In “The Last Samurai,” with Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe, the Samurai asks Tom Cruise what he has devoted his life to. Up to that point, nothing. He has had and still has nothing worthwhile to devote himself to. So he is empty; a shriveled heart moving from one whiskey bottle to the next. And the rest of the movie the question falls from the air like a warm spring mist, “To what will you devote the rest of your life?” What might be worthwhile?

The great literature shows what is not worthwhile – money, power, position, fame, celebrity, ego, videogames. You know the list – the 7 deadly sins and all the rest.

Of course, we want to master skills and we want enough money and stuff and a job that doesn’t crush us. But if making our living costs so much that it ruins our lives, it’s not worth it. You know, “What profiteth a man if he gain the world but lose his soul?”

There are some people who do devote their lives to their careers or their missions, but not many. You know how wonderful you feel when you master a skill you love. And how the world opens up when you master yourself or when you devote yourself to that which inspires your spirit.

So…To what will you devote the rest of your life?