Does living make sense ?

Realising existence is possibly the greatest revelation of human thinking. Well, I am not questioning the ability of other living organisms to understand their existence but the magnanimity of the human mind in enquiring its purpose before which all the other species fade into the shadows.

The purpose of life is a big question mark which has enthralled not just philosophers, but every human who has ever lived. Each individual encounters, at least, one point in his lifetime where he a question mark hovers over his head tilling his mind for answers. But the purpose of this post is to deal with a different question – does ‘life’ make sense? – In this context, the word ‘sense’ means whether the life which we live has any ‘meaning’.

 I am less than a speckle of dust on a wonderful green-blue planet. The earth is a dwarf when it stands before the sun. When we raise the ante and take it to the level of the universe the sun is lesser than the lesser speckle of dust. When I think about the unexplainable vastness of the universe and especially the power of time, it is rather easy to come to the conclusion that my existence ‘doesn’t really matter’.  

Living as a human is perhaps the most painful thing on earth. It stems from the fact that a human realises that ‘everything is temporary’. The resources I earn, the relationships I make, and the progress gained all vanishes with my last breath. Though one could argue that the benefits pass on to the next generation there is no assurance as time progresses beyond measure. Could any scientist assure that humans will exist beyond 5 billion years? Alas, the earth’s age is lesser than that!

What is the point of life if everything you do doesn’t matter? Humans are guided by the ‘pursuit of happiness’ throughout their lives. Be it a healthy family, trustworthy friends, your better half, a secure job, the song on your mobile phone, the waves lashing over the beach, everything is tools to stay in the ‘state’ of happiness.  As this state is highly temporary throughout over lives, night and day we pursue it using every tool at our disposal. You live a life which is temporary trying to achieve something which you know is highly temporary.

Photo Courtesy: Stefan Baudy

What is the meaning if all this effort does not give you anything? What is the point if you can’t take anything with you? What is the point of doing something though you know that time can undo everything you have done?

But maybe we are asking the wrong question. Maybe we are taking a scale too large to measure life’s meaning. How can one compare a being which lives for 60 years to something as a universe which is evaluated to be 13.6 billion years old? I thoroughly ‘realise’ that I live. This translates to me having senses and desires, at least, the basic – like hunger. It also means that I can get hurt and cause damage to people.

If I do not act responsibly I know that I can hurt my family, friends, nature and a lot of other things. Though the damage can be undone by time, one cannot deny the fact that in a ‘shorter’ span pain and suffering can be devastating. The inverse positive effect also stands true. So, living has a meaning not just because of the basic desires, but also happiness. Though it is highly temporary why not live a temporary life to achieve it?

Because humans are subjected to emotions and emotions can cause love and pain. It may not stand the test of 5 years, but definitely, 5 seconds and achievements do not stand for 5 billion years, but definitely 50 years which is close to one’s lifetime. Beyond that – does it really matter?

Life is all about choices – from where you decide to perceive. Looked through the broader prism of time everything looks meaningless including the prism you hold. But paying ‘time’ to listen to all your senses for a few moments would tell you how meaningful life can be. Happy Living.

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Stefan Baudy