pure sense of purpose

Lt. G. is surprised at how much he misses some aspects of war. In his post in Doonesbury's Sandbox, Matt Gallagher writes,

"I've been out of the military for just over a year now, and I've been shocked at how much I miss (parts of) it. The camaraderie, of course, can't be replaced in the civilian world, nor can the ability to act like a boorish 16-year old with a gun. (I'll leave it to the reader's judgment whether or not the latter is a positive or a negative). But the pure sense of purpose we had in combat is what I long for the most."

You can see that Gallagher has a knack for the truth. There are parts of his post that concern me, and at least one phrase, uttered by one of Lt. G's friends, is genuinely offensive. And still, I resonate with his human need for purpose.

Gallagher closes with, "I joined the Army to lead, and lead I did. But I got out because I didn't want to manage, and manage I would." Many, many of us in this culture are managers, whether in business or in households. Management may, in fact, be quite important. But our human need for meaning is critical.

How do we in the meaning-making business offer Lt.G, and Ms. H, and Mr. J and Dr. K opportunities to co-create a real sense of purpose? Isn't this what Tom Schade was writing about, here? Doesn't a "better life for all" include a palpable sense of purpose? How are we co-creating this in our congregations?