Foundations of Indian Psychology, Volume 1

19

Why Am I Here? Implications of Self and Identity for Conceptualizing Motivation

Sunil D. Gaur

 

O Partha, there is nothing in the three worlds that has to be done by Me, nor anything unattained that has to be attained, yet I engage in action.

 

—Sri Krishna (Bhagavad Gītā: 3.22)

‘Why am I here?’, ‘What is the purpose of my being here?’ and ‘Who am I?’ are the most prominent questions that haunt me the moment I stop engaging with my spiralling web of thoughts or doing some verbal or physical activity. For Harshit, my seven-year old son, the answer is very clear—‘I am here because you called me. I want bombs and sparklers for Diwali. I am Harshit’. All answers at one go! Ironically, a quarter-century-long training in psychology has not helped ...