I have read a lot of books about 'consciousness', and of a broadly 'self-help' kind (I mean, non-fiction books that broadly intend to help the reader improve life) - and I have noticed that they tend to focus on:
1. States of mind
2. Methods and Techniques
So, they critique mainstream/ normal states of mind; describe the aimed-at/ desirable state of mind - and then they focus on the methods or techniques by which the reader might move from the mainstream to the desired state of mind.
Of course, 'States & Methods' is a greatly reductionist way of analysing a multitude of books; but it fits almost all of these books that do Not have an explicitly religious perspective, and especially those that (explicitly or simply by implication, by how they proceed) reject the religious viewpoint. States & Methods even fits those books that only specifically reject Christianity; because in our society the anything-but-Christianity type of spirituality is - in practice - indistinguishable from mainstream Leftist materialism.
My point is that most such books have no explicit reference to the purpose of life beyond being-in some desirable state of mind. The problem is that a 'state of mind' isn't the kind of thing that can actually be a purpose of life.
Because states of mind are temporary, cannot be held-onto, they will change, and will sooner or later be terminated - ultimately by by disease or death. Many have tried, all have failed to live well in the way implicitly required by the State & Methods structure.
The idea that we decide how we want to 'be', that we should aim at this state of being and hold-onto it... it's a bizarre and implausible way of looking at things! Yet it has become almost the only way of looking at things that Godless modern man can imagine!
As an alternative to States & methods, we could regard life as having a purpose; and regard both states of mind and methods/ techniques as means towards that purpose: means to an end.
So we are not ruled by specific methods or techniques, nor do we find ourselves trying to attain and hold some particular state of mind. Instead we aim to live in creative awareness or where we are going; and regard each day, each hour - each state of mind - as more or less valuable experiences and challenges on this path.
Knowing where we are aimed-at; we seek creative ways of dealing with the states of mind and other situations that life deals us.
The main thing in life is Purpose; and everything else is relative to that.
And it seems that in modern life, we must have a conscious and explicit purpose that we have personally chosen - or else we will have no purpose at all...
