Purpose, intention, action

This post is written in response to Chris Shaw's August 2026 IndieWeb Carnival prompt, Purpose.[1] What is purpose? Purpose is an interesting construct. It can be assigned externally, as a concrete statement of utility ("the purpose of a hammer is to pound nails"); or internally, as a guiding principal of behavior ("my purpose in life is to provide for my family"). Purpose can be highly subjective and situational. You and I may have different views on the utility of a hammer, and that utility may depend on context. A hammer can be useful when building a cabinet, or useful in defending oneself from an attacker. We could try to generalize by saying that the purpose of a hammer is to hit something, but this doesn't always ring true. Groups of humans may align in purpose. A nonprofit organization is created to feed the hungry. A community library is built to share knowledge. Groups may have many purposes, and they don't always harmonize. What is the purpose of government? Survey ten…