The Meaning of Life

For some reason, it seems that important things in my life happen in threes. I know this is an old wives tale but it seems to be true. Well, over the last week I have heard the same question three times, so it triggered a train of thought that I decided to share. I don't have the answer to the question, only questions about the question.

The question, in different forms, was "Why are we (human beings) here?" What is the meaning of Life?" "What is our purpose on Earth?" These seem to me to be just different ways of asking the same thing.

The questioners always seem to have a religious purpose for asking this question. So the real questions would seem to be, "What is God's purpose for man on earth?" or "What is God's plan for me?"

But what if I don't believe in God? Then do I really need to wonder about my purpose or reason for being alive? Why would I assume that there has to be a purpose or a reason for me to live? My existence is a matter of trillions of acts of chance that have led up to me being alive. Some people would call this a miracle, but is it a miracle just because the odds are high?

So my answer to the question has to be . . . "What reason?" The reason is chance, nothing more or less. The purpose is what you decide to make it. You can do nothing consequential in your life and when you are gone no one will miss you or remember you. Or you can make a difference on people's lives and you will have had a purpose. But the purpose will have been one of your making, not a divine purpose.