Meaning and Purpose = Is it all just Ego or something higher?

[Edelweiss]

Now this is perhaps some elementary question in the PD community and the more I read Actualized the more I get the feeling that nothing really matters I think I may not be very evolved yet but all I know from my own experience, is that for most people and myself included, having a purpose or a meaning in what one does or in ones life is very important to mental well being. And that has been proven all over. (e.g. Logotherapy or the general mass delusion of following what you are told and the long term consequences of that shit). Being myself in this quagmire of enduring a meaningless but reasonably paying job that now also violates some of my principles and which is almost impossibly to give up without committing some kind of family-suicide, it becomes evident that it is just not healthy to carry on this way. I can accept what is happening all day long and go along with it but this either a subconscious problem or something more. And it will come back to bite you. Misery, illnesses, regrets...

Now technically one could imagine that your purpose and the meaning that you associates to activities is a pure construction of the ego in order to boast one's self importance and do-gooding in the world and feel good about it. Might as well leave your marble bust behind...

But now we come to the spiritual side of it, are we all endowed with a purpose or alternatively is the activity we feel to be meaningful something that was given to us as an individual somehow?

After distilling the meaning conundrum down to its basics one almost always comes to the point where service to the community or to humanity will be regarded almost universally as a”meaningful” pursuit. I can feel it... most of you will. If I do stuff for others and it helps it feels good. If I am selfish with my family it feels ok for a minute but not in the long term Now isn't that interesting? It appears that there is more behind that, the selflessness – meaning connections is somewhat intriguing.

What I also feel curious about (a parallel form the meaning issue) is our so very diversified interests. I see it with my children who had very different interests. From the time they could speak they knew what they liked. Same for me, I liked planes and radios and some technical stuff. Until this very day I do not know why it attracts my curiosity... I cannot figure it out! I was told I pointed my fingers to the sky before I could talk. Isn't that strange?

Now many people (I think it perhaps started with Nietzsche, and I may be totally wrong) have said if you don't see a meaning you have to detect it in yourself. Go inside and you shall find it. Now this is a perhaps a very spiritual or even mystical activity and it totally contradicts the ego hypothesis. Now with spiritual I associate something that gives you that kind of inner peace that you wouldn't experience otherwise. A connection to the higher... meaning????

Hence I think Meaning and Purpose is connected to something higher than Ego. What's your take?