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Perspectives on the meaning of life.

It’s the age old question. Many have shared their thoughts yet most still struggle to find the answer.

There are three ways to look at this. The one I live by is the last one.

The first is, if there is a predefined meaning, we (obviously as history has shown) are unable to ascertain what it is. Perhaps it’s too big, too complicated, too unknowable by us. It’s just too much for us to comprehend.

In this particular case, we do our best to guess (based on what others think, our own experience, etc.) what the meaning is and live by that guess.

The second way is that the meaning can be anything we want it to be. There is no one specific rule or law or whatever that says “THIS is it, don’t stray from here”.

Here we get to choose what the answer is. It can literally be anything. And it’s up to us.

The last way to look at things is that there is no meaning. It’s like a chair. A chair doesn’t have a meaning. It can have a purpose (to be sat on) but not a meaning. Unless we give it one. If I built a chair with my bare hands and gave it to someone as a present, it will have a meaning. Not to the grand universe or other people but to myself and the receiver.

In this case there is no meaning of life. It just is. But, we can give it a purpose. And like the previous case, we get to decide what our purpose is. I’ve decided what things are important to me and they define the purpose of my life. And based on that purpose, my life can also have a meaning. For example, if enriched others’ lives, my life has/had a meaning. To myself and to those I’ve helped.

Ultimately if you follow the logic of all three scenarios, it’s up to us as individuals to decide what the meaning of life is *for us*.