The majority of teenagers are usually caught up worrying about grades, work, sports, and their social lives. However, a group of five teenagers, including MHS’s own Marc Persing, decided to tackle a bigger issue; to figure out what the purpose of life is. The friends deem themselves a “brotherhood” and consist of David Norori (Student at University of Hartford), Matt Ruper (Student at William Paterson University), Gerald Wrona (Student at Montclair State University and MHS graduate), Seth Mitchell (Senior at Randolph High School), and Marc Persing (Senior at Madison High School). They were sitting around one day and spontaneously decided to take a trip to New York City and ask people two questions; “What is the purpose of life?”  and “Why are we here?”   The responses were recorded on film.

After two such trips to Central Park the boys realized that there were common themes among the answers and the themes were split amongst them to show a deeper understanding of the answers. The first common theme was that the purpose in life was to help others; Mitchell decided to take on this issue. The second theme was “relationships with other people”, tackled by Norori; the third was “happiness”, addressed by Ruper; the fourth was “there is no purpose”, analyzed by Persing; and the fifth was “brotherhood”, elaborated by Wrona. The boys used the film to explore each theme, prefacing individual segments with honest discussions about their past struggles and observations and then either agree or disagree with their respondents’ answers to the questions. The personal stories of each member create a sense of openness – a feeling that they are hiding no secrets and want to show the audience their true lives. One of the last words of advice the boys give is not to let the past define you.  The incredibly diverse backgrounds of the five friends added to the variety of conversations discussed in the “Workshop”  (the place where ideas were conveyed and the film was put together) for months on end.

The first showing of The Purpose was September 19^th at Randolph High School for about 20 students. The second showing was presented to about 350 students at Lehmam College in the Bronx. The film has been booked for screenings across the tri- state area ranging from high schools to colleges. The youth ministry that the friends are part of has been beneficial in spreading the word of the film. Persing described that they hope to “spread the word through teenagers really… the goal is to help teens/college students think abut what their purpose is.”

More information on how to screen the film, description of each member, or the creation of the documentary can be found at http://twoquestions.wix.com/thepurposefilm#. The 47- minute long film will entertain the viewer with its raw honesty and compassionate message. The group of five young men are incredibly individuals who decided to tackle an issue that has been questioned for thousands of years; “What is the purpose of life, and why are we here?”