Yes, there is a purpose to life, if you choose it.

Now that both parties enjoyed their convention, undecideds are faced with an existential choice. If they believe there’s a purpose to life, their decision will be much easier—maybe even a no-brainer.

Traditionally, political conventions are much like carnivals coming to town where crowds are dazzled by straight-shooters, flame-throwers, lion-tamers, and balancing bear acts. In politics, the crowd comes to life when the other party is shot, scorched, mauled, and thrown off balance. Americans, having largely descended from ruffians, slaves, and gritty immigrants, love a good brawl.

But in the swirl of festivities, each party must also take its turn at spinning heart-warming illusions of their most honorable convictions and achievements, and promise all Americans how they’ll make our lives better.

To be honest, both parties swept ugly truths under their stages, too. I don’t exactly blame them since it’s a common courtesy to do at least a little polishing and cleaning before the guests arrive. But Republicans shamefully skulked away from their usual glee and boasting about overturning Roe v. Wade, while Democrats literally covered their festering boil (pro-Palestinian protest signage) with their own cheerful USA placards.

Having been an at-large delegate at a previous Democratic convention, this year’s stakes were titanic by comparison, superseding anything I’ve seen in my lifetime. Never mind whose taxes will go up or down. Missiles are in their silos ready to be launched at our Constitution on day one, should he win. By default, our purpose in life will also cease to exist.

J.D. Vance believes every woman’s purpose is to make babies when you’re young and babysit when you’re old. I can only imagine what such legislation might look like—after all, ideas that promote his vision of “happy wife, happy life” are surely being baked into the next edition of Project 2025 with Aunt Lydia overseeing the details. Ludicrous as this may sound, eliminating a woman’s right to vote is actively being discussed on right-wing blogs and podcasts across America, and some “patriots” are now calling themselves the American Taliban. Yikes! Shouldn’t that be an oxymoron?

I can’t help but wonder what their life purpose is, or if such an intellectual discussion has ever crossed their mind. Right now it must just boil down to being a Pretorian to their cult leader, and dominating women.

If Aristotle were to weigh in, he’d remind them that happiness is our sole purpose in life—not just for men, the whole of humanity. But as we try to break through the glass ceiling once more, I wonder if anyone cares, considering far too many women remain disadvantaged economically, discriminated against, subjugated, trafficked, and even enslaved—not exactly a prescription for happiness. That this still happens in 2024 is evidence no party seriously cares, likely because it’s not a kitchen table issue.

Plato wrote our purpose is to attain goodness. If we are good, he reasoned, justice will follow. I agree there’s opportunity in goodness. And we now know that since the Cold War ended, Republicans created 1 million new jobs for we the people compared to 50 million jobs created by Democrats. I’m sure someone will try to recalculate that.

Socrates claimed our purpose was to live a virtuous life. But when have both parties, or anyone, agreed on what a virtuous life even looks like? For this new breed of Republicans, it’s virtuous to force women into creating more babies. For Democrats, it’s virtuous to create more jobs.

So then what is our purpose in life, and who will safeguard it?

Looking at the whole of God’s creation, including human nature, the answer stares us in the face. We are expressions of God. Aristotle’s happiness, Plato’s goodness, and Socrates’ virtue cannot thrive within the human race or beam outward without our enshrined right to express ourselves fully.

Self-expression is the one impulse we all share in common and across species. Look at a courtship dance between two great crested grebes. Watch a herd of elephants mourn in their funeral ritual. Listen to the parrot who curses when its needs are not met. And who can ignore the feral cat who catches your eye through a distant window and stares you down until you cave and bring it a plate of food? From bees to gladioli, mooing cows, and noisy children, our life’s purpose is to express our full selves. Silence us, and you’ll mute the God within us who helps us manifest our destiny as we express our needs, our desires, our hopes, our wishes, our sorrows, our love, and our passions.

Freedom of expression is a gift that allows us to be ourselves without interference, even if that means being a thoughtless nincompoop who tells his employees, “It doesn’t matter what you say, say it enough and people will believe you.” The thing is, we all have a right to be our best or worst self so that the chips can fall where they may. But to deny, mute, ban, punish, or squash that freedom is to kill who we are. Only strongmen, dictators, and authoritarian governments fear such freedoms, and, tragically, so do some of America’s leaders.

In courthouses across America, only one party, Republican, has its pedal to the metal on banning books, abortion, IVF, birth control, voting rights, gender identity rights, and more. Their drive to root out the “evils” of those they detest and demonize is plainly unconstitutional, which is why their next plan of attack after populating the courts with like-minded people, is to make our Constitution null and void. If you’ve read their proposed replacement document, now under the working title of Project 2025, you’ll know it compares America’s economy to North Korea’s. What???

Our founding fathers innately understood that freedom of expression was our redemption, enabling each new generation to speak its own truth to power so to inspire and move our nation along its long journey toward its highest self. But too many Republicans have a log in their eye and can’t see America’s highest self in a population that’s evolved into something that’s too “colorful,” bright, and powerful. For them, E Pluribus Unum doesn’t look quite like they want it to.

Despite their terror over the composition of our population and their desire to “manage” it, freedom of expression is still our right—and it’s the one lever in God’s hand that can still silently call us to action to use our voices, creativity, energy, and intellect to help us safeguard it. Freedom of expression allows us to express our best self. Ultimately, the freedom to express ourselves positively and joyfully is the highest form of self-love, too. What greater purpose in life could there be?

So, as we continue to enjoy and utilize this freedom to our benefit, are we really going to deny it to our children and grandchildren? For me, the choice is clear. I choose love. For everyone else, it should truly be a no-brainer.