
The thing is though, the LDS church doesn\u2019t answer those questions.<\/p>\n
Well, at least not in a meaningful way. Sure, it proposes that we are children of heavenly parents as an answer to the first question and that we came here to learn and get a body as an answer to the second.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s the same answer for everyone. It doesn\u2019t actually answer the questions \u201cWho am *I*?\u201d or \u201cWhy am *I* here?\u201d<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t tell me what *my* purpose is or how *I* am to make a difference in the world.<\/p>\n
My purpose must be more than learning. I must be able to apply that learning. And not just in checking off items on a checklist. We don\u2019t change the world by overcoming the temptation to drink coffee or watch porn or swear. We have to apply that learning in ways unique to us, in ways not covered in temple recommend interviews, in ways that change our character and positively affect the world around us.<\/p>\n
To be fair, I\u2019m not convinced that any institution or ideology has answers to those questions. I think the answers can be found only within us.<\/p>\n