Lessons from Baymax about Purpose

Hello. I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion.

Baymax knew who he was and what his purpose was:

• Who was he?  Baymax

• What was he?  A personal healthcare companion.

From his introduction to any person he served, Baymax focused on his purpose, and never lost this focus. We'll look at Baymax's persistent focus on his purpose by his quotes from the movie. 

Flying makes me a better care provider

Baymax measured everything he did by his purpose.  If it fit his purpose, he did it.  If it did not, he resisted it, as we will see.

I am programmed to assess everyone's health care needs.

Baymax knew he was programmed and he knew his programmer:  Tadashi.  He always acted in agreement with his programming, and thus with his programmer.

I am a robot. I cannot be offended.

This reminds me of of Jesus saying, “I do not receive honor from men.”  Why did Jesus say this?  Because He came to receive honor from God, not men.  Therefore, he did not receive honor (or dishonor) from men.  In the same way, Baymax’s programming did not make room for being personally offended because he did not exist for himself.

My programming prevents me from injuring a human being.

Hiro, Tadashi’s little brother and the present owner of Baymax, commanded Baymax to destroy Tadashi's murderer.  But Baymax resisted according to his programming. He would not and could not go against his programming, and thus he could not obey a command that contradicted who he was.

Are you satisfied with your care? … I cannot deactivate until you say, “I am satisfied with my care."

Baymax sought direct and clear objective feedback from the one he served as to whether he was achieving the goal of his purpose. He couldn’t rest until the one he served as a healthcare companion affirmed the fulfillment of his purpose: personal health care.  He couldn’t rest or deactivate,  which is a robot’s version of dying.

Like Baymax, we should know who we are according to our Creator, and we should only be and do what we were created to be and do.  We should measure everything by our Creator’s purpose for us.  This will give power to who we are and what we do.