The Meaning of Life Doesn't Matter
One of the questions I tend to get is what I think the meaning of life is. I never have a good answer because I've never tried to answer the question. And I've never tried to answer the question because I don't think that it matters.
As children we're conditioned to do what we're supposed to do. That makes sense, because five-year-olds probably aren't well equipped to decide when to go to school or the dentist. The problem, though, is that we stay in this "supposed to" mode way too long. It becomes a habit and a way of life.
To me, figuring out the meaning of life is just an extension of figuring out what you're "supposed to do". Except, of course, that it can't be figured out. Humans have been trying forever and no one's gotten it yet. Odds are that you won't either.
And the reason it hasn't been figured out is that there isn't a meaning to life, other than the meaning you give it. And that's a good thing.
I don't believe in a higher power, a higher purpose, or life after death. No spirits or souls. Some people, maybe those who are too conditioned to the "supposed to" way of life, find that depressing.
I find it liberating. It brings what we can all agree we have-- a life-- to the forefront, cuts away the distraction, and gives us the responsibility to figure out what to do with it. It makes life a blank canvas rather than a color by numbers cartoon.
One of the best skills you can develop is the ability to completely ignore what you're supposed to do, and do what you think is best. That's not to say that these things don't overlap; you'd probably agree that driving the way you're supposed to down a one way street is a good idea. The idea isn't to be a contrarian, it's to disregard "supposed to" entirely.
So that's my advice to people looking for the meaning of life. Make your own meaning by doing what you think is best. Follow that advice and I doubt you'll have many regrets on your deathbed.
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