The Purpose of Life

At ThriftyPants, we are firm believers that knowledge is a fundamental key to self-sufficiency.  An individual is empowered when they hold the knowledge to face a challenge successfully.  We fervently believe that knowledge is one of the reason why we are here living this life.  When our children have pondered the meaning of life, and subsequently brought those questions to us, the “why are we here?”  or the “what is my purpose?” we confidently tell them that we are here to gain knowledge and understanding.  That is, after all, one of the few things we will bring with us after we die. ¹

There are many aspects to knowledge.  Knowledge is not just something learned in books, nor is it always something you can directly relate to your paycheck.  Some of the most knowledgeable people we’ve met have lived humble but fulfilling lives.  If we merely considered the ability to recite the periodic table, recall the 16th digit of pi, or repeat the third act of Much Ado about Nothing it would be like trying to look at the world with only one eye.  Yes you can still see, but the world would lack depth.  Something would be lost if we deny the accomplishment in making a perfect weld, bringing complex flavors together to create a wonderful meal, or understanding the effects of hard water on someones hair.  Knowledge can be useful in your profession, your family relations, and most importantly, the improvement of your own mind.

Having knowledge empowers your self-confidence.  Consider how you feel when you answer a radio trivia question correctly, or the look of surprise on the faces of your dinner companions as they say, “wow, how did you know that?!?”

Our family places a great emphasis on reinforcing the importance of knowledge with our children.  Most parents have experienced the frustration of repeatedly being asked “why?”  It can be a little daunting and admittedly it is very easy to simply get overwhelmed.  In our family, we as parents try to be the ones asking the children the “why?” questions.  ”Why do you think the sky is blue?”  ”Why do you think they chose to say that at the end of the movie?”  There is also a great opportunity to teach our children when they ask us for help in doing something.  The next time your child asks for a peanut butter sandwich, take a little extra time to teach them how to make it for themselves.

Please, do not mistake us for ideal, perfect parents.  We are quite normal and face the same challenges as everyone else.  We are not always indulgent with the endless questioning, and we do not always take the time to show our children the how’s and why’s.  We do, however, know that knowledge is precious and we strive to make it a priority in the things we offer our children.  Step-by-step, we watch as their understanding of the world increases, as they become more self-aware, and as they begin to make educated life improving decisions.  This process requires a bit of patience, but the rewards are far reaching.

As a ThriftyPants principle, we believe that the more you know how to do for yourself, the less you have to rely on someone else.  When it’s time to build your chicken coop or make a birthday cake for your sweet-heart you can open up  your tool bag of experience and do it yourself.  It is not always as fast, and sometimes not even as cheap as it would be to have someone else do it for you, but sometimes life is a lot less about the price tag, and a lot more about the experiences we have and the memories we create.