What is the purpose of life in one word

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If we look at religions and philosophies over the span of human history, there has been one question that has been either asked directly or alluded to in all cultures. This question is: What Is the Purpose of Life?

Since we developed the ability to think rationally and analyze our surroundings, we have been curious about why things are the way they are. This holds true on both a relative level, such as when we want to know how organisms have evolved, and an absolute level, such as when we ask more broad questions about meaning, God, and the nature of the universe.

Sometimes when we ask a question, we need an immediate answer. At other times the most appropriate response is to consider why we are asking the question in the first place. This is particularly relevant for these broad, often subjective questions that have no clear-cut answer.

People come to wonder about the purpose of life for a number of different reasons. Maybe they’re just inherently curious, or they’ve recently experienced a family tragedy, maybe they’re questioning their faith, or they’re going through a depression and are looking for a renewed sense of meaning.

How to Find the Purpose of Your Life

To find the purpose of life, you need to do some digging. Because there are so many answers to this question, it’s important that you find the one that resonates with you. It must give you enough of a feeling that it satisfies your need to ask that question. As I touched on, this starts with knowing why you want to know the purpose of life in the first place.

Here’s how you can answer the big question: What’s the purpose of life…

The Purpose of Life is To Be Happy

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.

Denis Waitley

One of the most obvious conclusions we may come to is the need to be happy. Popular psychology will often promote happiness as the highest virtue, which is reflected in mainstream Buddhist teachings, such as those of the Dalai Lama. Unfortunately, we often don’t know exactly what happiness is, which can be hard to find.

Related Reading: 175 Happiness Quotes to Make You Happy

To know how to find happiness and whether or not it is an adequate purpose for your life, you must first discover what happiness means to you. Once you have a crystal-clear image of whatever that is, you can start to go after it and see if it gives you a strong sense of purpose that answers the big question.

The Purpose of Life is To Leave a Legacy

All good men and women must take responsibility to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level we could only imagine.

Jim Rohn

In the hyper-competitive world in which we live, leaving a legacy is often implicitly put forth as the highest virtue. Leaving a legacy is one way that we will feel valued in society and remembered after we have gone. However, this doesn’t need to be achieving something on a grand scale, such as building a business empire or becoming a successful athlete – it could simply mean starting a family and leaving the world a slightly better place than when you came here.

The Purpose of Life is to Love Others

Not only do self-love and love of others go hand in hand but ultimately they are indistinguishable.

M. Scott Peck

All major philosophies and religions have espoused the importance of love. Love seems to be a healing agent to human suffering and something that connects us across time and culture.

When we can love others unconditionally, we see our environment naturally become a more stable and fruitful place, and the lens through which we see the world is more positive and productive.

Related Reading: Love Quotes to Warm Your Heart

The Purpose of Life is to Create your Own Meaning

Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.

Joseph Campbell

Since Nietzsche proposed the death of God over one hundred years ago, we’ve seen a dramatic decline in the widespread mainstream adoption of world religions. What has followed has varied greatly; however, existentialism and humanism are two philosophies that have become relatively popular in secular societies.

These ideologies propose that meaning is something that we create, not given to us by a higher power. According to existentialist philosophy, the purpose of life is to create your own meaning and bring it to fruition.

The Purpose of Life is to Make a Positive Difference

Aim to make a difference in someone’s life every single day, including your own.

Doe Zantamata

Making a positive difference may seem like a cliche and underwhelming purpose, but when we make an effort to do so on a practical level, meaning ensues because we see the fruits of our labor in real time. Again, it’s necessary to stress that making a positive difference need not be anything huge.

Social media and popular culture condition us to think only a grand-scale influence is worthy of pursuing, but the reality is that small, visible changes are often more personally rewarding.

There is Purpose in Having a Variety of Experiences

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did do.

Mark Twain

Another way we can find purpose in life is to have a rich and fulfilling array of experiences. As far as we can determine, there is only one life, at least in this particular form. Meaning is created by celebrating the gift of our human experience through our five senses.

Travel, entertainment, love, relationships, good food and novel experiences are ways we may do that. Though not everyone has equal resources to do so, they can still seize opportunities within their own lives if they want to truly live life with no regrets.

One Purpose is to Find Meaning in Suffering

If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering.

Viktor Frankl

Suffering is an inevitable part of life; understandably, it makes many people question purpose and meaning. There are a number of different approaches to suffering. Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism and Hinduism believe that the meaning of life is to escape the cycle of suffering. This is done through either the Eightfold Path or the philosophy of Yoga.

On the other hand, a western interpretation, such as that of Viktor Frankl and Friedrich Nietzsche, is to find something in life that justifies suffering. Nietzsche encapsulated this in his famous phrase, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”

Ultimately there are a number of answers to the question: what is the purpose of life? Fortunately, we have access to unlimited books written by people who have committed much more time and energy to the question than we ever could.

By reading these books, discussing their ideas and reflecting on the experience, through time, we may be able to find an answer that resonates with us.

Related Reading: 90 Karma Quotes and Sayings

Definition of Life Purpose

Your life’s purpose will be the central motivating factor in your life. Why do you get up in the morning? When we have a purpose for life, it often guides every other decision we make. It can also influence our behavior, shape our overall goals, and give us more of a sense of direction as we find meaning.

Once you find your purpose, you will stop looking for ways to waste time. You may spend less time on social media and other frivolous activities because you have found something better to do.

Your purpose in life is psychological and emotional improvements that add satisfaction to your life. You are looking for something that will best complete you as you work on becoming a better person. You want to be excited to wake up in the morning and have a zest for life.

Benefits of Finding Purpose

Your life needs to have meaning because it can improve your quality of life. When you have no purpose, your life can seem boring. It also provides peace of mind. Everything starts with you, and how you live your life is an outer reflection of your innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires.

Most successful people say the best way to find your purpose in life is to look deep inside yourself, pulling out piece after piece of who you are. For example, if you feel lost, your purpose may be finding more meaningful connections.

What is life in one word? Some may say survival, while others respond with energy. There is no clear-cut answer to the purpose of life. It is more about what you make of it.

Beginning now, how will you bring about purposeful life possibilities?

1. Identify the things you care about. Apply your skills and natural talents toward the greater good and do what matters to you. Identify what you care most about in human existence. Start by considering what you are good at and reflect on ideas and ways to repurpose your skills to help others, make a positive impact, and have a more fulfilling life.

• Reflect on what matters the most to you. Next is reflection. Understand that you have value and find a real purpose that resonates most with your life. Positive Psychology has a few different questionnaires you can take to explore, including the Valued Living Questionaire and the Personal Values Questionaire.

• Recognize your strengths. We all develop skills and strengths throughout our life. Recognizing your strengths is a good way to find clarity on your path toward finding your ultimate purpose in life. What do you enjoy doing? What kind of mark do you want to leave? What are you especially good at?

• Imagine your best self. Imagine yourself at an older age when everything has gone well in your life. Purpose almost always identifies itself after you find reasons to care. Imagine what you want for yourself. This helps bring you closer to achieving the goal and finding a greater sense of purpose and a more meaningful life. It even motivates you to focus your attention on experiences that can help get you there.

• Practice gratitude and positive emotion. Positive emotions can help you find purpose in life. When we practice gratitude, we reflect on the things we have in life, inspiring us to pay them forward. Check out our 5 Journaling Ideas to Boost Gratitude to get started.

Write a Life Purpose Statement

A life purpose statement is designed to answer the question of why. Why do you get up every morning? This gives you the framework you need to prioritize your day and live a purpose driven life. A life purpose statement is simply a life message. It is a message you wish to convey to the world.

Finding purpose comes down to what is most important to you. Write it down as you consider who and what you want to be. Outline your most important goals, and decide how you want to be remembered.

A life purpose statement is your mission and helps you decide how to spend your time and interact with others. This leads you to achieve short-term and long-term goals. When conveying your goals, be sure to include personal and professional goals and your relationships, achievements, and hopes for your career.

Here is a template you can use when writing your own statement: “ I will (take action) for (who) by (skills) to (my result).”

You can use your personal purpose statement in your career, during a job search, and in interviews. Keep it short and concise, be true to yourself, and get feedback from your support system.

If you keep all this in mind, you will be well on your way to discovering your own answer to “what is the purpose of life.” Because as you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all response to this loaded question.

Growth is fundamental to the universe we inhabit and is applicable to not just the individual human, but also our collective species.

Yet the thought generates several difficult questions. For starters, what is life? What about purpose? What does it mean to grow?

These are all challenging concepts to define, especially because there are different variations and perceptions of what they are. Yet it’s not impossible to get a general “feel” for what they mean, so let’s have a crack at it.

Life:

Life is usually defined as plants and animals, however scientists and philosophers haven’t even come up with a proven or clear definition of what life is and why it manifests out of inert material. This thinking leads to questioning where the line is, or even more mind-blowing, whether there is a line at all.

For example, why can a plant be “alive,” but not a rock? At what point does matter come to life? Experts have deliberated over these questions for centuries, and sorry to disappoint, but there is not yet a satisfactory or universally accepted answer.

So, let’s reframe the question. Humans might be one of the few creatures on planet earth that are self-aware, but we can safely assume that animals have their own style of consciousness. This means our understanding of life usually corresponds to some form of “awareness.” because life, including plants, has a tendency to take action relative to the world around it. Bacteria and viruses have this same characteristic too.

This then begs the question; because the molecules and cells of plants and animals “respond” to their environmental stimuli, does that make them aware?

Are atoms, which also behave according to their external conditions, conscious too?

If every layer of material reality potentially has its own form of awareness, regardless of how primordial it may be, is the entire universe conscious? Is it also then, alive?

Purpose:

We all want to have some sort of meaning to our lives and to leave a legacy for our future generations. Some of us embrace it through a metaphysical view and others create it through a pragmatic view. Some do both.

Regardless, to have a purpose is to have a mission that one is living or achieving. What though, is the mission? Who or what determines it? Why must there be a mission in the first place? Do we even have to be conscious of the mission that we have?

One of the primary purposes of animals and plants is to reproduce. Most forms of life need an ingredient from another kind of its species to achieve this, but life that only requires itself will still epigenetically mutate because of the impact of its environment. Growth has occurred, either by way of sharing genes or mutating them.

So when we look at the process of evolution, we immediately recognize its fundamental urge to grow, even if most of the species doing it are not ‘conscious’ of that mission. In this sense, life has an inherent purpose to grow. But what about a conscious purpose, such as that of a human who, for example, believes their purpose is to love and provide for their family?

When we look at this example, it is obvious that they want to not just love and provide, but also develop their love and what they provide for their family. They wouldn’t want to decrease it, would they? In this example, therefore, growth is also integral to achieving the purpose they have attributed to their lives.

Growth:

Let’s take a look at the natural growth that has occurred in the universe.

In a physiological sense, all elements were created by the fusion of the two fundamental elements; hydrogen and helium. In addition, molecules are the result of chemical reactions which continue to form more complex compounds. Cells, which are arguably an initial form of biological consciousness, also change by responding to their environmental stimuli. All of these processes reflect a natural tendency for the universe to grow.

In addition, life has evolved into a plethora of plant and animal species. Naturally, life grew. But what if we consider the particular aspects of a species, or the species as a whole, such as humans?

For starters, our culture, technology, knowledge, language and population have grown. We have also become more creative. On an individual level, the development of our emotional, psychological, philosophical and intellectual capacities, since our birth, appears as a natural endeavor, as long as challenging life circumstances, such as systemic, cultural and individual dysfunctions, don’t impede that process.

Therefore, growing not just physically, but internally, is clearly a natural thing for us to do.

However, given that the ways in which we are meant to grow are relative to each individual, it is up to each of us to figure out what that is in each ongoing moment. For example, we might need to focus more on emotional development than intellectual development, or we might need to prioritize managing our anger over developing our empathy.

In any case, if we accept that we are a conscious life form that has an inherent purpose to grow, on many different levels, then we have the responsibility to facilitate and amplify it ourselves. The beauty is of course, that there is never an end to how far we can develop whom we are, which reminds us of Heraclitus’ famous saying: the only constant is change.

Final Thoughts

If we consider what would be one word for the meaning of life, “growth” is a strong candidate because it is a simple rationale for all the turbulent change that this incarnation brings us. Making the most of it seems a reasonable and smart approach.

From this introspection it becomes apparent that we need to fully embrace who we are in each moment—for all our strengths and flaws—and strive to expand the heart and mind to the best of our ability. Learning the tough lessons and reinforcing them when they pop up again will obviously bring some developmental benefits. The challenges that life offers might invariably be difficult, however there’s nothing wrong with failing at times and aiming to be successful the next.

Even though personal development can bring so much variety, adventure and love to our life, it can also bring loss. It is awesome in some ways and not in others. Yet there’s no point having regrets; if we simply view our commitment to grow as an experience of discovery, wonder and embracing ourselves with all our human imperfections, we continue to become a more genuine version of ourselves and encounter new and exciting pathways to take.

Ultimately, life is a mysterious adventure of growth and not even an egoic death can end our energy.

Relephant Read:

Regeneration: Living with the Cycles of Life.

Author: Phil Watt

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Debs/Flickr

I spoke to Evan Carmichael, author of «Your One Word: The Powerful Secret to Creating a Business and Life That Matter», about how to uncover your one word that captures both your mission and purpose, how to effective communicate your values, deciding on the right career path, and the most common traits of the most successful people.

Carmichael coaches entrepreneurs for peak performance. At 19, he built then sold a biotech software company. At 22, he was a venture capitalist helping raise a half a million to fifteen million. Evan was named one of the ‘Top 100 Great Leadership Speakers for your Next Conference’ by Inc Magazine and one of the ‘Top 40 Social Marketing Talents’ by Forbes. He has been interviewed or featured as an entrepreneur expert in The New York Times, The Wall St. Journal, Forbes, Mashable, and elsewhere. He now runs EvanCarmichael.com, a popular website for entrepreneurs.

Dan Schawbel: How do you figure out your single word that captures your purpose and mission?

Evan Carmichael: So, for me, it is ‘belief’. I have built my whole business and brand on belief and it is not just a marketing thing, it’s who I am. I believe in people and I turned that into the marketing element for my business. I was going through something with my father and he loves adventure and adventure is always part of his life and he is in his 60s. He rides a motorcycle and likes to go bungee jumping and a whole bunch of other crazy things that I am too afraid to do.

He is one of the nicest people you are going to meet, just super warm, friendly, just like he is way nicer than I am too. We ended up with heart-to-heart where heart can represent the adventure, side and heart is also the warmth of being nice to people and doing the right thing. He ended up building his life around thinking about how he can add more heart to his relationships, his kids, and his career. If you were having a hard time with them then there is something more meta that brings them both together.

Schawbel: Once you have this one word, how do you best leverage it to communicating with others?

Most people live in a fog. Most people are not happy with their life and they may not even know why. They are kind of mediocre and are living for the weekends and the evenings. Having self-awareness is what finding your one word is all about. My word is belief and my word is heart then it is understanding that within the business context. People like to buy values first. The best companies in the world understand core selling where you are buying the brain, you are buying the value, you want to feel the same mission that company is feeling. When I am buying a Nike shoe I am not buying it because it has stronger laces than Reebok. Nike never compares themselves to Reebok because they are on their own mission. I feel like I am LeBron James when I put on my Nike shoes and the same for Apple, the same for Starbucks and all these guys.

People want to buy the mission and so for a lot of entrepreneurs, they don’t really have a strong mission and the mission is lead from your one word. This isn’t just a marketing thing, it is a very personal thing. This is your advantage as an entrepreneur. Why you started this business helps you stand out. If you brand yourself as the dependable computer repair service shop, because your one word is dependable, not because it is the marketing thing, and I go to your website and there is a story about you, I feel that emotional connection to dependability. If I am somebody who cares about dependability, I am going to want to hire you and I will pay more for it because we value the same thing. I will pay more to go to Whole Foods even if I can buy the same thing at Costco because I am buying it from Whole Foods.

Schawbel: How do you decide on the right career path?

Carmichael: As we are starting off on our career path as young adults, and all through childhood, we are the collective of all of our friends and family around us, Your values, your beliefs, your life is according to what the people around you want you to do. At some point, as you get older,  you have to break free of other people’s expectations of you and figure out what is it that you want to do. Some people never break free of that. Some people are sixty years old and have eighty year old parents and are still trying to live up to their parent’s expectations. There is a lot of influences that make people get there faster but it starts with the mindset that I am going to live my version of my life and not anybody else’s version of my life. It starts with that and for a lot of people it is really difficult to say to their parents that they don’t want to go to med school and instead want to do their own thing.

From there, in my view, it is just starting. If your one word is ‘possibility’, then I going to make this decision based off the safe thing to do or the possibility. If my one word is ‘adventure’, chances are I am not going to take some safe accounting job  and I may be going to Peru and try something and come back to more related to what I am all about. It’s testing something on the small scale, doing tons of small starts. People only have more careers and probably multiple careers at the same time. People don’t want to get locked in in an accounting job. A lot of people land on a job because it is the easy thing to do out of university and start some part time thing and then it just unfolds into this career that they can’t get off the track. Then it leads to a full time job and that leads to a promotion, another promotion and all of a sudden fifteen years have gone by with you being with the same company. People don’t tolerate that as much as they used to.

People recognize that they want to not wait until retirement to enjoy their life and they want to go and try different things. We constantly evolve as human beings. I may have the same values as I did ten years ago but I have grown and learnt new things. I want to try something new so why would I want to do the same thing over and over and over again People are now more and more willing to take those small risks to adjust their career path alongside their interests whether that is on a full time basis, a part time gig, or even a side hustle. I think it is only going to happen more and more as people feel dissatisfied with where they are. The current generation is much more willing to take those risks and live for the now.

Schawbel: What are some similarities between all the successful people you profile?

Carmichael: It is not the ones that a lot of people would expect,. There are some common ones but I think a lot of people think to be an entrepreneur would have to be a type-A personality, outgoing, bravado, and the swagger and it’s not true. There are so many people who have had tons of success being introverted and not deal well with people. There’s entrepreneurs who had success doing that. You hear about the ones that are out there being loud because that’s what they are good at. That’s how they have success by being loud so you are going to hear their stories. If I have looked at common threads, one is they started. A lot of people have ideas. The guy who is working in his IBM cubicle who hates his life, he may have an idea but is not going to do anything about it.

The one that you will hear most common is passion and love of the work. Not just the passion for the end result like I want to achieve this but the work, but loving the grind, and doing the work because they love the work. Steve Jobs was a multi-millionaire in his 20s and worked till the day he died on Apple because he loved the work. He could have gone on vacations and whatever he wanted to do and wanted to do the work and it wasn’t about making the money. He built the biggest company by market cap in the world and you see that consistently over time from almost everybody.

The third is the humility for the cause. Even ego and bravado filled people will do whatever they need to do to get the thing moving. Whatever their big goal is, their mission, and needs to get done, they are going to do it whether it is getting on a sales call, sweeping the floor, leading a CEO meeting, whatever it is. If it needs to get done, they get it done.

what is the purpose of life?

introduction

man’s desire

purpose

knowledge

union

love

wisdom

peace and happiness

ecstasy

liberation

man’s unfolding

animal man

barbarian man

mind man

cosmic man

christ man

messengers

religion

see also

Most of us have wondered at one point or another what the point of it all is. Why are we here? What’s life really about? In short, what IS the purpose of life?

Why study 15 years of our lives, work 80,000 hours, and then reproduce so the next generation can do it all over again if we don’t even know why we’re doing it?

There’s got to be a greater purpose, right?

To get some more clarity, here are the answers from 16 people who seem to know their life purpose. They were all asked the question:

In your belief, what is the purpose of life?

1. The Dalai Lama

Who is he? His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He has been described as a doctor of the soul, and his message is always one of peace and compassion for people all over the world.

I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.

Cultivating a close, warmhearted feeling for others automatically puts the mind at ease. It helps remove whatever fears or insecurities we may have and gives us the strength to cope with any obstacles we encounter. It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace.

–Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso

2. Steve Pavlina

Who is he? At the age of 19 and locked up in a jail cell, Steve decided to pursue personal growth. He went on to become one of the biggest blogging successes in the field of self-development. A small warning before you visit his site, make sure you have plenty of time (his content is rather addictive).

The purpose of life is to explore and experience.
–Steve Pavlina

3. Byron Katie

Who is she? The severely depressed and suicidal Byron Katie ended her suffering one day when she experienced the life-changing realization: when she believed her thoughts, she suffered, but when she didn’t believe them, she didn’t suffer.

Learn How to Create & Achieve Your Personal Vision Of Success in this FREE masterclass>>

To understand that what is, really isn’t.
–Byron Katie

4. Chris Guillebeau

Who is he? Chris is a living example that you don’t have to live life the way others expect of you. This rebel against conventionality proves to us that more can be found outside of our comfort zones.

Well, a man who has visited every country in the world (all 193 of them!) should know a secret or two about living.

Hmm… boots and cats?
–Chris Guillebeau

5. Christie Marie Sheldon

Who is she? Christie has an interesting skill. Just by looking at someone, she can determine if they are living their life purpose or not. She is one of the world’s leading energy healers and experts on intuition. Her mission? To get everyone on the planet vibrating at an energetic frequency of Love or Above.

The only Soul-Filled purpose of life is to love and let what makes you soulfully happy guide you — it’ll all work out if that’s your guiding force.
–Christie Marie Sheldon

6. Matthew Silver

Who is he? If you’ve ever been in New York City and seen a man roaming around in his underwear with stuffed animals, making funny sounds, and telling you to live in the now — you already know Matthew.

This well-known street performer is often mistaken for a raving lunatic, but with his messages of love and living in the present, in a city like New York, Matthew might be the sanest of all.

God gave you free will. That’s for you to decide. But I’d use your heart to find it.
–Matthew Silver

7. Ralph Smart

Who is he? Ralph dives deep into life and encourages us to look beyond illusions and perceived boundaries. Through his YouTube channel Infinite Waters, he helps us expand our consciousness and unlock our true potential.

I believe it is to become our greatest version.
–Ralph Smart

8. Parker Heuser

Who is he? Parker and his friends Alexey Lyakh, Ryker Gamble, and Max Gatfield are high on life. Through their social media channels, people all over the world are inspired by their adventurous videos and appetite for fun.

Make sure to check out their “3 Years of Travel in 3 Minutes” video. It’ll get the blood pumping through your veins.

The purpose of life is to discover your surroundings (learn about the world, visit as many different countries as you can, take in lifetimes of knowledge by reading the work of brilliant minds), discover yourself (What do you love and what are you good at? What are your greatest passions and what makes you truly feel alive?), follow your heart (do all those things that make you feel happy, that lift your spirits, that give you butterflies, that make you feel light, as if you’re floating) and evolve spiritually (some call this enlightenment).

You are not a body, you are a soul. Life as we know it is just a step in spiritual advancement. So the purpose of life is to do everything you can to better prepare yourself for the next stage: enlightenment.
–Parker Heuser

9. Barrie Davenport

Who is she? Barrie’s passionate about passions — especially about helping others find theirs.

Looking for more passion in your life? Barrie’s practical and actionable advice will help inspire your soul and move you in the direction you desire.

The purpose of life is to live mindfully and passionately in the present moment, to love unabashedly, to be a lifelong learner, to seek adventure and growth, and to spread kindness and peace along the way.
–Barrie Davenport

10. Gary Vaynerchuk

Who is he? Gary is a loud serial-entrepreneur and social-media master who loves the hustle of turning passions into reality. He demonstrates that in this Internet era, with all the possibilities that come with it, you have no excuse not to do what makes you happy.

To leave Legacy that is a North Star for all my family in the future.
–Gary Vaynerchuk

11. Justine Musk

Who is she? A car accident became Justine’s wake-up call. After eight years of marriage to super entrepreneur Elon Musk, she realized she had turned herself into a side player and trophy wife. So, she made the decision to stop living in the shadows, take the lead role of her own story, and step into the fiery, talented, and powerful writer she is today.

To cultivate your gifts and inner knowing in your lifelong quest for soul: that point in place and time where what you do is who you are and whom you serve, and to take care of yourself is to take care of the world.
–Justine Musk

12. Alex Blackwell

Who is he? On the brink of divorce, Alex found himself needing to make some serious changes in life. He not only managed to save his marriage (and to turn it into a very happy one!), but he also decided to invite others to benefit from his experience. On his blog, he shares openly and honestly about his journey of making positive life changes.

To give love without being asked and to believe you are worthy to receive love always.
–Alex Blackwell

13. Will Mitchell

Who is he? Will is an Internet entrepreneur since the age of 12 when he started skipping school to build his own businesses. Today he’s running StartupBros with his best friend Kyle Eschenroeder, with the purpose to help “wantrepreneurs” build their first successful business.

The central message of these two bros? You don’t need a job.

The purpose of life is self-actualization – shaping the world in our vision through reaching our full potential.
–Will Mitchell

14. Joshua Becker

Who is he? A few years back, Joshua and his family got rid of over 70% of their belongings. They discovered that less stuff meant more life. The minimalist guru now helps others simplify their lives to leave more space for the things that truly matter.

The purpose of life is to give it away in the service of others.
–Joshua Becker

15. Luminita Saviuc

Who is she? Luminita is all about purpose. Her words of wisdom are like a magic wand that touches the hearts of people all over the world.

If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure to check out her insanely popular article “15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy” (which got shared over 1.2 million times on Facebook).

What is the purpose of life? To love, to truly love. To become one with love and then to radiate that love outwards… And to love those who love you, and also those who don’t. Not necessary because they deserve it, but because love is the only thing we have to offer… To get to a place where, no matter where you look and no matter what you do, you can’t help but feel an overwhelming love towards that which you see and for the things you do.

That’s the purpose of life…

The way I see it, life is love and love is life, and the more love flows through our veins, the more joyful we become, the clearer our vision gets, and the easier it becomes to connect not only with our own heart and Soul but also with the heart and Soul of every living being that inhabits the planet.

On the surface, we might all look very different from one another but at the core level, we are all the same. At the core level, we are all ONE, connected with each other in a very deep and powerful way. At the core level, we are essentially the same, all members of one human race.

There is no separation except the separation we created in our minds because of our attachment to fear, and if we allow love back into our hearts, becoming one with it and allowing ourselves to live our lives from that place, then we will recognize ourselves in the world around us and we will finally understand that we are in the world and the world is in us… We are ONE.

16. Brendan Baker

Who is he? Successful at his job at a young age, Brendan was early to realize that what is considered success isn’t necessarily equate to happiness. This wake-up call set him on a mission to help others turn passion into profit.

That could mean a difference to a person, to a community, to the environment or to the world. When you connect to a higher purpose that is beyond yourself that’s when life truly begins.
–Brendan Baker

The Big Question In a Simple Answer

The purpose of life might seem like an overwhelming and difficult question (my dad wasn’t the only one without an answer). Most of us probably spend more time contemplating what series to watch next on Netflix than thinking about our reason for living.

But looking at the answers, it might not be so complicated after all. To be of service to others, to love unconditionally, to watch a Youtube video about boots and cats, to see through illusions, and to realize our full potential. It all comes down to one thing — feeling good. 

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The purpose of life. 2.5 billion entries in Google and only floundering results. Why do people care about their life’s purpose?

Neshama is the divine essence (breath of life) God infused into human beings (Genesis 2:7). It confers on humans five human features. The first overriding element our consciousness revolves around is the purpose of life. Is there one? What is it? Why am I here? These are the existential questions about our existence and the meaning of life. Why do humans even wonder about such issues? Here’s the answer.
(Mind-Body Problem Solved, Chapter 15 – Table of Contents)

• God made humans in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:27).
• He accomplished this by infusing His neshama (breath of life) into humans,
• The neshama, consciousness, confers on humans, godly qualities (image of God).
• God forms with purpose therefore humans can form with a purpose of life.
•   to know what their purpose of life is.

When God formed Adam from the dust of the ground, He already had a coordinated concept for consummating His creation. In Genesis 2:7, the Hebrew word formed signifies a potter molding his clay with resolution and purpose (at UnlockBibleMeaning.com see Strong’s H3335 yatsar). God, with His infinite mind, imagines a framework and is determined to bring to fruition His original concept, ”…I have purposed (H3335) it, I will also do it…” (Isaiah 46:11). Purposed is the same Hebrew word  as formed in Gen. 2:7.

God creates because He has a purpose. He has a long-term, organized, coherent policy, which He has committed to writing in the Bible and preserved for us (Isaiah 30:8). He has an overall goal and no one shall annul it (Isaiah 14:26-27). It includes you and me and He’s equipped each of us, through consciousness, with the attributes to accomplish His goals.

I devoted Section 1 of Audit of Humankind to these immaterial singularities of each human. In giving the neshama, consciousness, to human beings, God automatically gave us all the singularities necessary to pursue our purpose in life.

The Singularity of Humankind is associated with their purpose in life

Humans can only accomplish their purpose in life because all the singularities necessary for this task are part of the complete package God breathed into humans. All these capacities are mental attributes. You cannot find them in the brain, they are inherent in our psychological makeup. God designed humans this way by breathing the breath of life, the nishmat chayim, the neshama, into them when He created the first human who represents all human beings.

A purpose in life has always characterized humans worldwide and down through history. Think about that fact. How can that be? Where did it come from? Genesis 2:7 answers that question. Here is a concise summary of the key mental attributes that confer on humans the capacity to plan goals, entertain aspirations, and ambition for their future. Click the links for a more profound view of these human characteristics.

• Nature of Humans, Consciousness & Mind Reveal Adroit Humans (1.1 in the book Audit of Humankind). This chapter exposes the nature of consciousness and the mind.
• Space-Time is Not Only Scientific Theory, but It’s Also a Human Singularity (1.2)
  Each of us has 24-hours (our time) to manage whatever we want (our space). It consists of time at home, office, factory, in a truck, airport, ship, etc. wherever you spend your leisure, sleeping, working (that’s your space) hours (that’s your time). Your space includes every physical item you use including the Invisibles like the air you breathe, the electricity to run the tools, the odors in the kitchen, or the heat in the gymnasium. Humans alone manage their space time.
• Creativity Sets Humankind Apart from and Above All Other Life on Earth (1.3)
  I’m amazed by the inventiveness of human ingenuity, aren’t you? The myriad ways to cook food, decorate a room, build a house, catch fish, turn wood, etc. God is the Creator and the neshama equips every single human with the ability to invent objects, ideas, and ways of accomplishing tasks. It’s never-ending.
• Imagination—Another Singularity of Humankind in Your Consciousness (1.4)
  Anytime a writer throws words on a page, a painter dips their brush in paint, a designer sketches lines on a serviette in a restaurant, they’re imagining. We’ve filled our consumer society with merchandise that started in someone’s conceptualizing mind. Each product was first a figment of a creator’s imagination, a flash of insight, a daydream, or maybe even a night-dream. Imagination is where everything starts. Humans imagine because they possess consciousness, neshama.
• Bears Don’t Learn to Ride Bicycles. Humans Learn That and Much More (1.5)
  To learn is a lifelong endeavor. It starts with how to suck your mother’s nipple and ends with how to get out of bed with an arthritis-wracked body. There always was, is, and will be something new to understand. When humans look up at the cloudy sky and wonder about the weather, pick up their daily newspaper, listen to the news or watch it on their mobile phone, they’re learning about the world around them and themselves. When consciousness stops, learning stops.
• Your Choices Tell Us Who You Are. In Fact, They Identify You (1.6)
  Every human being has a choice over various aspects of their lives. Humankind is one race but, through choice, we’re 8 billion individuals. Through our consciousness, we choose our personal hairdo, what we read, or watch, the causes we support, and the ideas we propagate.
• Growth Mindset—A Frame of Mind Unique to Humankind (1.7)
  Consciousness confers on humans the thrill of making progress. Seeing oneself and others, improve their lives. Not just earning more money or living in a luxury house. But, progress like piling blocks one on top of each other, learning the alphabet, riding a bicycle, learning the waltz, and driving a car. Daily we make incremental improvements to our life experiences.
• I Challenge you … A Human Trait that Keeps Us Moving Forward (1.8)
  Whether it’s a face-off over a game of Monopoly or a personal test to obtain one’s driver’s license, the challenge is a uniquely human characteristic. Over two billion people step up to the challenge of playing video games. That’s about one in three persons worldwide. Huge. Why do they play? It’s fun, but it’s also a challenge. We’re trying to beat something. Better our score, faster, more accurate, more skill. We all have personal records that we’re proud of, but always trying to improve. This is an aspect of consciousness necessary for the purpose of life.
• Rule Life Responsibly—The Key Human Singularity (1.9)
  Rule life responsibly comes down to how each person exerts their dual nature over the space time they influence; how we take care of the living and non-living environments which we impact. Life is a labyrinth of choices, moves, and decisions. Negotiating life is meeting these daily, weekly, and yearly challenges responsibly.

Let me be forthright with you. It is not standing upright that defines a human, God formed humans upright from the dust, from the start. Neshama, consciousness, the ability to have a purpose in life defines a human being. The fact that you know you have to manage your space and time, that you can use your imagination, and learn to create, grow and face challenges to lead a responsible life in the human family. That consciousness determines you are human.

Each of the five features of consciousness will end with a brief excursion into their application in real life. The Bible is anything but myths and pretty stories. God’s Word exposes a practical way of life applicable in the 21st century. Scripture clearly lays out directions for each aspect of consciousness including the why, how, and what. They are for all human beings regardless of gender, culture, race, or religion. The section on psychology will group the overall directives. In fact, many good books have discovered and detailed the proper approach to develop purpose in life.

The second section will elaborate on the biblical spiritual approach to the proper use of each aspect of consciousness. God gave us neshama and He expects humans to use it according to His will. Those people who make the choice to follow God and adhere to His way of life receive specific instructions when it comes to serving God.

Psychology and purpose of life

Psychology is the study of the mind. We shall discuss what the mind is but consciousness is the foundation of humans. It is like the motor, body, brakes, steering, or wheels of a car. Those five features define a car. Each feature can exist in thousands, even millions of types, but each of the five features is fundamental to a car. Likewise, the purpose of life is a fundamental feature, one of the five that characterizes humans.

For a human to flourish, they must know what their purpose in life is. Education, in all its forms, from parenting to teaching, to maturing, to growing up, to apprenticing, to educating, to mentoring, to forming, to training, to development, to whatever we input into an individual’s psyche must first and foremost be to enhance that person’s purpose of life.

Truth, love, authority, courage, power, intelligence, travel, experiences, etc. are not the purpose of life. They are tools we use to enhance and reach our purpose in life. Education is not about facts, exams, and diplomas. Yes, those are necessary, but they are stepping-stones to helping young and old to KNOW and ACCOMPLISH their purpose in life.

Your purpose of life is that overriding desire to do something in line with your personal ambitions, education, and skills. It is what motivates you to get out of bed, to think and plan your future. It’s what you really want to do with your life.

Our imagination, choices, creativity, learning, growth mindset, and challenges lead us there. We are fulfilled, happy, and at peace because of the combination of our 24-hour daily activities. It is our work time, leisure time, home time, bed time that satisfy our needs for ourselves and those around us.

Psychology, all therapy, and education should be putting all people on the track to their individual purpose in life.

The spiritual purpose of life

How can I assert and you be certain that knowing one’s purpose in life is a Godly infused characteristic of neshama, consciousness? Because, in the first five minutes of the existence of humans, God tells Adam what humanity’s purpose on Earth is. To dress and keep the Garden of Eden. No, God didn’t tell Adam to be a gardener :). The Biblical Hebrew of that phrase means to worship and serve God. That meaning encompasses the entire purpose of God for humankind. In other words, the purpose in life for human existence on Earth.

Read Dress and Keep Garden of Eden. Man Destined to be a Gardener? In reality, the spiritual purpose in life is identical to our psychological purpose in life. With the essential additional point that God is our main focus. This is not some spiritual wishy-washy babble or foolishness. God wants us to accomplish something real based on His directives. His message is simple, “worship and serve God means put God and our neighbor first in our lives.”

That means whatever personal and professional purpose in life we choose should be aligned with worship of God and the service of our fellow humans, near and far.

We still have four features of consciousness to cover. They will detail exactly what alignment with God and neighbor mean. Spirituality is not just attending church, and singing hymns. Real spirituality is how you exercise your purpose in life. Is it Godly oriented or not?

The first aspect of consciousness is that every single human who has ever walked the face of this Earth has an ingrained purpose for their life. Success or failure, worldly or godly, is not the issue here, the key is all humans have the inborn desire for a purpose in life. It exists only because humans alone possess neshama consciousness.

Next week, we shall elaborate on the second attribute of consciousness; how and why humans worldwide function identically.

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The question of the meaning of life is perhaps the most fundamental «why?» in human existence. It relates to the purpose, use, value, and reason for individual existence and that of the universe.

This question has resulted in a wide range of competing answers and explanations, from scientific to philosophical and religious explanations, to explorations in literature. Science, while providing theories about the How and What of life, has been of limited value in answering questions of meaning—the Why of human existence. Philosophy and religion have been of greater relevance, as has literature. Diverse philosophical positions include essentialist, existentialist, skeptic, nihilist, pragmatist, humanist, and atheist. The essentialist position, which states that a purpose is given to our life, usually by a supreme being, closely resembles the viewpoint of the Abrahamic religions.

While philosophy approaches the question of meaning by reason and reflection, religions approach the question from the perspectives of revelation, enlightenment, and doctrine. Generally, religions have in common two most important teachings regarding the meaning of life: 1) the ethic of the reciprocity of love among fellow humans for the purpose of uniting with a Supreme Being, the provider of that ethic; and 2) spiritual formation towards an afterlife or eternal life as a continuation of physical life.

Scientific Approaches to the Meaning of Life

Science cannot possibly give a direct answer to the question of meaning. There are, strictly speaking, no scientific views on the meaning of biological life other than its observable biological function: to continue. Like a judge confronted with a conflict of interests, the honest scientist will always make the difference between his personal opinions or feelings and the extent to which science can support or undermine these beliefs. That extent is limited to the discovery of ways in which things (including human life) came into being and objectively given, observable laws and patterns that might hint at a certain origin and/or purpose forming the ground for possible meaning.

What is the origin of life?

The question «What is the origin of life?» is addressed in the sciences in the areas of cosmogeny (for the origins of the universe) and abiogenesis (for the origins of biological life). Both of these areas are quite hypothetical—cosmogeny, because no existing physical model can accurately describe the very early universe (the instant of the Big Bang), and abiogenesis, because the environment of the young earth is not known, and because the conditions and chemical processes that may have taken billions of years to produce life cannot (as of yet) be reproduced in a laboratory. It is therefore not surprising that scientists have been tempted to use available data both to support and to oppose the notion that there is a given purpose to the emergence of the cosmos.

What is the nature of life?

Toward answering «What is the nature of life (and of the universe in which we live)?,» scientists have proposed various theories or worldviews over the centuries. They include, but are not limited to, the heliocentric view by Copernicus and Galileo, through the mechanistic clockwork universe of René Descartes and Isaac Newton, to Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, to the quantum mechanics of Heisenberg and Schrödinger in an effort to understand the universe in which we live.

Near the end of the twentieth century, equipped with insights from the gene-centered view of evolution, biologists began to suggest that in so far as there may be a primary function to life, it is the survival of genes. In this approach, success isn’t measured in terms of the survival of species, but one level deeper, in terms of the successful replication of genes over the eons, from one species to the next, and so on. Such positions do not and cannot address the issue of the presence or absence of a purposeful origin, hence meaning.

What is valuable in life?

Science may not be able to tell us what is most valuable in life in a philosophical sense, but some studies bear on related questions. Researchers in positive psychology study factors that lead to life satisfaction (and before them less rigorously in humanistic psychology), in social psychology factors that lead to infants thriving or failing to thrive, and in other areas of psychology questions of motivation, preference, and what people value. Economists have learned a great deal about what is valued in the marketplace; and sociologists examine value at a social level using theoretical constructs such as value theory, norms, anomie, etc.

What is the purpose of, or in, (one’s) life?

Natural scientists look for the purpose of life within the structure and function of life itself. This question also falls upon social scientists to answer. They attempt to do so by studying and explaining the behaviors and interactions of human beings (and every other type of animal as well). Again, science is limited to the search for elements that promote the purpose of a specific life form (individuals and societies), but these findings can only be suggestive when it comes to the overall purpose and meaning.

Analysis of teleology based on science

Teleology is a philosophical and theological study of purpose in nature. Traditional philosophy and Christian theology in particular have always had a strong tendency to affirm teleological positions, based on observation and belief. Since David Hume’s skepticism and Immanuel Kant’s agnostic conclusions in the eighteenth century, the use of teleological considerations to prove the existence of a purpose, hence a purposeful creator of the universe, has been seriously challenged. Purpose-oriented thinking is a natural human tendency which Kant already acknowledged, but that does not make it legitimate as a scientific explanation of things. In other words, teleology can be accused of amounting to wishful thinking.

The alleged «debunking» of teleology in science received a fresh impetus from advances in biological knowledge such as the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (i.e., natural selection). Best-selling author and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins puts forward his explanation based on such findings. Ironically, it is also science that has recently given a new impetus to teleological thinking by providing data strongly suggesting the impossibility of random development in the creation of the universe and the appearance of life (e.g., the «anthropic principle»).

Philosophy of the Meaning of Life

While scientific approaches to the meaning of life aim to describe relevant empirical facts about human existence, philosophers are concerned about the relationship between ideas such as the proper interpretation of empirical data. Philosophers have considered such questions as: «Is the question ‘What is the meaning of life?’ a meaningful question?»; «What does it really mean?»; and «If there are no objective values, then is life meaningless?» Some philosophical disciplines have also aimed to develop an understanding of life that explains, regardless of how we came to be here, what we should do, now that we are here.

Since the question about life’s meaning inevitably leads to the question of a possible divine origin to life, philosophy and theology are inextricably linked on this issue. Whether the answer to the question about a divine creator is yes, no, or «not applicable,» the question will come up. Nevertheless, philosophy and religion significantly differ in much of their approach to the question. Hence, they will be treated separately.

Essentialist views

Essentialist views generally start with the assumption that there is a common essence in human beings, human nature, and that this nature is the starting point for any evaluation of the meaning of life. In classic philosophy, from Plato’s idealism to Descartes’ rationalism, humans have been seen as rational beings or «rational animals.» Conforming to that inborn quality is then seen as the aim of life.

Reason, in that context, also has a strong value-oriented and ethical connotation. Philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Descartes, Spinoza, and many others had views about what sort of life is best (and hence most meaningful). Aristotle believed that the pursuit of happiness is the Highest Good, and that such is achievable through our uniquely human capacity to reason. The notion of the highest good as the rational aim in life can still be found in later thinkers like Kant. A strong ethical connotation can be found in the Ancient Stoics, while Epicureanism saw the meaning of life in the search for the highest pleasure or happiness.

All these views have in common the assumption that it is possible to discover, and then practice, whatever is seen as the highest good through rational insight, hence the term «philosophy»—the love of wisdom. With Plato, the wisdom to discover the true meaning of life is found in connection with the notion of the immortal soul that completes its course in earthly life once it liberates itself from the futile earthly goals. In this, Plato prefigures a theme that would be essential in Christianity, that of God-given eternal life, as well as the notion that the soul is good and the flesh evil or at least a hindrance to the fulfillment of one’s true goal. At the same time, the concept that one has to rise above deceptive appearances to reach a proper understanding of life’s meaning has links to Eastern and Far Eastern traditions.

In medieval and modern philosophy, the Platonic and Aristotelian views were incorporated in a worldview centered on the theistic concept of the Will of God as the determinant factor for the meaning of our life, which was then seen as achieving moral perfection in ways pleasing to God. Modern philosophy came to experience considerable struggle in its attempt to make this view compatible with the rational discourse of a philosophy free of any prejudice. With Kant, the given of a God and his will fell away as a possible rational certainty. Certainty concerning purpose and meaning were moved from God to the immediacy of consciousness and conscience, as epitomized in Kant’s teaching of the categorical imperative. This development would gradually lead to the later supremacy of an existentialist discussion of the meaning of life, since such a position starts with the self and its choices, rather than with a purpose given «from above.»

The emphasis on meaning as destiny, rather than choice, would one more time flourish in the early nineteenth century’s German Idealism, notably in the philosophy of Hegel where the overall purpose of history is seen as the embodiment of the Absolute Spirit in human society.

Existentialist views

Existentialist views concerning the meaning of life are based on the idea that it is only personal choices and commitments that can give any meaning to life since, for an individual, life can only be his or her life, and not an abstractly given entity. By going this route, existentialist thinkers seek to avoid the trappings of dogmatism and pursue a more genuine route. That road, however, is inevitably filled with doubt and hesitation. With the refusal of committing oneself to an externally given ideal comes the limitation of certainty to that alone which one chooses.

Presenting essentialism and existentialism as strictly divided currents would undoubtedly amount to a caricature, hence such a distinction can only be seen as defining a general trend. It is very clear, however, that philosophical thought from the mid-nineteenth century on has been strongly marked by the influence of existentialism. At the same time, the motives of dread, loss, uncertainty, and anguish in the face of an existence that needs to be constructed “out of nothing” have become predominant. These developments also need to be studied in the context of modern and contemporary historical events leading to the World Wars.

A universal existential contact with the question of meaning is found in situations of extreme distress, where all expected goals and purposes are shattered, including one’s most cherished hopes and convictions. The individual is then left with the burning question whether there still remains an even more fundamental, self-transcending meaning to existence. In many instances, such existential crises have been the starting point for a qualitative transformation of one’s perceptions.

Søren Kierkegaard invented the term «leap of faith» and argued that life is full of absurdity and the individual must make his or her own values in an indifferent world. For Kierkegaard, an individual can have a meaningful life (or at least one free of despair) if the individual relates the self in an unconditional commitment despite the inherent vulnerability of doing so in the midst our doubt. Genuine meaning is thus possible once the individual reaches the third, or religious, stage of life. Kirkegaard’s sincere commitment, far remote from any ivory tower philosophy, brings him into close contact with religious-philosophical approaches in the Far East, such as that of Buddhism, where the attainment of true meaning in life is only possible when the individual passes through several stages before reaching enlightenment that is fulfillment in itself, without any guarantee given from the outside (such as the certainty of salvation).

Although not generally categorized as an existentialist philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer offered his own bleak answer to «what is the meaning of life?» by determining one’s visible life as the reflection of one’s will and the Will (and thus life) as being an aimless, irrational, and painful drive. The essence of reality is thus seen by Schopenhauer as totally negative, the only promise of salvation, deliverance, or at least escape from suffering being found in world-denying existential attitudes such as aesthetic contemplation, sympathy for others, and asceticism.

Twentieth-century thinkers like Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre are representative of a more extreme form of existentialism where the existential approach takes place within the framework of atheism, rather than Christianity. Gabriel Marcel, on the other hand, is an example of Christian existentialism. For Paul Tillich, the meaning of life is given by one’s inevitable pursuit of some ultimate concern, whether it takes on the traditional form of religion or not. Existentialism is thus an orientation of the mind that can be filled with the greatest variety of content, leading to vastly different conclusions.

Skeptical and nihilist views

Skepticism

Skepticism has always been a strong undercurrent in the history of thought, as uncertainty about meaning and purpose has always existed even in the context of the strongest commitment to a certain view. Skepticism can also be called an everyday existential reality for every human being, alongside whatever commitments or certainties there may be. To some, it takes on the role of doubt to be overcome or endured. To others, it leads to a negative conclusion concerning our possibility of making any credible claim about the meaning of our life.

Skepticism in philosophy has existed since antiquity where it formed several schools of thought in Greece and in Rome. Until recent times, however, overt skepticism has remained a minority position. With the collapse of traditional certainties, skepticism has become increasingly prominent in social and cultural life. Ironically, because of its very nature of denying the possibility of certain knowledge, it is not a position that has produced major thinkers, at least not in its pure form.

The philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and logical positivism, as well as the whole tradition of analytical philosophy represent a particular form of skepticism in that they challenge the very meaningfulness of questions like «the meaning of life,» questions that do not involve verifiable statements.

Nihilism

Whereas skepticism denies the possibility of certain knowledge and thus rejects any affirmative statement about the meaning of life, nihilism amounts to a flat denial of such meaning or value. Friedrich Nietzsche characterized nihilism as emptying the world and especially human existence of meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. The term nihilism itself comes from the Latin nihil, which means «nothing.»

Nihilism thus explores the notion of existence without meaning. Though nihilism tends toward defeatism, one can find strength and reason for celebration in the varied and unique human relationships it explores. From a nihilist point of view, morals are valueless and only hold a place in society as false ideals created by various forces. The characteristic that distinguishes nihilism from other skeptical or relativist philosophies is that, rather than merely insisting that values are subjective or even unwarranted, nihilism declares that nothing is of value, as the name implies.

Pragmatist views

Pragmatic philosophers suggest that rather than a truth about life, we should seek a useful understanding of life. William James argued that truth could be made but not sought. Thus, the meaning of life is a belief about the purpose of life that does not contradict one’s experience of a purposeful life. Roughly, this could be applied as: «The meaning of life is those purposes which cause you to value it.» To a pragmatist, the meaning of life, your life, can be discovered only through experience.

Pragmatism is a school of philosophy which originated in the United States in the late 1800s. Pragmatism is characterized by the insistence on consequences, utility and practicality as vital components of truth. Pragmatism objects to the view that human concepts and intellect represent reality, and therefore stands in opposition to both formalist and rationalist schools of philosophy. Rather, pragmatism holds that it is only in the struggle of intelligent organisms with the surrounding environment that theories and data acquire significance. Pragmatism does not hold, however, that just anything that is useful or practical should be regarded as true, or anything that helps us to survive merely in the short-term; pragmatists argue that what should be taken as true is that which most contributes to the most human good over the longest course. In practice, this means that for pragmatists, theoretical claims should be tied to verification practices—i.e., that one should be able to make predictions and test them—and that ultimately the needs of humankind should guide the path of human inquiry.

Humanistic views

Human purpose is determined by humans, completely without supernatural influence. Nor does knowledge come from supernatural sources, it flows from human observation, experimentation, and rational analysis preferably utilizing the scientific method: the nature of the universe is what we discern it to be. As are ethical values, which are derived from human needs and interests as tested by experience.

Enlightened self-interest is at the core of humanism. The most significant thing in life is the human being, and by extension, the human race and the environment in which we live. The happiness of the individual is inextricably linked to the well-being of humanity as a whole, in part because we are social animals which find meaning in relationships, and because cultural progress benefits everybody who lives in that culture.

When the world improves, life in general improves, so, while the individual desires to live well and fully, humanists feel it is important to do so in a way that will enhance the well-being of all. While the evolution of the human species is still (for the most part) a function of nature, the evolution of humanity is in our hands and it is our responsibility to progress it toward its highest ideals. In the same way, humanism itself is evolving, because humanists recognize that values and ideals, and therefore the meaning of life, are subject to change as our understanding improves.

The doctrine of humanism is set forth in the «Humanist Manifesto» and «A Secular Humanist Declaration.»

Atheistic views

Atheism in its strictest sense means the belief that no God or Supreme Being (of any type or number) exists, and by extension that neither the universe nor its inhabitants were created by such a Being. Because atheists reject supernatural explanations for the existence of life, lacking a deistic source, they commonly point to blind abiogenesis as the most likely source for the origin of life. As for the purpose of life, there is no one particular atheistic view. Some atheists argue that since there are no gods to tell us what to value, we are left to decide for ourselves. Other atheists argue that some sort of meaning can be intrinsic to life itself, so the existence or non-existence of God is irrelevant to the question (a version of Socrates’ Euthyphro dilemma). Some believe that life is nothing more than a byproduct of insensate natural forces and has no underlying meaning or grand purpose. Other atheists are indifferent towards the question, believing that talking about meaning without specifying «meaning to whom» is an incoherent or incomplete thought (this can also fit with the idea of choosing the meaning of life for oneself).

Religious Approaches to the Meaning of Life

The religious traditions of the world have offered their own doctrinal responses to the question about life’s meaning. These answers also remain independently as core statements based on the claim to be the product of revelation or enlightenment, rather than human reflection.

Abrahamic religions

Judaism

Judaism regards life as a precious gift from God; precious not only because it is a gift from God, but because, for humans, there is a uniqueness attached to that gift. Of all the creatures on Earth, humans are created in the image of God. Our lives are sacred and precious because we carry within us the divine image, and with it, unlimited potential.

While Judaism teaches about elevating yourself in spirituality, connecting to God, it also teaches that you are to love your neighbor: «Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself» (Leviticus 19:18). We are to practice it in this world Olam Hazeh to prepare ourselves for Olam Haba (the world to come).

Kabbalah takes it one step further. The Zohar states that the reason for life is to better one’s soul. The soul descends to this world and endures the trials of this life, so that it can reach a higher spiritual state upon its return to the source.

Christianity

Christians draw many of their beliefs from the Bible, and believe that loving God and one’s neighbor is the meaning of life. In order to achieve this, one would ask God for the forgiveness of one’s own sins, and one would also forgive the sins of one’s fellow humans. By forgiving and loving one’s neighbor, one can receive God into one’s heart: «But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked» (Luke 6:35). Christianity believes in an eternal afterlife, and declares that it is an unearned gift from God through the love of Jesus Christ, which is to be received or forfeited by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 6:23; John 3:16-21; 3:36).

Christians believe they are being tested and purified so that they may have a place of responsibility with Jesus in the eternal Kingdom to come. What the Christian does in this life will determine his place of responsibility with Jesus in the eternal Kingdom to come. Jesus encouraged Christians to be overcomers, so that they might share in the glorious reign with him in the life to come: «To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne» (Revelation 3:21).

The Bible states that it is God «in whom we live and move and have our being» (Acts 17:28), and that to fear God is the beginning of wisdom, and to depart from evil is the beginning of understanding (Job 28:28). The Bible also says, «Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God» (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Islam

In Islam the ultimate objective of man is to seek the pleasure of Allah by living in accordance with the divine guidelines as stated in the Qur’an and the tradition of the Prophet. The Qur’an clearly states that the whole purpose behind the creation of man is for glorifying and worshipping Allah: «I only created jinn and man to worship Me» (Qur’an 51:56). Worshiping in Islam means to testify to the oneness of God in his lordship, names and attributes. Part of the divine guidelines, however, is almsgiving (zakat), one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Also regarding the ethic of reciprocity among fellow humans, the Prophet teaches that «None of you [truly] believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.» ^[1] To Muslims, life was created as a test, and how well one performs on this test will determine whether one finds a final home in Jannah (Heaven) or Jahannam (Hell).

The esoteric Muslim view, generally held by Sufis, the universe exists only for God’s pleasure.

South Asian religions

Hinduism

For Hindus, the purpose of life is described by the purusharthas, the four ends of human life. These goals are, from lowest to highest importance: Kāma (sensual pleasure or love), Artha (wealth), Dharma (righteousness or morality) and Moksha (liberation from the cycle of reincarnation). Dharma connotes general moral and ethical ideas such as honesty, responsibility, respect, and care for others, which people fulfill in the course of life as a householder and contributing member of society. Those who renounce home and career practice a life of meditation and austerities to reach Moksha.

Hinduism is an extremely diverse religion. Most Hindus believe that the spirit or soul—the true «self» of every person, called the ātman—is eternal. According to the monistic/pantheistic theologies of Hinduism (such as the Advaita Vedanta school), the ātman is ultimately indistinct from Brahman, the supreme spirit. Brahman is described as «The One Without a Second»; hence these schools are called «non-dualist.» The goal of life according to the Advaita school is to realize that one’s ātman (soul) is identical to Brahman, the supreme soul. The Upanishads state that whoever becomes fully aware of the ātman as the innermost core of one’s own self, realizes their identity with Brahman and thereby reaches Moksha (liberation or freedom).^[2]

Other Hindu schools, such as the dualist Dvaita Vedanta and other bhakti schools, understand Brahman as a Supreme Being who possesses personality. On these conceptions, the ātman is dependent on Brahman, and the meaning of life is to achieve Moksha through love towards God and on God’s grace.

Whether non-dualist (Advaita) or dualist (Dvaita), the bottom line is the idea that all humans are deeply interconnected with one another through the unity of the ātman and Brahman, and therefore, that they are not to injure one another but to care for one another.

Jainism

Jainism teaches that every human is responsible for his or her actions. The Jain view of karma is that every action, every word, every thought produces, besides its visible, an invisible, transcendental effect on the soul. The ethical system of Jainism promotes self-discipline above all else. By following the ascetic teachings of the Tirthankara or Jina, the 24 enlightened spiritual masters, a human can reach a point of enlightenment, where he or she attains infinite knowledge and is delivered from the cycle of reincarnation beyond the yoke of karma. That state is called Siddhashila. Although Jainism does not teach the existence of God(s), the ascetic teachings of the Tirthankara are highly developed regarding right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. The meaning of life consists in achievement of complete enlightenment and bliss in Siddhashila by practicing them.

Jains also believe that all living beings have an eternal soul, jīva, and that all souls are equal because they all possess the potential of being liberated. So, Jainism includes strict adherence to ahimsa (or ahinsā), a form of nonviolence that goes far beyond vegetarianism. Food obtained with unnecessary cruelty is refused. Hence the universal ethic of reciprocity in Jainism: «Just as pain is not agreeable to you, it is so with others. Knowing this principle of equality treat other with respect and compassion» (Saman Suttam 150).

Buddhism

One of the central views in Buddhism is a nondual worldview, in which subject and object are the same, and the sense of doer-ship is illusionary. On this account, the meaning of life is to become enlightened as to the nature and oneness of the universe. According to the scriptures, the Buddha taught that in life there exists dukkha, which is in essence sorrow/suffering, that is caused by desire and it can be brought to cessation by following the Noble Eightfold Path. This teaching is called the Catvāry Āryasatyāni (Pali: Cattāri Ariyasaccāni), or the «Four Noble Truths»:

1. There is suffering (dukkha)
2. There is a cause of suffering—craving (trishna)
3. There is the cessation of suffering (nirodha)
4. There is a way leading to the cessation of suffering—the Noble Eightfold Path

Theravada Buddhism promotes the concept of Vibhajjavada (literally, «teaching of analysis»). This doctrine says that insight must come from the aspirant’s experience, critical investigation, and reasoning instead of by blind faith; however, the scriptures of the Theravadin tradition also emphasize heeding the advice of the wise, considering such advice and evaluation of one’s own experiences to be the two tests by which practices should be judged. The Theravadin goal is liberation (or freedom) from suffering, according to the Four Noble Truths. This is attained in the achievement of Nirvana, which also ends the repeated cycle of birth, old age, sickness and death.

Mahayana Buddhist schools de-emphasize the traditional Theravada ideal of the release from individual suffering (dukkha) and attainment of awakening (Nirvana). In Mahayana, the Buddha is seen as an eternal, immutable, inconceivable, omnipresent being. The fundamental principles of Mahayana doctrine are based around the possibility of universal liberation from suffering for all beings, and the existence of the transcendent Buddha-nature, which is the eternal Buddha essence present, but hidden and unrecognized, in all living beings. Important part of the Buddha-nature is compassion.

Buddha himself talks about the ethic of reciprocity: «One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.» (Dhammapada 10:131).^[3]

Sikhism

Sikhism sees life as an opportunity to understand God the Creator as well as to discover the divinity which lies in each individual. God is omnipresent (sarav viāpak) in all creation and visible everywhere to the spiritually awakened. Guru Nanak Dev stresses that God must be seen from «the inward eye,» or the «heart,» of a human being: devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment. In this context of the omnipresence of God, humans are to love one another, and they are not enemies to one another.

According to Sikhism, every creature has a soul. In death, the soul passes from one body to another until final liberation. The journey of the soul is governed by the karma of the deeds and actions we perform during our lives, and depending on the goodness or wrongdoings committed by a person in their life they will either be rewarded or punished in their next life. As the spirit of God is found in all life and matter, a soul can be passed onto other life forms, such as plants and insects — not just human bodies. A person who has evolved to achieve spiritual perfection in his lifetimes attains salvation – union with God and liberation from rebirth in the material world.

East Asian religions

Confucianism

Confucianism places the meaning of life in the context of human relationships. People’s character is formed in the given relationships to their parents, siblings, spouse, friends and social roles. There is need for discipline and education to learn the ways of harmony and success within these social contexts. The purpose of life, then, is to fulfill one’s role in society, by showing honesty, propriety, politeness, filial piety, loyalty, humaneness, benevolence, etc. in accordance with the order in the cosmos manifested by Tian (Heaven).

Confucianism deemphasizes afterlife. Even after humans pass away, they are connected with their descendants in this world through rituals deeply rooted in the virtue of filial piety that closely links different generations. The emphasis is on normal living in this world, according to the contemporary scholar of Confucianism Wei-Ming Tu, «We can realize the ultimate meaning of life in ordinary human existence.»^[4]

Daoism

The Daoist cosmogony emphasizes the need for all humans and all sentient beings to return to the primordial or to rejoin with the Oneness of the Universe by way of self-correction and self realization. It is the objective for all adherents to understand and be in tune with the Dao (Way) of nature’s ebb and flow.

Within the theology of Daoism, originally all humans were beings called yuanling («original spirits») from Taiji and Tao, and the meaning in life for the adherents is to realize the temporal nature of their existence, and all adherents are expected to practice, hone and conduct their mortal lives by way of Xiuzhen (practice of the truth) and Xiushen (betterment of the self), as a preparation for spiritual transcendence here and hereafter.

The Meaning of Life in Literature

Insight into the meaning of life has been a central preoccupation of literature from ancient times. Beginning with Homer through such twentieth-century writers as Franz Kafka, authors have explored ultimate meaning through usually indirect, «representative» depictions of life. For the ancients, human life appeared within the matrix of a cosmological order. In the dramatic saga of war in Homer’s Illiad, or the great human tragedies of Greek playwrights such as Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides, inexorable Fate and the machinations of the Gods are seen as overmastering the feeble means of mortals to direct their destiny.

In the Middle Ages, Dante grounded his epic Divine Comedy in an explicitly Christian context, with meaning derived from moral discernment based on the immutable laws of God. The Renaissance humanists Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare influenced much later literature by more realistically portraying human life and beginning an enduring literary tradition of elevating human experience as the grounds upon which meaning may be discerned. With notable exceptions—such as satirists such as François-Marie Voltaire and Jonathan Swift, and explicitly Christian writers such as John Milton—Western literature began to examine human experience for clues to ultimate meaning. Literature became a methodology to explore meaning and to represent truth by holding up a mirror to human life.

In the nineteenth century Honoré de Balzac, considered one of the founders of literary realism, explored French society and studied human psychology in a massive series of novels and plays he collectively titled The Human Comedy. Gustave Flaubert, like Balzac, sought to realistically analyze French life and manners without imposing preconceived values upon his object of study.

Novelist Herman Melville used the quest for the White Whale in Moby-Dick not only as an explicit symbol of his quest for the truth but as a device to discover that truth. The literary method became for Melville a process of philosophic inquiry into meaning. Henry James made explicit this important role in «The Art of Fiction» when he compared the novel to fine art and insisted that the novelist’s role was exactly analogous to that of the artist or philosopher:

«As people feel life, so they will feel the art that is most closely related to it. … Humanity is immense and reality has a myriad forms; … Experience is never limited and it is never complete; it is an immense sensibility, a kind of huge spider-web, of the finest silken threads, suspended in the chamber of consciousness.^[5]

Realistic novelists such as Leo Tolstoy and especially Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote «novels of ideas,» recreating Russian society of the late nineteenth century with exacting verisimilitude, but also introducing characters who articulated essential questions concerning the meaning of life. These questions merged into the dramatic plot line in such novels as Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. In the twentieth century Thomas Mann labored to grasp the calamity of the First World War in his philosophical novel The Magic Mountain. Franz Kafka, Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, Samuel Beckett, and other existential writers explored in literature a world where tradition, faith, and moral certitude had collapsed, leaving a void. Existential writers preeminently addressed questions of the meaning of life through studying the pain, anomie, and psychological dislocation of their fictional protagonists. In Kafka’s Metamorphosis, to take a well known example, an office functionary wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a giant cockroach, a new fact he industriously labors to incorporate into his routine affairs.

The concept of life having a meaning has been both parodied and promulgated, usually indirectly, in popular culture as well. For example, at the end of Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, a character is handed an envelope wherein the meaning of life is spelled out: «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.» Such tongue-in-cheek representations of meaning are less common than film and television presentations that locate the meaning of life in the subjective experience of the individual. This popular post-modern notion generally enables the individual to discover meaning to suit his or her inclinations, marginalizing what are presumed to be dated values, while somewhat inconsistently incorporating the notion of the relativity of values into an absolute principle.

Assessment

Probably the most universal teachings concerning the meaning of life, to be followed in virtually all religions in spite of much diversity of their traditions and positions, are: 1) the ethic of reciprocity among fellow humans, the «Golden Rule,» derived from an ultimate being, called God, Allah, Brahman, Taiji, or Tian; and 2) the spiritual dimension of life including an afterlife or eternal life, based on the requirement not to indulge in the external and material aspect of life. Usually, the connection of the two is that the ethic of reciprocity is a preparation in this world for the elevation of spirituality and for afterlife. It is important to note that these two constitutive elements of any religious view of meaning are common to all religious and spiritual traditions, although Jainism’s ethical teachings may not be based on any ultimate divine being and the Confucianist theory of the continual existence of ancestors together with descendants may not consider afterlife in the sense of being the other world. These two universal elements of religions are acceptable also to religious literature, the essentialist position in philosophy, and in some way to some of the existentialist position.

Scientific theories can be used to support these two elements, depending upon whether one’s perspective is religious or not. For example, the biological function of survival and continuation can be used in support of the religious doctrine of eternal life, and modern physics can be considered not to preclude some spiritual dimension of the universe. Also, when science observes the reciprocity of orderly relatedness, rather than random development, in the universe, it can support the ethic of reciprocity in the Golden Rule. Of course, if one’s perspective is not religious, then science may not be considered to support religion. Recently, however, the use of science in support of religious claims has greatly increased, and it is evidenced by the publication of many books and articles on the relationship of science and religion. The importance of scientific investigations on the origin and nature of life, and of the universe in which we live, has been increasingly recognized, because the question on the meaning of life has been acknowledged to need more than religious answers, which, without scientific support, are feared to sound irrelevant and obsolete in the age of science and technology. Thus, religion is being forced to take into account the data and systematic answers provided by science. Conversely, the role of religion has become that of offering a meaningful explanation of possible solutions suggested by science.

It is interesting to observe that humanists, who usually deny the existence of God and of afterlife, believe that it is important for all humans to love and respect one another: «Humanists acknowledge human interdependence, the need for mutual respect and the kinship of all humanity.»^[6] Also, much of secular literature, even without imposing preconceived values, describes the beauty of love and respect in the midst of hatred and chaos in human life. Also, even a common sense discussion on the meaning of life can argue for the existence of eternal life, for the notion of self-destruction at one’s death would appear to make the meaning of life destroyed along with life itself. Thus, the two universal elements of religions seem not to be totally alien to us.

Christian theologian Millard J. Erickson sees God’s blessing for humans to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28) as «the purpose or reason for the creation of humankind.»^[7] This biblical account seems to refer to the ethical aspect of the meaning of life, which is the reciprocal relationship of love involving multiplied humanity and all creation centering on God, although, seen with secular eyes, it might be rather difficult to accept the ideal of such a God-given purpose or meaning of life based on simple observation of the world situation.

Notes

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Ayer, A.J. The Meaning of Life. Scribner, 1990. ISBN 978-0684191959
• Baggini, Julian. What’s it all about?: philosophy and the meaning of life. Oxford; NY: Oxford University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-0195300086
• Dalai Lama. The Meaning of Life. Wisdom Publications; Revised edition, 2000. ISBN 978-0861711734
• Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species. Signet Classics, 2003. ISBN 978-0451529060
• Davies, Paul. The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life. Simon & Schuster, 2000. ISBN 978-0684863092
• Dawkins, Richard. The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design. W.W. Norton; reissue edition, 1996. ISBN 978-0393315707
• Eagleton, Terry. The Meaning of Life. Oxford University Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0199210701
• Erickson, Millard J. Introducing Christian Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 2015. ISBN 978-0801049194
• Frankl, Viktor E. Man’s Search For Meaning, 4th edition. Pocket Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0671023379
• Goodier, Alban. The Meaning of Life: The Catholic Answer. Sophia Institute Press, 2002. ISBN 978-1928832614
• Haisch, Bernard. The God Theory: Universes, Zero-point Fields, and What’s Behind It All. Red Wheel/Weiser, 2006. ISBN 978-1578633746
• Lewis, Louise. No Experts Needed: The Meaning of Life According to You! iUniverse, Inc., 2007. ISBN 978-0595429714
• Lovatt, Stephen C. New Skins for Old Wine: Plato’s Wisdom for Today’s World. Universal Publishers, 2007. ISBN 978-1581129601
• McGrath, Alister. Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life. Blackwell Publishing Limited, 2004. ISBN 978-1405125383
• Merton, Thomas. Thoughts on the East. New YorkCity: New Directions Publishing, 1995. ISBN 978-0811212939
• Tu, Wei-Ming. Confucian Thought: Selfhood as Creative Transformation. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1985. ISBN 978-0887060069
• Vernon, Mark. Science, Religion, and the Meaning of Life. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. ISBN 978-0230013414
• Walker, Martin G. LIFE! Why We Exist…. And What We Must Do to Survive. Dog Ear Publishing, 2006. ISBN 978-1598582437

External links

All links retrieved November 8, 2022.

• The Meaning of Life Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• What is the Meaning of Life? by Neel Burton, Psychology Today.
• What is the Meaning of Life According to Positive Psychology by Courtney E. Ackerman, PositivePsychology.com.

General Philosophy Sources

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• Paideia Project Online.
• Project Gutenberg.

What is the meaning of life? We are terrified by the question and at the same time, madly thrilled by it.

It’s an age-old, primordial question at the heart of all humanity.

What’s the point of going through all this fuss? Why were we born? Why do we die? WHY does everything exist anyway?

If you’ve come to this page, you’re likely at a crossroads in life. You might feel lost and completely without a clue as to what your true calling is.

Perhaps you’ve searched for years, but nothing quite “fit” or seemed right. Or perhaps, you’ve only begun the search recently and feel completely stranded, overwhelmed, and demoralized.

Deep down, you want to make your life mean something. You want to dedicate your time to doing what you love. But HOW?

WHERE do you start?

Wanting to know what the meaning of life is can be compared to opening a humungous can of worms: question after question comes spilling out. Pretty soon, we’re curled up in the fetal position choking on a huge existential crisis grub.

Sound macabre? That’s not half of it.

Wondering “what is the meaning of life?” is often at the core of dark and dreary human experiences such as the Dark Night of the Soul, identity crisis, and existential depression.

Sometimes, the more we search for answers, the more they evade us, leaving us feeling hopelessly lost and like victims of life.

In this article, I plan to help you move through these complex and frustrating emotions (to the best of my ability) so that you can feel empowered again. By the end of this article you should:

• Be able to understand the difference between meaning and purpose
• Possess a greater sense of clarity
• (Hopefully) feel a sense of relief
• Know what to do with your life next – and how

The Major Difference Between Life Meaning and Life Purpose

People from all walks of life share an innate drive for meaning, direction, and purpose. This drive to understand our life purpose seems as important to our psychological growth as eating is to our biological survival.

– Dan Millman

You probably use them interchangeably – and have heard others do likewise – but meaning and purpose are not the same things.

It’s important to make clear distinctions here because otherwise our “what is the meaning of life?” exploration will become tremendously convoluted very quickly.

Here’s how I distinguish the two:

Life meaning is of the mind – it’s a philosophy, idea, or belief we ascribe to our lives. It’s subjective. It’s something you create.

Life purpose is innate –  it’s “programmed” into everything at a core level. It’s objective. It’s something you fulfill.

Does that make sense?

When talking about the meaning of life we often confuse and mix up the subjective and objective (or personal and impersonal). Hence why it can feel like our brains have been put through a blender when even considering the topic.

Again, to clarify:

Meaning is subjective. It comes from the mind. It is dependent on your personal tastes, desires, goals, and dreams.

Purpose, on the other hand, is from Spirit. It is programmed into us. It is within our very cells. It is written into each and every destiny. We’ll explore this distinction a little more later.

But first, to go more in-depth into this topic, what is the meaning of life? And what does that mean for you? Let’s explore that next:

What is the MEANING of Life?

So … what is the meaning of life?

To put it simply, meaning itself is very personal and varied. It’s something that emerges from your soul as a deep calling.

For one person, their meaning in life may be to raise kids, for another, their meaning may be to create a charity, or breed horses, or become a world-renown artist, or live off the grid, and so on.

Your meaning can be fixed or it can change.

Ultimately, your core essence (i.e., your heart and soul) will know what your true meaning in life is.

To find your meaning, you’ll need to do some soul searching. You’ll need to understand yourself, your gifts and weaknesses, your passions, and your interests.

This process of soul searching is an exciting process – but it can also be frustrating and disheartening if the voice of your soul is getting drowned out by the stress of daily life.

We’ll explore how to find your meaning in life a little later.

But first:

What is the PURPOSE of Life?

Our soul’s purpose, seen energetically, is already there, within us.

– Christa Mackinnon

As I mentioned above, while your meaning of life is subjective, your purpose in life is more objective.

In other words, it’s not something you have to create or find. Instead, your purpose is something you realize or tune into.

Because it’s already there, because it’s already intrinsic and innate to who you are, there’s no need to go chasing anything.

Isn’t that kind of a relief?

If you’re still in doubt, let me explain further.

You might be wondering, “so what is this innate purpose of life?”

In an earthly sense, your purpose is the same as everything you see around you: to grow, change, and expand.

Just look at the plants, animals, and trees; they all go through cycles of metamorphosis. The planets also go through cycles, as do the seasons. And the Universe is expanding every moment! You too are destined to go through these cycles of expansion.

But is that it?

Those skeptical about the spiritual dimension of life would shout a hearty, “yes!” But I’m not an atheist. I don’t have a mechanistic outlook nor do I believe that this is “all” there is.

Why reduce the complexity of life in that way? I have personally experienced the spiritual dimension of reality many times, and that is enough for me. And so too have millions since the dawn of time.

However, as the spiritual purpose of life is immaterial, it’s more open to interpretation. (Hence why there are thousands of spiritual movements and religious ideas in the world.)

Personally, I believe that our purpose in life is to mature or expand on ALL levels: the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

The spiritual awakening process is an expression of that maturation process: our souls are expanding and growing just like the galaxies. And like pregnancy or childbirth, this growth can be a painful process. But it’s part of life’s purpose.

As professor of cultural anthropology and religious studies, Bonnie Glass-Coffin writes,

As I have come to realize through my life’s journey, the purpose of our human embodiment is, actually, to grow a soul. Like the making of a body during nine months of gestation, soul-making is also a process. For, although we are born with it, our soul continues to develop with every life experience. Our sufferings are simply the secretions that add to its luster—like a pearl inside an oyster. Making soul is the process of a lifetime, or several lifetimes. Mystics, saints, and shamans of ages past and of today, from places far and near, refer to this eternal sojourn in many ways, yet whatever terms are used implies a conscious engagement with our true potential as divine partners in creation. This is what it means to “grow a soul.” This is what it means to commune with our essential nature.

On a metaphysical level, the question can be asked, “What are we maturing toward?” What is the point of all this hassle?

This is a complex topic, but in a nutshell, to summarize many spiritual and religious ideas, our metaphysical purpose is to unite with our True Nature or to become one with the Divine.

Ancient spiritual traditions all throughout the world affirm this conclusion and have referred to such a culmination by many names: Enlightenment, Illumination, Self-Realization, Heaven, Oneness, Nirvana, Bliss, Wholeness, Moksha, non-dual awareness, Buddhahood, and so on.

How do we get there?

That’s a topic for a whole other article. But there’s a multitude of spiritual and religious paths that will suit you based on your mental/emotional/spiritual level of maturity.

Meditation is a common and recommended path. Inner work is another powerful practice that we heavily focus on within this website. It is a non-dogmatic practice that can be integrated into any belief system. The healing and inner transformation it can produce are quite amazing.

How to Find Your Meaning in Life (7 Paths)

Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.

– Joseph Campbell

So far we’ve established the clear difference between what is the meaning vs. purpose of life.

As we’ve seen, meaning is subjective, it is highly personal, it is something your soul feels called to do or create.

To find your meaning in life, you need to learn how to find yourself. You’ll need to do some soul searching.

If you have no idea how to do that, here are some simple pathways:

1. Think back to what you loved doing as a child

Your inner child is your original self, the first version of “you” that entered the world. S/he holds a tremendous amount of wisdom that is just waiting to be accessed.

As children, we didn’t carry the same level of baggage, social conditioning, or fears that we now lug around everywhere. We were free spirits. As such, reconnecting with your inner child is a powerful way of finding your meaning in life.

When you were a child, you were attracted to the things that brought you the most joy. This joy is often the secret key you need to uncover your authentic life path.

Reflect on what you loved doing the most as a child – what activities did you always gravitate toward?

Perhaps you liked to read a lot, construct things, dress up your dolls, care for your toys, climb trees, talk to your pets, pretend you were a police officer, construct imaginary realms, and so on.

Take some time to carefully think about what you most enjoyed doing. Get a journal and make some notes. Look for the activities you did for the longest amount of time and most consistently.

The answer may not slap you in the face immediately, but think about what was the heart and core of the activity you did. What quality were you attracted to the most?

2. Explore your personality (by taking tests)

I know this suggestion may sound banal, but free personality tests are a wonderful way of getting to know yourself. Plus, they’re fun! Not only do you get to learn about your strengths and weaknesses, but you’re growing in self-understanding in a matter of minutes.

Not all free tests online are created equal. As our whole website is dedicated to the pursuit of self-awareness and self-knowledge, you’ll find some unique tests in our free tests area.

As always, take these tests with “a grain of salt.” Gather what you need and leave the rest. You never quite know what unique things may be revealed about yourself and how this may guide your life onwards!

3. Expand your mental horizons

We all have a “circle of competence” – a phrase coined by tycoons Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger. What this means is that we all have some things that we’re really knowledgeable about, and other things we aren’t.

Expanding your mental horizons means widening your circle of competence. This could mean exploring a topic you know literally nothing about. Also, this could mean delving into an area that you’ve always been secretly curious about but have stopped yourself from exploring (for one reason or another).

Take a moment to think about what you would like to learn about if you were given a chance. What thought first pops into your mind? Whatever that thought is reveals the place you need to go next.

Even if you feel silly, be an explorer. Soul searching isn’t always convenient or comfortable – instead, it is often wildly unexpected and can be supremely illuminating, particularly if you’re wanting to find your meaning in life.

4. Think about what life has taught you

We are each given a set of experiences in life. The experiences are neutral. They have no meaning. It is how we interpret the experiences that gives them meaning. The interpretations of experiences shape our beliefs and theories about the world. Our beliefs and theories, in turn, determine what we observe in the world to confirm our beliefs, which, in turn, reinforce our interpretations.

– Michael Michalko

Ultimately, answering “what is the meaning of life?” comes down to how you think about and interpret life. Do you ever think about the experiences you’ve had? Do you ever give them a higher meaning? If not, it’s time to do that.

One of the most powerful ways to find your meaning is to reflect on the entire timeline of your life. What have been your major highs and lows? What successes and tragedies have befallen you? And most of all, what have they TAUGHT you?

If you can answer this single question “what have all your experiences in life taught you?” and take a higher perspective, you might just find your meaning in life.

For example, if you believe all your experiences have taught you to surrender and let go, you might become interested in studying Zen Buddhism and make that your meaning in life. If you’ve learned that all your experiences have taught you the importance of sticking to your truth, you might become an advocate for something.

Make sense? It’s a simple but powerful soul searching technique.

5. Visualize yourself on your death bed

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” the poet Mary Oliver once wrote.

This activity may at first appear morbid, but it holds within it the seed of true insight. When death is upon us, everything becomes clear, crystalline, precious. There’s no time to waste and the choices we’ve made in life dance before our eyes.

For this activity, you’ll need to set aside five or ten minutes. Get into a quiet and dark room. You may even like to wear a sleeping mask or blindfold so your vision becomes pitch black. If you want to put yourself into an even deeper mindset, you can play some funereal or ethereal music quietly in the background. (And just in case you feel too uncomfortable, ensure someone is in the house with you.)

Now, once you’re ready, imagine you’re lying on your death bed. You are reflecting on all that you’ve done in your life. When you think of your biggest achievements, what comes to mind? What are you the happiest to have done, practiced, or committed to? Don’t be modest here. Think about something simply amazing you have done. What is that?

If nothing comes to mind, you can always return to this activity later (perhaps in the early morning or late at night). Once you’re ready to stop the visualization, feel into your body, stretch your legs and arms, and take off the blindfold. Consider journaling about your experience – it will be extremely valuable to remember and reflect upon this visualization.

Learn more about how to journal.

6. Practice inner work

Why is it that we struggle to find the meaning of our lives? One reason is that we are emotionally or psychologically blocked.

We might suffer from self-doubt, low self-worth, or general self-destructive tendencies. We might be trapped within the pits of an existential crisis, a toxic relationship, an addiction, or mental health issue.

We may have even experienced a spiritual awakening so strong that our life seems to be melting around us – and we don’t know how to put back the pieces of ourselves.

One way to create inner harmony, balance, and wholeness is through a practice known as inner work. Inner work is the mental, emotional and spiritual practice of exploring your inner self. It is about gaining self-knowledge, learning how to love yourself, working through your core beliefs, and maturing (or individuating) as a human being.

For anyone soul searching, inner work is a vital practice. It can be all too easy to skim across the surface of life without going deeper. But whatever is buried within you will eventually rise to the surface, sooner or later. Inner work is about exploring and working with the different facets of our inner selves.

The three major types of inner work that I recommend are self-love, inner child work, and shadow work.

7. Think about what type of meaning you need right now

Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl once wrote about meaning:

For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.

There is a quote by the German philosopher Nietzsche saying that “if a man finds a WHY he can bear with almost any HOW” – and it’s true. It was humankind that built the Auschwitz gas ovens, it was also humankind who marched into them with their heads held high and a prayer song on their lips.

As Frankl pointed out, meaning is not some solid rigid thing, but it is fluid and changeable. We need to focus on finding our meaning of life right now.

In my perspective, there are three types of meaning in life:

The first is meaning in accomplishment or achievements, where we feel fulfillment in completing tasks, goals, and dreams.

The second is the meaning we find in values such as the loyalty we feel toward a noble cause or the compassion a mother feels toward her child.

Finally, the third is meaning in suffering, where we embrace a specific attitude to empower us within certain circumstances, e.g., “This pain I feel from the loss of my job will teach me what I truly want from life.”

Above I have just defined three types of meaning:

1. Meaning in accomplishments and achievements
2. Meaning in values (e.g., love, friendship, community, loyalty, courage)
3. Meaning in suffering (an attitude/belief about why we’re experiencing something)

Think about where you’re currently at in life. What type of meaning do you need the most? Reflect on the most painful feelings you experience on a regular basis – this will be the way to find what type of meaning you need.

For instance, if you suffer from feelings of boredom, fatigue or listlessness you may need to find the first type of meaning (achievement/accomplishments).

If you suffer from feelings of general unhappiness, loneliness or a specific yearning for something, you may need the second type of meaning (values).

And if you are going through an intensely painful period in life that is characterized by anxiety, depression, grief, hopelessness, and other strong forms of emotions, you may need the third type of meaning (attitude/belief about suffering).

Or hell, maybe you need all three types of meaning – that’s okay too! Be true to yourself and listen to your needs.

In Conclusion

I’ll leave you with a quote from the Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo,

It takes six million grains of pollen to seed one peony, and salmon need a lifetime of swimming to find their way home, so we mustn’t be alarmed or discouraged when it takes us years to find love or years to understand our calling in life.

There is no race here. You will find your meaning in your own time. And remember, your meaning can stay the same or it can change as you mature. There is no black and white manual of rules here.

Very few people just wake up one day and shout “WOOHOO! I finally know my indisputable life purpose!” It’s more like a messy awkward food party, where you eat one thing and throw it away until you find something that finally tastes really nice.

You may have come to this article wanting a definitive answer to the notorious “what is the meaning of life?” question. But the thing is, your meaning is of your own creation.

Your meaning springs from the depths of your heart and soul. To hear it, you need to find ways of going inwards and of listening carefully. I sincerely hope the above activities will help you to do that.

Tell me, after reading this article, what are your feelings or thoughts? Do you need any clarification? Perhaps you wish to share your own experience? Please share below!

Any organism that is said to breathe and feel with its senses is said to be alive. Plants, animals, organisms, and humans are endowed with this concept of life. Hence there is said to be life on earth. But life is not permanent and anything which is alive will decay and die someday. It is said, «Everything which takes birth has to die one day». So what is the significance of such a temporary life?

What is the purpose of living? what is to be achieved through living differs from individual to individual. Personal responses to situations and the thought processes involved in handling issues and problem-solving capabilities differ from person to person.

Life can be made beautiful or can be simply led. This rests entirely on the persons’ goals, ambitions, and achievements. The success ratio and personal response to challenging situations are deciding factors. Environmental factors, socioeconomic conditions, parental upbringing, peer group influence also contribute to one’s growth and in making life beautiful and successful.

Ethics and moral values imbibed into life by the individual act as indicators. One’s the judgmental capacity of good from bad, right from wrong, legal from illegal, ethical and unethical all act as guidelines to one’s life and help him in leading a good or bad life depending on the choices he makes.

The purpose of life is to live and let live. The societal living is possible when there are communal harmony and feeling of brotherhood among its members. The institutions of family and marriage contribute to the harmonious living in a society. Peaceful coexistence is the key to a successful life.

Society is divided into haves and has not’s from time immemorial and since money was brought into vogue. This great divide is the cause of many despairs in life. If people learn to cooperate and be generous and imbibe philanthropic attitude toward the needy then one can not only be happy but also make others happy.

Life, when led to the full, has to end one day. So what is the destination it has to reach when the soul leaves the body? For believers and the devout, the aim is to become one with GOD or any superpower or the Ultimate. Every human being seeks salvation after having led a full life. He searches for the sublime bliss and union with the Almighty as he fully believes that life is GOD’s gift to man and is only complete with the reunion with God.