Purpose is defined as, “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” The purpose of a calculator is to help with math problems. The purpose of the heart is to pump and regulate blood through the body. Many things have a defined purpose, but there is a question that plagues people to this day.
What is the meaning of life?
“42!” I can already imagine some people may respond. But popular references aside, this is a question that almost everyone ponders in their lifetime. What is the purpose of them being on this earth, and do they have a role in the “grand scheme” of life? No one has an answer, and it may be impossible to even come to a definite conclusion on the matter. However, that doesn’t stop people from trying to justify their existence. So, from my observations, there are three different points of view when it comes to someone identifying their reason for being put on the planet and I will list them from those I find the least plausible to the most plausible.
1. “There is no meaning.”
This is a serious one as it is mostly used in cases with depression. Sadly, this condition robs a person of their will to live and replaces it with hopelessness. The idea that their life serves no purpose creeps its way inside the mind, and while I feel bad for anyone that suffers from depression, I must disagree with the mindset. What makes it worse, is that this mindset mostly starts with bad experiences from other people, such as degrading insults being spat out from ignorant people that ruin a life that has ignored importance. Everybody's life has meaning in one form or another, which leads to reason two.
2. “Humans live to mate and procreate the species.”
But that’s just outrageous! There’s no way that can be true! Only wild animals think like that, and we are neither wild nor animal. We are human, and humans are intelligent and rationalize far beyond beasts! But is that completely true? Let’s think about it for a second. For everyone that remembers biology class in high school, you’ll recall that animals in the wild attempt to attract a mate via different methods. If you don’t recall, then prepare to be taught a quick lesson. In the wild, when a male animal wants a female to be his mate, he’ll have to fulfill some sort of task to prove he’s worthy of sharing his genes. In some cases this may be proof of strength and dominance, performing a dance or singing a song, or even showing off he has a nice fashion sense. All this boils down to one thing: Does the male meet the females standards? But when talking about humans, this doesn’t just apply to heterosexual couples. A person wants to feel secure in their relationship so they’ll seek the person that suits their criteria: financial responsibility, maturity, dependability, etc. They're all concepts put together to answer the question of, “Do I trust this person enough to start a family with them?” It’s programmed into us just like a bird or even a lion. Though, given all of this, it still only comes second to reason three.
3. “Whatever you want it to be.”
What kind of answer is that? It barely constitutes as an answer. How can you take something like the meaning of life and then make it something so...simple? Well, why can’t it be simple? During adolescence, the thought of what a person wants to do with their life is already in their brain. There’s no need to complicate it with questions of why humans were made. It’s better to find what appeals to you, find a way to work it into your life, and then enjoy your time on earth. Life is what you make it, so make it meaningful in your own way.
