The Meaning of Life

Since we humans developed consciousness, we have been pondering the meaning of life. Philosophies, religions, academics, authors, and others have all tried to help us understand where we came from, why we are here, and what happens after we die. Many of us wake up every day hoping to make a difference in some way, to feel we’ve done something of value, and that our lives haven’t been wasted. To some extent, the quest has so far been a failure. We have no common answers to these vexing questions, and the ideas that we’ve generated have had both positive and negative impacts on our well-being as a species.

Some of us have concluded that there is no meaning, and we should simply live our lives in the pursuit of happiness, however we define that for ourselves. Most other species seem to live this way, and there are many more of them than there are of us. Cats, for instance seem to focus on eating, sleeping, and chasing shadows, and animals in the wild occupy themselves with finding food, not becoming someone else’s food, and replicating their species. But many of us can’t do that. At some point in our prehistory, our species developed consciousness, and from that point on, has wrestled with these vexing dilemmas.

On the other hand, the search for meaning has had a huge impact on the way we live our lives, the choices we make, and the way we relate to each other. Lacking definitive answers, we’ve come up with any number of ways to get our minds around the problem. We developed rules to live by and standards for success that allow us to collaborate with others in large numbers. All cultures, societies, and religions have built narratives and values that help their members understand how to live productive lives, how to treat one another, and how to decide what is right and wrong. Unfortunately, the varied interpretation of values and meaning has also led to divisive behavior, often pitting us against each other, leading to conflict, violence, and war.

On a personal level, we’re always facing difficult choices, and it’s helpful for us to have guidelines along the way. In addition, the very act of striving for meaning helps us get up in the morning and gives us energy. Without meaning, our days start running into one another, and we might be prone to hopelessness or depression. So great is our need for meaning, that we invent challenges and projects for ourselves in order to give ourselves reasons to get up in the morning, enriching our lives and motivating us to look beyond ourselves, even if it does occasionally lead us astray.

We don’t know the meaning of life, and likely never will, but like in many realms, asking the questions can be more valuable than determining an answer. So, the journey goes on, and wherever we end up, hopefully we can find fulfillment and happiness along the way.