A BIG HELLO to the deep thinkers and to the devil-may-care, your all welcome to The Bluffer's Guide to Irish.
Cad é an cuspóir atá le do shaol? - What is your purpose in life? isn’t a question the Bluffer has often asked himself, let’s face it.
Has the thought “cad chuige a bhfuil mé ar an saol seo?” - “why am I in this life” ever intruded as you sit in your recliner watching Bournemouth vs Burnley or even The Great British Sewing Bee?
Of course, not everyone needs a purpose.
Tá mé go breá mar atá mé - I’m fine the way I am is what a lot of people will tell you but there is probably a purpose in what they do although they don’t recognise it as such.
Your purpose is the end product of what you do.
It is the thing you aim for, a bun scríbe - a destination and you have to make the decision on how you get there.
Your life purpose is made up of the central motivating aims of your life.
Is é an cuspóir atá agam ná mo shaol a bheith sona - my purpose is to have a happy life and you will plan a course of action that aims to make you happy but of course what makes people happy is different all over the world.
We in iarthear na hEorpa - western Europe are well off compared to people in poorer parts of the world so being happy might have to do with having uisce glan - clean water.
(The people of Flint, Michigan however know all about contaminated water so it isn’t just third world countries who suffer from this problem.)
For others, being happy means pubanna, piontaí agus pléaráca - pubs, pints and merrymaking.
Others, however, find happiness in being virtuous.
Duine suáilceach atá in Peadar - Peter is good-living but that doesn’t mean he is a “Holy Joe”. Suáilceach also means joyful, pleasant or happy. Dea-bhean atá in Angela - Angela is a kindly, virtuous woman but that doesn’t mean she can’t get down and boogie to Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk whenever the occasion arises.
The purpose of some people has nothing to do with themselves but with other people.
For many people, what they are aiming for is to make life as good as possible for others, mostly for an teaghlach - the family.
(I bet you thought clann was the Irish for a family but clann just refers to the children or offspring. Teaghlach refers to everyone in the household.)
Others are guided by creideamh - religion where the rules for their iompar laethúil - daily behaviour are written down in a book - An Bíobla - the Bible, the Koran, the Talmud and so on.
Their purpose is to serve God in order to find heaven at the end of their lives.
Then again, there are so many people who don’t give a moment’s thought to the notion of a great purpose in life.
They just carry on doing charity work, or helping young people in trouble or teaching youngsters how to lift a sliotar onto a hurley or how to tackle in rugby or visiting elderly neighbours or running a credit union. The list is endless, thank God.
CÚPLA FOCAL
Cad é an cuspóir atá le do shaol?(cadge ay un cuspore ataa le daw heel) - What is your purpose in life?
cad chuige a bhfuil mé ar an saol seo?(caa tee a wil may er un seel shaw) - why am I in this life?
Tá mé go breá mar atá mé(taa may gaw braa mar ataa may) - I’m fine the way I am
bun scríbe(bun shkreeba) - a destination
Is é an cuspóir atá agam ná mo shaol a bheith sona (ish ay un cuspore ataa agam naa maw heel a vay sunna) - my purpose is to have a happy life
iarthar na hEorpa(eeraher na horapa) - western Europe
uisce glan(ishka glan) - clean water
pubanna, piontaí agus pléaráca(pubana, pintee agis playraca) - pubs, pints and merrymaking
duine suáilceach atá in Peadar(dinya sooeelcakh ataa in padder) - Peter is good-living person
dea-bhean atá in Angela(ja-van ataa in angela) - Angela is a kindly, virtuous woman
an teaghlach(un chaolakh) - the family
clann (clan) - children, offspring
creideamh(credgeoo) - religion
iompar laethúil(umper layhooil) - daily behaviour
An Bíobla (un beebla) - the Bible