A Preview of My Answer to the Meaning of Life

I’m writing a book that tries to answer some of the hardest philosophical questions ever asked, while using Codex to automate parts of the process.

Philosophy is tricky because it isn’t objective. Most people can agree on certain basic moral ideas, like harming innocent people is wrong. But questions like whether we have free will or what the meaning of life is are completely open to interpretation. There isn’t one answer that is objectively right or wrong. You get to decide which ideas resonate with you.

The book will be completed in 2027, and since I’m still writing it, I’m not exactly sure what the final version will look like. For this post, though, I’m giving a sneak peek into the first chapter: What is the meaning of life?

Each chapter focuses on one of philosophy’s hardest questions. I go through some of the most common answers given by past philosophers, explain them using modern-day examples, and then finish with my own take on the question.

Chapter I: What Is the Meaning of Life?

We start this book with the juiciest one - okay that was weird.

One of the most fascinating concepts in our lifetime is sonder. Sonder is that weird realization that every random person you walk past has an entire life as detailed as yours.

Everyone has a unique life, experiencing their highs in Cuba right now or going through some hardships in San Diego. People view things differently, feel differently and go through life differently.

That’s what makes this question difficult. It is not just that there may not be one correct answer. It is that everyone’s purpose is different, which changes how they understand the meaning of life.

I have my own answer to this question, but before getting there, I think it’s worth looking at some of the most common answers first, weighing them and assessing if they actually make sense.

Nihilism / No Meaning

This is the simplest answer and the most tempting.

You didn’t ask to be born. You got dropped into the world, got a name, got taught how to behave, and were basically told: good luck, try not to waste it.

If you don’t believe in God, religion, or anything higher, nihilism can sound… clean. No grand purpose. No cosmic script. No “everything happens for a reason.”

Just: you’re here, and then you’re not.

And nihilism asks a fair question:

Why does life have to mean anything?

Why can’t we just exist without inventing some story to make mornings feel less terrifying?

Because that’s the problem: it is terrifying.

A good example is Michael from The Good Place. He’s immortal. He exists forever. His whole “life” is just tasks and routines, torturing humans, running experiments, because time doesn’t threaten him. Then he realizes he might actually die. And he spirals.

Because when life can end, it suddenly matters.

That’s why nihilism doesn’t work for me.

Maybe the universe doesn’t hand us meaning. Fine.

But the fact that this can all end today, tomorrow, fifty years from now, and that makes everything feel meaningful whether I like it or not.

Finitude turns ordinary moments into something expensive.

So I can’t fully buy “nothing matters.”

Because if nothing mattered, losing it wouldn’t hurt.

Hedonism / Happiness

This one sounds right because it feels right.

Middle school soccer at lunch.

Overwatch on a Friday night with pizza.

Laughing so hard your stomach hurts over something stupid.

That’s the dream: be happy as much as possible.

The problem is that happiness isn’t a lifestyle. It’s a mood. It comes and goes.

And you can see this in how people react when “successful” people admit they’re struggling.

A famous streamer like Kai Cenat opens up about mental health and the internet responds with the emotional intelligence of a brick:

“Aren’t you rich?”

“You have everything.”

“How can you be depressed?”

People still believe the fairy tale: money buys happiness.

But the real world is messier:

rich people can be miserable,

poor people can be joyful,

anyone can be lonely in a room full of people.

This is why hedonism doesn’t work as the meaning of life.

Chasing happiness full-time is like chasing a perfect gym pump, it feels amazing, but it doesn’t last. And if your whole purpose is a feeling that fades, you’re going to spend a lot of your life feeling like you’re failing.

Happiness matters. A lot.

It just can’t be the whole point.

Service / Contribution

This answer is the one I identify the most with.

The last two answers were all about us, the meaning of life is about how one person chooses to live their life. However, there are also 7 billion other people on the planet, and the world didn’t progress by everyone thinking about themselves.

I believe we have a moral obligation to help other people.

You can probably tell but I’m kind of a nerd. I like coding, anime, video games and even superheroes films. Growing up I was obsessed with Spider-Man, and I still am. A quote that always stuck with me was:

“He believed that if you could do good things for other people, you had a moral obligation to do those things. That’s what’s at stake here. Not choice. Responsibility.”

This question of the meaning of life doesn’t just revolve around us, an individual. If you were all alone on this floating rock - well first of all that wouldn’t last long, and second of all, you would get this empty feeling. Nothing to pursue, nothing to do.

For the sake of society, helping each other is the only way civilization moves forward. Intellectually, emotionally - some way shape or form.

It’s impossible to be gifted in every aspect of life. I am not a D1 Volleyball player, but there is someone right now who could teach me all about volleyball. Not everyone knows everything about the brain, food, climate etc.

Everyone has a unique gift or knowledge and it’s our duty to share it with other people to combine strengths.

Helping other people isn’t just donating to charity or making a YouTube channel on spiritual monk meditations. It’s helping random strangers who asked for it on Linkedin, your close friend who you don’t want to help - but should or someone who is incredibly annoying but you still do it anyway.

If you don’t offer support, what is the purpose of us being here? Just for resources, and self gain? If every single person chose those actions, had an egocentric mindset, life wouldn’t have progressed this far.

Religious / Transcendent

I understand why religion is important. I understand the need and the value religion brings to people.

The question: what is the meaning of life?

Isn’t a yes or no question. Once again, anyone can have any answer that is their opinion. However, religion gives people a guidebook when life feels too uncertain.

I am a very confused person. I struggle with analysis paralysis, I keep on formulating plans, living in my head and not being able to pick something. It’s something I struggle with, and I think a lot of people do too.

Life has so many options, so many rewards, punishments, consequences. It becomes daunting, not knowing where we are going to end up by making a micro decision.

“If I ask out this girl and she says no… things will be awkward”

“Do I get my masters or take a gap year and travel.. Will I be behind”

“What YouTube video do I watch, Ludwig, Smosh, or a Netflix show like Lucifer?”

Religion is a guidebook of how we should behave, act and live our lives. It tells us how to treat people, what substances we should avoid, and how to take care of our family.

Not having the answers, doesn’t mean you failed. Life is complicated, that’s why there are so many different answers to this question. Following a guideline, give us stability and a higher purpose.

Nevertheless, you don’t have to follow a certain path. But, if you choose to, I don't see an issue with that.

Existentialism

We create our own meaning.

Existentialism argues that humans are born without a predetermined purpose and find purpose through living life. Whether it’s being a good father, a therapist helping patients, an athlete, or something else entirely, we get to choose what we pursue.

Even if your family assigns you a purpose, like carrying on a legacy, escaping poverty, or becoming successful, you can still reject it and try to become your own person.

A surprisingly good example of this is Surf’s Up.

Cody Maverick is a penguin from Antarctica who dreams of becoming a great surfer, even though everyone around him thinks the idea is ridiculous. His life seems predetermined: stay in the colony, stop dreaming, and survive.

Cody refuses to accept that.

It’s like saying that because you are 6'10", you must become a center for the Lakers, or because you have a photographic memory, you must go to MIT. Your circumstances can influence you without defining you.

Cody eventually becomes good enough to compete, but then he starts caring more about winning than actually enjoying surfing.

That part matters.

Because existentialism can shift from meaning to pride. Cody’s goal of becoming the best surfer in the world starts coming from ego rather than enjoyment, to the point where he would be comfortable winning trophies while abandoning the people close to him.

Existentialism sounds good on paper, and it makes sense. But the reason existentialism can fall apart is that so many people reach the top and still feel inadequate. You get to choose your meaning, but people can choose the wrong ones. Well, maybe not the wrong ones, but meanings built around feeling powerful, being seen, or becoming less insecure.

My Answer

Since this is a question that philosophers have been debating since the dawn of time, it’s hard to give a truly unique answer. Also, even if you come up with an answer no one else has come up with, it doesn’t mean it’s right.

Here’s my answer: it’s layered. Life is mainly about experiences. In terms of philosophical concepts, I believe in a mixture of existentialism and contribution, as already mentioned in this chapter.

In order to live a proper life, you need to randomly go out on a Thursday night, spend three weeks meditating, fall in love, break up, swim, travel, and watch all of One Piece — I haven’t even started, btw.

But the point of life is to experience all of it, not just the good, but the boring, sad, lonely, weird, and exciting times.

The closest match to this answer is Viktor Frankl. In Man’s Search for Meaning, he argues that meaning can be found through creating or doing something, through experiencing something or encountering someone, and through the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.

By writing this book, I had a whole new experience: planning the chapters, writing for 10–20 minutes every day, rewriting an entire chapter because I thought it was cringe, and then contemplating why I started writing it in the first place. The inevitable feeling of being proud after writing and publishing another book, along with the excitement of planning everything, is an experience.

I believe this is the answer to the question of what the meaning of life is for one simple reason: how can you say you lived life when you never skydived or snorkeled in the Bahamas? The point is, life cannot only be work, and it cannot only be escape. To say you lived, you need to actually experience it.