Purpose: Clues from Westworld & Daredevil

In journalism, you’re taught to open with a paragraph that answers ‘the 5Ws and 1H- Who, What, When, Where, Why and How’. The answers to these questions give the reader all the necessary information.

To you, what would the most important question be?

For me, it’s “why?”

Why? It’s simple, really. The answer to that is what gives life meaning, direction, and just makes it worthwhile.

One of the more recent TV shows that has some brilliant writing while also touching upon questions of purpose is Westworld. Consider this interaction between Dr. Robert Ford and the Man in Black.

“Everything good that has ever happened in your life, and everything rotten, this is the man you have to thank.” The Man in Black to Teddy.

“The world out there. The one you’ll never see, is one of plenty. A fat, soft teat people clink to their entire life. Every need taken care of…except one…purpose. Meaning. So, they come here. They can be a little scared, a little thrilled. Enjoy some sweetly affirmative b*******, and then they take a picture and then they go back home. But I think there’s a deeper meaning hiding under all that. Something the person who created it wanted to express. Something true.”

In the context of the scene, Ford is the Creator and the Man in Black lives in the world that Ford has created. Let’s look at the Man in Black as symbolic of us created beings living in a created universe.

The world we’re in can fulfill just about every desire we can dream of except for one thing – purpose. Meaning. The ‘why’ of life. That is a key philosophical question that has occupied some of the brightest minds to have ever graced this planet.

What is my purpose?

Why am I here?

Designers often deal with this as they conceptualise and ideate. They say design is the phenomenon by which consciousness is made palatable. Meaning and purpose aren’t always apparent but they’re ever present.

If there is design, there is purpose. They go hand in hand. There is no purpose without design and no design without purpose.

Design is intentional.

Let’s circle back to the scene from Westworld where Ford tells the Man in Black that if he wants to know the purpose of it all, he could just simply ask.

“Well, if you’re looking for the moral of the story, you could simply ask,” Ford.

As the designer, Ford built the world. He had a purpose for the world and everything in it. As a designer, everything around the Man in Black was intentional. It was not random.

Let’s look at the logo for Timely Wanderings itself. It’s rather simple and arbitrary at first but to really know the depth of the thoughts behind it, you need to ask the creator. Everything else is mere speculation and leads to forced meaning. True meaning can only be derived from the source itself. Read about the Timely Wanderings logo here.

How fortunate for us that the source of life Himself is present to answer the why of life.

This is true for films as well, or any artistic/creative medium. That’s why a stray coffee cup on the set of a TV show is such a big deal. Because nothing is unintentional, nor should it be. The director, the writers, the cinematographer, and the crew spend a long time intricately crafting every little detail that you end up seeing as pixels on a screen. These are things that most of us are not privy to unless we are a part of the creation process. We don’t know all that goes on behind the scenes. We might try and figure out the purpose and lend our perceived meaning to it, but the truth is not with us.

This is why the source is so important. The secrets of creation lie with the creator. Why else would filmmakers like Christopher Nolan have to give interviews and explain about the ending of films like Inception?

Here’s the thing though- when it comes to life, we’re presented with two apparent sources and thus, two views: the world’s view which really doesn’t have a definite answer.

The second view is what we should concern ourselves with and that is from the Creator- the Source of life itself! What does God have to say about purpose?

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:13

That is our answer to the ‘why’ of life.

That’s the meaning of life. That is our purpose. It’s all about a plan.

But the Creator’s view doesn’t always seem to make sense. At times it seems like the Creator’s answer to the why doesn’t quite fit in or is just plain wrong. That’s when we get to doubting and wondering if there is even a plan in the first place and if there is then what it could possibly be.

Daredevil has an interesting take on this.

Granted this is probably an interpretation of the hymn “My Life is but a Weaving” by Florence M. Alt but the truth that it holds is so profound.

“God’s plan is like a beautiful tapestry. And the tragedy of being human is that we only get to see it from the back. With all the ragged threads and the muddy colors. And we only get a hint at the true beauty that would be revealed if we could see the whole pattern on the other side…as God does.” Matt Murdock, Daredevil, S03E13

Our minds are not capable of understanding everything that the Creator has in His infinite being and so, we only see in part but someday when we stand before the answer, we will have no questions.

Look at how the story of Westworld unfolds- Robert, the creator has a plan and has crafted stories for each of his creations but everyone else thinks they know better and try adding their own little twists and turns to their tales. They think they’re in control. They think they’ve created better and more meaningful lives for themselves. Little do they realise that all of their “embellishments” are actually leading to their destruction and to the eventual destruction of Westworld itself. Robert’s plan was that of order and peace, but the world thought that it knew better simply because it couldn’t see the bigger picture.

So, is that it then? Nope! We might not know the intricacies or the grand plan that God is executing but we haven’t been left in the dark either. He has told us what His plan for us entails.

For now, what do we know of God’s plan for us?

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29

You look at so many of the examples we have recorded for us and it all makes sense. Think of people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abhraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, and so many more.

“So, maybe it is all part of God’s plan. My life is exactly as it had to be.”  Daredevil

What you’ll also notice is that they (the life experiences we have in the Bible) didn’t have perfect lives as we might perceive perfection. They had pitfalls and dark days and seasons of trial and temptation and yet they trusted God’s plan and purpose. They knew the Creator was the one who gave life meaning and they gladly followed His guidance.

“Mr. Flood, we must look back and smile at perils past, mustn’t we?” The Man in Black

Times might be tough with darkness all around but God allows us to go through difficult times to draw us closer to Him. These are the moments when He calls us to actively shift our focus from everything else and hone in on Him.

We’ve got to let Him work and trust Him along the way even though we might face impossible battles and insurmountable mountains.

The world would sometimes have us believe that the trials in this life are all a part of God’s way of obscuring the truth from us. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Is that why you came here, Robert? To talk me out of it?” the Man in Black.

“On the contrary, far be it from me in the way of a voyage of self-discovery.” Dr. Robert Ford

This has been God’s ultimate plan- for us to know Him and thus ourselves.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

By knowing Him, we also know the ‘why’ of life because we finally know we are- children of God!