All to many times I see people stress out over life because it is meaningless. That there is no higher purpose and that life is not worth living because of that. As scripture says:

I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
Ecclesiastes 1:14

Given the age of this quote we can see existential though has been a question that humanity has struggled with for the majority of recorded history.

In this post I hope to discuss my views on meaning and if this complaint holds any weight.

There is No Meaning

I think this for the most part is true. Even basic physical motion is hard enough to understand. Suppose we were playing pool, you might be able to know where the white ball is going before you hit it, hopefully the ball you are hitting goes where you want it to.

Now suppose you met someone able to win the game on the break every time. If perfect calculation of the world was possible this would be no special feat.

In practice if you were to describe the math involved most people would fall asleep. They would take you for your word on it.

I doubt there is a mathematician on the planet who can play the perfect pool game.

Yet these people claim science can prove everything, but math, it the base of science, is out of their grasp.

Naturally you can not assign meaning to any part of life. It is outside our comprehension as humans. Those that claim to know are just scammers.

What Are we to do?

Some people take this lack of meaning to be found in their environment to be disturbing. Others take it as a cause to celebrate. Most try not to think about the problem.

I think this is an issue that plays out for many people in what is commonly termed as a "mid-life crisis" or even a "quarter-life crises". These people believed there is a chance of happiness based on their position in the external world. They find out that the world is ever changing, and what appears to be success turns out to be failure.

These people find out that after working so hard that the external world can not bring you fulfillment. They are forced to re examine their life and comes to terms with the vanity with what they are doing.

The Rebirth

Existential crises have the opportunity for re-inventing yourself as a person. Everytime we examine what we are doing with a critical eye we have the chance to change our path. Many times people would have coasted through life until a lay off and a divorce happened before they find move out of a dead end career. It is through the turbulent period that they are able to become the person they need to be.

These are just my thought on the issue. Please leave a comment based on your outlook of life.