The Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask
What is the meaning of life?
Is there really a God?
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Is there an afterlife or reincarnation?
Are we alone in the universe and if not, who or what are these others that exist with us on Earth or beyond it? What is my purpose in life—and what should I do once I know that answer for myself, for everyone else and for our world as a whole.
I suppose every person at least wonders about these related questions. This blog post will explore each one and hopefully provide some answers. I will present the prominent answers to each question and then explain why I believe those answers are wrong with a brief rebuttal.
After reading this, you can decide for yourself whether you agree or disagree with my conclusions and how strong of an argument I made for them. If you think I'm wrong, please let me know in the comments and share that with your friends who have doubts as well.
One more thing before proceeding: Please do not suggest that my conclusions are based on a belief in God or religion because they're not. But many people do believe in God, so while I'm not writing this blog post to argue about atheism vs. theism, some may argue your view of God because of what I write here. It is your choice to believe or not believe in God. If you do, however, I would suggest that you do not interrupt anyone who does not share your belief with a discussion about why you are right and they are wrong. That is my opinion on the matter.
Before I begin, I want to cite what Isaac Asimov said in his book: " The Complete Robot " (p. 31):
Then there are those who say that, since we can't understand it, there must be a God . The foolishness of such an attitude doesn't strike them at all . It is so much easier than understanding the universe without it.
I'll now go over each of the questions in order:
1. What is the meaning of life?
It seems as though most people iterate through life without asking this question or even forming an opinion about it. In fact, some people determine a conclusion about the basis for their own lives after 10, 20 or even 40 years of work and effort in their careers and personal lives. Instead, they should consider life's meaning from the outset by asking themselves: "What is my purpose?" Because if you do not know your purpose in life, then you're living a purposeless existence. You can do any job or complete any task. But it's the WHY that should matter to you (and everyone else). Knowing your purpose will help you understand the meaning of life because once you know your purpose, then you'll ignore all distractions and focus on it. But if you do not know why it is that you're living, then your existence is purposeless.
In fact, knowing one's purpose in life is probably the very first thing that every person should learn when starting out as a young child because children are very impressionable and so their entire lives are formed by what happens to them during their formative years (which is why child abuse impacts a person for life). So if you don't know the meaning of life and someone else is raising you to understand it, then that person has a lot more influence over your entire life than they otherwise should. Because they're shaping your mind and the way it processes thoughts, memories and emotions.
And even though there may be billions of people on Earth who do not know the meaning of life or their purpose in it, I can say from my experience with myself and other people that most people have a desire to find out their purpose(s) for living. That desire also manifests itself in many ways – for example:
• Finding their purpose becomes a driving force for many celebrities once they become well-known figures due to their popularity (e.g. Tom Cruise , Oprah Winfrey )
• A person can know their purpose, but then lose interest and stop doing what they once loved doing (e.g. Nicolas Cage )
• People suddenly realize that they have lost the purpose for living when their personal lives take a dramatic turn for the worse (e.g. Kurt Cobain )
• Many people only know their purpose when it's too late and their lives are over (i.e. James Dean , Michael Jackson , Albert Einstein ).
Almost all of these examples involve some form of change in a person's life that occurs after they've experienced something traumatic (which is why I think it's very likely that life has meaning). And when you experience something that is traumatic, it can cause you to wonder about the meaning of your life because so much bad has happened to you and changed your life (e.g. losing someone, losing a loved one, job change, divorce, prison sentence etc.).
So if you want to know the meaning of life, then I suggest that you ask yourself this question: "What is my purpose?" If it's not in line with what everyone else is doing around you (and they're all focused on money, careers and titles), then perhaps there may be something wrong with how your mind works. Perhaps your life is filled with distractions and you're not focusing on the things that matter most to you.
If you know what your purpose is, then maybe it's time for a change in how you live your life. That change may involve moving to another city, state or even country just because it will allow you to pursue this purpose in life. But I'm guessing that if you don't know what your purpose is yet, then it's natural to feel a bit lost after experiencing traumatic events such as those above and so you need to take some time out of the day and search for an answer. The purpose of my blog post today is to help guide readers through their own journey of discovery into the meaning of their lives.
In fact, there will be many decisions that you make during your life that will depend on knowing the meaning of your life and what your purpose(s) in it are. For example:
• You take a lower paying job because it's more fulfilling (e.g. teacher, artist, actor, musician)
• You live in a home that costs less money but is not in the best neighborhood (e.g. Portland , Oregon )
• You prefer to live in a home that has no mortgage at all even if it doesn't have high value or is located far from your workplace (e.g. a rural home in Kansas , USA )
• You choose to be single and enjoy the benefits of being alone rather than marrying someone who isn't right for you (e.g. Angelina Jolie )
• You become a parent because it's your responsibility to do so, but you don't want a family because it would distract you from your purpose (e.g. Charles Darwin )
The answers above will differ from one person to the next, though mostly due to how much money is available to each individual in order to pursue their desires or what's important to them.
Conclusion: the meaning of life is your purpose
Knowing the meaning of life doesn't mean that you'll be able to predict what lies ahead for you, though. For example, if a man knows that he's supposed to become a father, then there's no way of knowing where his children will take him. In other words, you can know the meaning of your life and still not be able to predict any outcomes or events in your future. A person must simply live their lives in the best way possible and focus on the positive aspects at all times – it's that straightforward.
Because when people ask "What is my purpose?", they're really wondering about the central areas of their lives where they can make a difference.