Final answer:
A calling generally comes from outside ourselves and can be seen as a mission or purpose given by an external force such as a higher power, society, or culture. For the Puritans, it represented both an individual's means of subsistence and a religious obligation to serve God, suggesting that callings encompass duties to both personal work and the broader community. Callings, therefore, contribute to defining our purpose and identity in relation to the collective moral systems and universal orders.
Step-by-step explanation:
In what ways does our calling come from outside ourselves? Our calling is often perceived as a mission or purpose that is designated to us by an external force, like a higher power, society, or culture. For the Puritans, for example, a calling had two distinct facets: a religious calling to live by the tenets of their faith and a personal calling related to their vocation. The idea of a calling is intrinsically tied to one's duties and roles within their community, whether it be through work, family, or religious practice. From this perspective, our calling is an external summons to fulfill particular roles that contribute to the welfare and fabric of society. This is enriched with the belief that answering one's calling with dedication aligns them with the divine will or the greater good of the community.
Throughout history, various religious and philosophical traditions have explored the concept of callings and whether these are divinely inspired, ethically motivated, or whether they emerge from social constructions. For the Puritans, the calling represented both an individual's means of subsistence and a religious obligation to serve God. The teachings emphasized that hard work and helping one's neighbor were expressions of faithfulness to God and thus necessitated a strong external component to one’s sense of purpose and identity. If we extend this to larger questions about ethics, identities, and our essence as humans, one can see how callings offer a framework that extends beyond personal desires and into the domain of collective moral systems and universal orders as proposed by philosophical and religious teachings.