How the System Forgot Us: Education, Healthcare, Work, and the Purpose Disconnect

There’s a quiet grief many of us carry —
Not because we didn’t try hard enough,
But because the systems designed to support us
Have forgotten what it means to be human.

We’re told to push through.
To be grateful.
To adapt.

But what if the problem isn’t us?

What if we’re burnt out, disconnected, or struggling to thrive
not because we’re broken —
but because the system is?

Let’s Talk About School

Let’s start at the beginning — with school.

The education system, as it stands, hasn’t changed meaningfully in over 100 years.
It was built during the industrial era to produce obedient workers, not purposeful humans.

And now?

 In Australia, nearly 50% of high school students report being disengaged from their learning (Grattan Institute, 2023).

That’s half the classroom checked out before they’ve even begun their adult life.

Why?
Because the system values standardisation over soul.
Because it teaches memorisation over curiosity.
Because it forgets that children are people, not data points.

When we forget who we’re teaching,
we lose the heart of what learning should be: discovery, meaning, connection.

Work Wasn’t Meant to Feel Like This

Now fast forward.

The child who was once silenced by the system
grows up and enters the workforce.

And what do they find?

⏰ A culture of burnout.
💼 Metrics over meaning.
🧍 Isolation in open-plan offices.

According to Gallup’s 2023 global workplace report:
🔹 79% of employees are not engaged at work.
🔹 59% feel stressed daily.
🔹 Only 1 in 3 feel their work is meaningful.

We’re not meant to just survive the bulk of our lives.

But when work is designed for profit, not people —
purpose becomes a privilege, not a baseline.

Healthcare Is Crisis-Driven, Not Connection-Led

And then we enter the healthcare system.

Not when we’re well.
But when we’re already unwell.

A system meant to care
too often focuses on symptoms, not root causes.

It doesn’t ask:

• What’s misaligned in your life?

• What has your nervous system been holding?

• What systemic stress are you carrying?

Instead, we’re offered pills, waiting lists, and medicalised labels
without space to explore the real reasons we’re unwell.

And while medication and intervention have their place,
what many people need isn’t just treatment — it’s reconnection.

It’s Not Just Personal — It’s Systemic

You didn’t fail school.
School failed to recognise your unique way of learning.

You didn’t fail at work.
Work failed to honour your humanity.

You didn’t burn out because you weren’t strong enough.
You burnt out because the load was never meant to be carried alone.

This isn’t about blame.
It’s about truth.

And truth is where healing begins.

So What Do We Do?

We remember.

We recalibrate.
We stop expecting broken systems to give us soul-filled lives —
and start reclaiming that power ourselves.

That’s what The Purpose Problem is all about.

That’s why we homeschool.
That’s why we help families and individuals realign from the inside out.

We know systemic change takes time.
But we don’t wait to start living aligned.

We begin in our homes.
Our habits.
Our decisions.
Our calendars.

Because life doesn’t begin when the system changes.
Life begins when you choose to live differently.

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