In the book ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,’ the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything was given - after a supercomputer called Deep Thought had cogitated upon it for seven and a half million years - as 42. Perhaps the question should have been phrased better. I’ve often thought about what might be the meaning of life, since answering this question will help you to make decisions about the way you live. Now, approaching my 50th birthday in June and any mid-life crisis, I’m thinking about it again. Since a sports car and/or mistress are currently unaffordable to me, I think that I should find meaning somewhere else in life.
Although I am no longer religious, I have found some solace from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. In it a teacher - possibly Solomon, son of King David - draws lessons from his own wide experiences on how to lead a good life. He repeatedly points out that everything we do in life is pointless, since we will all die. There is no use in striving for newness and novelty, since there is ‘nothing new under the sun.’ According to the book, gathering riches is meaningless; Our works on the Earth will be forgotten, as will we; Everything we do is vain and futile. One might be forgiven for thinking that the Book of Ecclesiastes is deeply pessimistic and depressing, but on the contrary, it has some uplifting conclusions. To live a good life, according to the teacher, one should ‘fear God,’ gather wisdom, enjoy one’s food and drink, and enjoy one’s work. Everything else, says the teacher, is ‘chasing after the wind.’
The approach of the teacher certainly veers towards nihilism - the belief that nothing matters in life, that life has no meaning - but I would rather that some things did matter. We are on the Earth for a while, and - unless we decide not to be - we may as well try and make the best of our time here.
Authors across the centuries have tried to decide on the meaning of life and have come to a wide range of conclusions.1
In Platonism, the meaning of life is in attaining the highest form of knowledge;
In Cynicism, the purpose of life is living a life of Virtue which agrees with Nature;
Epicureanism suggests that the greatest good is in seeking modest pleasures, to attain tranquillity and freedom from fear via knowledge, friendship, and virtuous, temperate living;
Stoicism says that life should be lived according to reason and virtue, with personal self-control and mental fortitude and by developing clear judgement and inner calm through diligently practiced logic, reflection, and concentration;
Confucianism says that the ultimate meaning of life can be found in ‘ordinary human existence’;
Naturalistic pantheism, says that the meaning of life is to care for and look after nature and the environment;
Of course, many religious faiths have their own unique answers to ‘the meaning of life’;
In Monty Python’s ‘The Meaning of Life,’ a character played by Michael Palin is handed an envelope containing ‘the meaning of life,’ which he opens and reads out to the audience: “Well, it’s nothing very special. Uh, try to be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try to live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.’ That sounds quite reasonable.
Perhaps we can all agree that there is no universal ‘meaning of life,’ and that life has no intrinsic ‘meaning,’ apart from passing on one’s genes to the next generation. After all, if nothing else, we are the sum of our ancestors, and our descendants will at least be partly ‘us.’
On the other hand, the question ‘What is the meaning of my life,’ could have a radically different answer. The meaning of your life, and of mine, is the meaning that we choose to give it.
Paul Wong2 has researched ways that people bring meaning to their own lives, and his sensible approach is summarised as follows:
1. You need to choose a worthy purpose or a significant life goal;
2. You need to have sufficient understanding of who you are, what life demands of you, and how you can play a significant role in life;
3. You and you alone are responsible for deciding what kind of life you want to live, and what constitutes a significant and worthwhile life goal;
4. You will enjoy a deep sense of significance and satisfaction only when you have exercised your responsibility for self-determination and actively pursue a worthy life goal.
That, again, seems like a reasonable approach. So, in response to any forthcoming mid-life crisis, I have decided to decide what will be the meaning of (the rest of) my life. That, at least, is a start.
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meaning_of_life
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_T._P._Wong
