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Ever since my discovery as a teenager of philosophers and intellectuals such as Aristotle, Plato, Hume, Kierkegaard, Spinoza and many others, I became cognizant of and pondered questions such as, “What is the meaning of life?,” “What is our purpose?,” “What are we?” and “Why are we here?”

After decades of thought, it was not until recently that I was able to understand the meaning of the questions, resolve these inquires and reach what I think are, perhaps, acceptable conclusions.

Such questions of “meaning” and “purpose” must be re-addressed, and we must ask, “What are the expressions and definitions of these two inquires?” In other words, what does the question of purpose or meaning represent or request? Why are we asking the question? What do we wish to answer?

I propose when we ask either question, it is really just a variation of any primary inquiry into nature. When we observe a natural or artificial subject for the first time, we may be stumped. If we have no previous experience with it, we cannot make any brain associations with similar, prior subjects. It remains unknown, a “mystery,” or a “wonder” until we can discover and associate similarities to experience.

Science, for example, proposes differentiation between “inanimate” chemistry and “living” matter – life. However, still, in our attempt to define it, all we have been able to offer are descriptions or activities of life, but not what life “is.”

A brief list of our attempt to understand the essence of “life”:

These declarations are only descriptions of activities. They do not define the essence of life. These descriptions are currently our best attempt to understand life by associating a “mystery” with what we have experienced.

And so it is with defining meaning or purpose. These are intellectual concepts which have no basis or foundation in the energy or chemistry of our universe. When we ask the question of purpose, what we are really asking is, “What is this entity called “life”? “What are the “activities” of “life”?

Meaning and purpose are intellectual creations, unassociated with external subjects. They are brain word strings which do not exist in outside reality.

If we need to maintain these words in our lexicon, these questions can be resolved by asking, “What is the composition of life?” “What do our activities represent?” Composition takes us back to chemistry. Activity takes us back to, “What is the accomplishment or result of the activity?”

Let’s take a closer look at the essence of meaning and purpose. If they do not exist in reality, should we react with despondence, lose interest in what we do, conclude that life is of no value or give up our passions and dreams? Of course not. Let me explain.

(This Article is under development.)

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