Following life's 'purpose'

“One of the great joys of life is creativity. Information goes in, gets shuffled about, and comes out in new and interesting ways.” –  Peter McWilliams

A Michigan native born on this day in 1949, McWilliams was an author, poet, self-publisher and photographer who started writing and publishing early, producing  and self-publishing a collection of poems called Come Love with Me and Be My Life at age 17.

By age 25 he was a self-proclaimed Transcendental Meditationist and actively writing about his newfound philosophy.  In the process, he produced a series of TM books that made the New York Times bestseller lists.  A terrific photographer as well, his book of photographs, Portraits - A Book of Photographs by Peter McWilliams, also hit many bestseller lists. 

In all, he authored more than 40 books and was a successful speaker before dying young (age 50) after contracting non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  In the process he became one of the early activists for the use of marijuana for medical treatment                         

 – his specifically and something he thought was “his purpose” in life.

“While goals are chosen, a purpose is discovered,” McWilliams said.  “Our purpose (as human beings) is something we have been doing all along, and will continue to do, regardless of circumstances, until the day we die.”

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