The Meaning Of Life?
People have questioned for millennia what is the meaning of life but have generally found no sensible answer. There is certainly no obvious meaning to life.
I make two preliminary points. First, the notion of a meaning to life seems irrelevant to animals. They just go about their lives eating vegetation or hunting and breeding without seeing the overall context in which life is lived beyond their territory. So far as I know only humans think in terms of a system of earth and sky and time and only humans think of ‘meaning’ to life. Second, if one does not know an extraneous purpose or meaning of life one cannot live properly in accordance with it.
Religions have tried answers or propositions. Eastern religions see it largely as about karma and ‘doing good’ (a rather imprecise and elusive term). Western religions have tended towards circularity – their purpose of life is to honour their supposedly genuine God and honouring God gives meaning to one’s life.
As an atheist I see existence differently. I say life is a journey from birth to death, an interesting and varied journey. The best analogy is with a holiday (vacation). One goes on a holiday tour for the experience, not for some mystical reason. Likewise one goes through life from birth to death engaging in the experience, not for some mystical reason. The meaning of life for people surely lies in the living, in the varied experiences we have along our journeys from birth to death!
Geoffrey H L Berg