@psy997 - I think that I do not really disagree with you, for sure, purpose and meaning are psychologically important for human beings - but whether to pursue them or not is a personal choice, and our ability to do so typically fluctuates throughout our lives in response to circumstances outside of our control.
My point isn't that we shouldn't continue to try to instil in others a desire to do
something, to work towards some kind of goal of personal value, or that we shouldn't try to create a culture where everyone feels a strong moral duty to contribute to the whole, not just economically but socially in the most pure, distilled sense you can think of - to me, this would be, essentially, to minimise the suffering of others, possibly indeed all sentient beings, as much as possible, and work towards creating a stable society with the potential to last for eons, and as close to the archetypal ideal of a true utopia as we can imagine.
I hesitate to use the word "duty" here, somewhat, I will admit, because I think it has the potential to imply some kind of judgement or devaluation of those who do not innately feel this moral duty to the future of the human species, but my point is that although I believe a society where everyone felt a duty towards their fellow human being is as close to an objectively valuable goal as I can think of - I think that in order to do this, it's important that we also learn to accept those who do not feel this same duty, or are not able to live up to it - or, even, act in opposition to it. Such states, usually, are temporary, and I would argue something that will be recognised in future as a psychological maladaptation that can be treated, and resolved.
My point primarily, I guess, is that for people who choose to do nothing, while we should not feel deterred from convincing them to pursue
something, no-one should be
punished for their inaction or judged for it, for to feel a motivation to action is a precious gift that none of us really choose to feel, and the same can be said of the reverse. As you have yourself outlined - truly doing nothing is in many ways it's own punishment, and people should not be punished further for feeling this way, and unable or unwilling to contribute. As ever, compassion and love, I believe, are the appropriate response to such an outlook.
Admittedly, I have used, perhaps, slightly provocative phrasing deliberately, primarily as a reaction to the overarching idea that I see that everyone must offer something, always, everyone must be working towards a goal. This can be said to be true from the perspective of wanting everyone to maintain their own psychological well-being, of course the opposite is a quick route to listless apathy and depression. But it has no place as part of any legal, punitive or economic framework. People are
allowed to contribute as much or as little as they choose, and again, they should not be forced to live in poverty, prison, or in the shadow of judgement of others for it.
We can work towards creating a world where everyone feels a deep seated passion and gladness to be alive and a part of something as incredible, and with so much untapped potential, as the human race of planet Earth - we can work towards creating a culture where the greatest story we can think of is the story of an individual human accepting their place as a small but vital part of something far greater than themselves, and every day waking up with an immense sense of gratitude to be here, alive, and with a desire to work towards this common goal of building upon the happiness and perseverance of the human species for however long fate has ordained that we will do so... but we can do both these things while accepting that nothing works for everyone all the time - and there will be individuals that do not feel these same things, but that this is it's own curse and such people need to be treated with kindness and guided back to the light - until this happens, they are allowed to do as little as they please (or as little as they are able, which, ultimately, on some level, is the same thing anyway).
