Telos Undone

As we all hunker down in our safe havens during the pandemic, the one thing we suddenly have plenty of is time.  Our “to do” lists and calendars that have always seemed to be too full are suddenly empty.  There is very little that we can do.  The virus is an unplanned event that has us all sitting and wondering what to do next.  In general, we do not do well with idleness.  We crave busyness and a planned secure future.  It is very hard to accept there is so very little to fill our day and that the future is so uncertain.  Activities that have kept us busy have suddenly stopped.  We have been thrust into a situation where we have to reevaluate the true purpose of our lives.

Aristotle referred to our Life’s Purpose as “telos”, a term to define the activities that fill our lives each day.  The telos of a business man is to build wealth.  The telos of a stay-at-home mom is to provide care for the children.  The telos of a teenager is to be popular and accepted or to grow and mature.  We have all embraced our telos in the many different roles in our lives.  We are parents, co-workers, bosses, coaches, friends, voters, influencers, listeners, guides, care-givers, teachers, leaders, followers, employees, employers, healthcare givers, law-enforcers, law-makers, spouses, home-builders, and etc. Each of these roles we fill has a telos; a defined purpose.  We, with intention or not, have accepted our telos in life.  It is our purpose that defines us and how we find fulfillment.

Now we sit and wait.  Pray and worry.  Speculate and wonder.  But what is our purpose, our telos, when all the activities that have filled our lives are abruptly stopped?

Perhaps, this interruption into our lives is an opportunity to rethink our true telos.  This sudden cessation of busyness may provide us a uniquely, once-in-a-lifetime, occasion to truly evaluate what is most important in our lives. And it should give us the ability to appreciate what we have more fully.  At least there is plenty of time for a telos renewal – what else is there to do?

Whatever we end up calling this world-wide disruption, it will have a lasting effect.  The Black Plague, for instance, was deeply influential in forming what came next.  Artists and inventors in isolation created some of the greatest advances in human history following the 300 years of a plague that caused isolationism and refocusing of the universal telos of the time.  The Spanish Flu, along with the world wars that ensued, acted as springboards for the great economic and population explosions that evolved in the late twentieth century.  What good things might follow after this horrific pandemic that has enveloped us is gone?  Can we use this experience for good and betterment of our lives?

The most important aspect that follows may just come as a result of our self-evaluation of what is important in life and how we can re-prioritize our telos into something more useful than “busyness.”  As we sit at home, struggling with our new-found idleness, I suggest that we take this time to review and redefine our telos so whatever comes next will result in a better world in which to live.