Pocket Mindfulness

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What is the Point of Life?

On the face of it this seems like the most unanswerable question there is, a question that nags our existence from start to finish.

And paradoxically, the more we integrate mindfulness with our daily lives and realise that the only reality we have is the present moment, the more life may seem somewhat pointless – because we are living as if this is all there is.

But on the evidence of what we can perceive, I think looking upwards at what “might be” is a waste of energy, because life for me is most certainly happening down “here”.

No matter how strong our faith in a particular religion or theory, believing something doesn't make it truer. Knowing something, based on evidence that can be critically evaluated is likely to be a more accurate appraisal of what is.

In short, saying “I believe” is never an adequate substitute for being able to say,”I know”.

Faith is largely centered around belief because it relies on second, third, fourth (and so on) accounts of things that may or may not be true.

But let me be clear: the point of this post is not to question anyone's faith, or to put forward an alternative school of thought on what might exist in another realm, but to simply present what is real. And by that I mean what we are able to perceive and logically deduce from that perception.

Do We Even Know What We're Doing?

For more than 20 years, science has suggested that we may have very little control over what we do, calling into question the concept of free will.

Studies have shown that the brain knows what you will do before the compulsion to act comes into your awareness. In short, our thoughts and actions are triggered by neurological processes we don't control.

Indeed, a study published in Psychological Science suggests that in the very moments that we experience a choice, our minds are rewriting history, fooling us into thinking that this choice—that was actually completed after its consequences were subconsciously perceived—was a choice that we had made all along.

The realisation that we are technically on autopilot and without free will, adds another new dimension to the question, “What's the point?”

If there's nothing after this existence, and I'm not fully in control of my actions in this one; then truly, what is the point to all this doing, competing, struggling, striving, working, accumulating, etc.

What Is the Point of Life

If the only reason you're living is because you firmly believe that afterwards you will go to a better place, then why not go now?

Well, perhaps the going is conditional on the living first. Even so, can a life truly be lived if it is hindered by constant thoughts of what might come after?

It's not bad thing to have faith that there might be something better after this life, as long as it doesn't restrict and/or distort your reality to the point that you aren't allowing yourself to fully live and flourish in this life.  And by that I mean simply appreciating whatever blessings, however small and fleeting, are within your existence right now.

The only reality, the only thing I truly know is this moment, right here, right now. There is nothing else.

And it is at this point that science and mindfulness/fully being here merge quite beautifully: Because, even though there was a neurological process that happened prior to my thinking about writing this post, it still took my conscious doing to take action and write it.

The reality, the control I have – the living and the being – is the doing in the moment. I can take full control of my life right this second. I can act in full awareness on a particular thought of my choice. I can seize this moment to take action.

We have a million and one thoughts a day, none of which we have any control over. We can't filter thoughts and unthink the ones we don't like, but we do get to choose the ones through which we take action.

Or do we?

Well, actually, I think it doesn't matter.

Let me take you back to the start of this post where we spoke of ‘believing' something versus ‘knowing something'.

I don't “believe” I will one day write this post. I “know” I am writing this post. This is the reality. It exists right now, as I'm taking action.

However questionable the reality of my action is – whether it is free will; whether it is even happening, or happening in my head; or is just me, a conglomeration of atoms vibrating in some senseless vacuum – the perception of the action is what I know to be true.

Within this simple concept, I believe (ironically), is the point of life.

The Point of Life Is Life Itself

So it makes sense to me that the point of life is to live through what you know to be real.

Of course, what appears as a reality may not really be as we perceive it to be, but we are continually learning about this through science and our understanding will evolve with the answers.

The fact is: we don't know what's around the corner, what happens when we die or even the true extent of the control we have over our lives.

But what we do know is that we have an awareness of being here now.

Stop for a moment and look around…

That's an awareness looking through your eyes: it's a physical being, a personality, a beautiful individual that cannot and will never be replicated. You are one of a kind. Truly.

That perception, that sense of being here right now, that individual role you and I play in the world, that is the point of life.

That's the only answer we have available.

There's nothing to hope for in the future; because it doesn't exist, but everything to perceive in the now.

So, for me, this is the point. You are the point, along with every other living organism that surrounds your existence in this moment.

The point of life is happening now. Beyond that is irrelevant, because it doesn't exist.

The tiniest, seemingly insignificant insect you see on the floor is a fundamental part of the point, because you know it exists in the here and now. 

When we start living through this lens, the point of life falls into place; it suddenly has context, substance and meaning.

From this acceptance emerges a profound shift of consciousness.

We are relieved of mental suffering when we see life in this way. There is no need to perpetually compete, strive and grasp blindly at every next best thing. 

Why, because the majority of these actions are based on empty beliefs of a better time, a better place, a more contented and happier you; things that transcend, reshape and get further away the closer you think you are to them.

But let me be clarify something before I sign off: My view on this isn't in any way saying that pondering the future, life after death, discussing faith higher consciousness isn't valuable, on the contrary.

But self-prophesying “beliefs” with no root in the reality, or at least the realest perception we have of reality, can prevent us living life to its potential

Your next read: I Don't Want to Die & Realise I Haven't Lived

What do you think is the point of life?

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Comments

  1. Gio says

    This article makes many pointed dry remarks written as if they were absolute truths. I found the style of it, in short emphatic bursts of sentences, quite militant and I had to really push away thoughts of rebellion about its oversimplification, to stay focused on what was being said.
    I came to reading this article with a genuine interest in views that might be equal of different from mine and no, my mind had not made an unconscious decision about it in advance. I just found this article quite unhelpful, void of inspiring thoughts about the purpose of life (reduced to enjoy the fleeting blessings) discounting of many other aspects of life and setting a marked line between believing and knowing, which I don’t agree with ( and I am not using believing here in a religious sense). We create our reality by the act of thinking and even the knowing has an element of perception and interpretation and is not “the truth”. A lot of knowing is believing. What scientists “knew” about the universe or gravity has already turned to be a “belief”. Your article in itself is created by the beliefs you have, about beliefs and truths.

    I think our experience of life is ALSO made of what we believe and it important to acknowledge and search the truth in them, if we can. And if we can’t, even with our unproven beliefs life can rich and fulfilling, whilst the truth of what we “see” and observe, might be sometime in future, disproved by science.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Not absolute truths, just a perspective. I try to live with what I know to be true now, based on the best evidence I have. I am not in any way saying that is not subject to change or worth examining.

      I try not to allow what might be, or has been, to define the now, and to see thoughts and emotions for what they are. I explored the idea of knowledge vs belief, and the scientific take on free-thinking and free will to reinforce the importance of living life and not being a spectator to beliefs. The being/living is in the doing; the doing is in the now.

      I’m sorry you found the writing style dry and emphatic, but I did intend for it to be punchy, blunt and simple.

      So I am pleased that you perceive it as a simplification; because the point being made is a simple one. If one wants complexity then one can spend a lifetime reading the many great philosophers that muse on the purpose of life, but for most it leaves them with more questions than they had when they started. Moreover, are their writings not just thoughts, thoughts they may not have had any control over, or may not even believe in now? Does pondering the point of life not simply lead us back to the same place?

      We can complicate existence as much as we want, but in the eyes of mother nature it is very simple. We are part of her process, and within that process we have an existence.

      Reply

      • Jared says

        I have thought long and hard about life, religion, processes, people’s actions, reasons for action, reasons for descsions. Also I am a journeyman red seal mechanic and my propose in life is to make a bus go and make a bus stop. Very meaningful. Yeah right. But let me tell you guys about predetermined thought or action to thought or action from religion. Everybody alive is a product of there environment, their surroundings and there experiences mixed in with a little chemical imbalance. Put all that together and the choices you make are predeturmind by your experience in life hence your surroundings. Life for me now is boring. Everyday is the same. The only real point for me is my family. The next generation. Making them comfortable and happy makes me happy. So in short thought and action is the same brain process as DNA mixing to creat a unique human. And also physically that human will thrive based on its environmental surroundings to physically. Just like the mind is a product of its inviroment mentally. Eventually as a spieces all will be lost when the sun burns out anyway so in this case is the only question when we bread to create life arnt we just creating more suffering. Or adding to a problem. So their is no point. Or maybe the point is to have a big house and five cars and I’m just full of shit. Honestly who cares.

        Reply

      • Moxibustion says

        Yes, but the question is not that we have an existence and that we have a place in it – that’s your set if beliefs, – but what is the meaning of that existence. This is Heidegger’s concern over the forgetting of the meaning of being, a problem your article appears guilty of too. The emptiness of what you are saying becomes obvious when considered in light of Jared’s reply about his family. Your approach has no way of considering that, partly because it’s written from the perspective of an individual ego, partly because it’s nullifying a component of what it means to be human (nihilism), and partly because its confused over what is meant by belief/truth and the ontological and epistemological beliefs that you are smuggling in. What you are saying in the end is trite and superficial. What you are advocating is a kind of nihilism, and perhaps that is all that mindfullness can do – it’s a tool after all, if you take it too far then Gio’s criticism’s of your article are correct. Perhaps the honest thing to do would be to acknowledge the limitations of your approach and recognise that perhaps while mindfulness can assist as with living well, ultimately it can’t answer these kinds of questions on it’s own.

        Reply

    • ANONYMOUS says

      my mind had not made an unconscious decision about it in advance.

      How you are so sure about that? What is thoughts… Where it comes from? Undermind is there is some point we can not control at all. It just comes itself. And less than a second we beliave that it was our dessicion. But in fact it is not.

      Reply

      • Anonymous female says

        I’m not saying that the act of suicide is right, but I can understand how 4 feels because I don’t see the point of my life myself. I have this viewpoint to where I feel that people with kids are more important than those without. That might be a wrong thought, but I find that kids that live without their parents in some way, shape, or form end up with issues as adults. I’m a result of one despite my parents being around physically, there are issues to where they weren’t mentally around. Long story.

        My point of this comment isn’t to make others feel bad for me, just to give some insight into how 4 might be feeling. The world can be so lonely for some people, especially ones who are single. If a zombie apocalpyse were to occur, I would be the type of person to sacrifice myself so that a child could still have both his/her parents. Parents are so important to shaping their children and are so needed by their children for the development of a child’s life can change how the future will come to be.

        I struggle with my sense of importance in life and I hope that I will get out of it to be frank. I’ve never been so depressed in my life. My natural state of being is “happy-go-lucky,” yet it feels lost with my constant thoughts of my life- where I am now, what my future looks like and how the loneliness has kicked my positive thoughts to the curve.

        Reply

          • matthew wood says

            So, you’re still here.. well that’s a real positive then.. I guess whatever you are going through isnt that bad? or maybe it is?? but either way – something or some one has kept your here. :O)x

          • Ash says

            Hey sorry if this annoys anyone cos it sounds cheesy. I for the first 20 years of my life was super depressed and had really bad anxiety even as a child. One day i was very lucky and just snapped out of it. I started looking outside of me instead of me. I began this love affair with the universe and all it had to offer. I began to take great interest in everything and just out of the blue became very naturally curious. Everything amazed me. Like a film had been removed from my heart and i saw tge world in a whole new light. I had no friends, i was arkward. I felt like a burden to everyone and i wanted to kill myself and then i thought right well you cant go on living like this. Because it was excruciating to be in my mind. And i just completely took the focus off myself and demanded wheres the happiness…. Is it in books? Clouds? Birds? Movies? I looked for it everywhere….. Music, tv, a walk in the city…. I seen love everywhere and i was no longer sad that i felt so arkward and lonely and useless that i could never let anyone love me….. I was happy for others, happy for the man who swept the streets, the teenagers who were struggling to find their place in the world. Happy for the broken ones who one day might be fixed as i had somehow miraculously become, happy for people who found love, had children, happy for those who were still trying to figure it out, happy for all the sadness and horrible feelings id suffered because it grew me amd gave me a freedom and a gratitude that hasnt ever gone away….. I still go to battle with myself….. But when im battling….its usually when im examining myself to the point of i dont even know what. Beating up on myself for fuck knows what. When i could be looking around…. For all those who are broken or lonely…. Try finding happiness in your sadness….. And then look around… Try new things…. Find joy in things all things…… Seek it. You may actually find it. Dont keep looking in the same places….. Dont always look with the same mindset….. Good luck you…. I see you…. I know you…. I am you…..

        • ML says

          I feel the same way. Living has no point whatsoever if once we die either naturally or by suicide our actions will have no meaning. Even if ones death affected others in a couple of decades no one will remember you and in a couple of generations no one that knows about your existence will be alive. I don’t believe that there is anything after death and to be honest, thats quite a relief. I was talking about this with someone and also how I believe that we are the worst living organisms in existence, and how I wanted to not be alive so badly because to me the ability to have complex thoughts is a curse, they just replied saying that there must be a chemical imbalance in my brain, because if everything I believed was true then how come an animal wish death upon themselves. That may be true, but I just think that living and thinking is something I didn’t ask for, therefore, I shouldn’t have to keep up with it. I have untreated clinical depression but that shouldn’t be relevant to my point. Also this post was made almost two years ago and I would like to know if you still feel the same way as you did in 2018 lol.

          Reply

          • Alfred James says

            This is why I say life is the point of life; because we don’t have any other explanation, unless you convince yourself of a theory or religion. I completely understand that for some the benefits of living do not outweigh the suffering and I respect their right to choose. The many comments I have received on this post and the post I wrote about bad luck have confirmed just how many people are suffering in silence and living in despair. It’s sad.

            But for the majority, there is a way to carve out some happiness and make life worth living. We have to get back to being human: get out into nature – walk, run, observe – exercise, play/listen to music, socialize as much as possible, make connections, help others, become part of a group with a cause. Have a goal/mission, even if just small. Do something you really enjoy that brings your mind into the absolute present for a minimum of 15 minutes a day. For us deep thinkers, we have to have a way to get out of our heads – which can become a mental torture chamber at times.

            Have you read The Power of Now? It’s a great book that answers many of the questions you ask about life.

      • jo O'HAGEN RUDDOCK says

        So do I want to die, it isn’t wrong. There isn’t any point in any of it at the end of the day.

        Reply

          • jo O'HAGEN RUDDOCK says

            Hello Mr James, thankyou for your reply, I didn’t always feel this way,but I’ve been through horrific grief, and the life I’ve been left with is a challenge to say the least. This in turn has got me thinking about life itself and the point of it all,if at the end we just pass away. There is zero proof of an afterlife,so the best thing to do is..nothing and leave this pointless excistence. I’ve tryed looking into so many things, religion,science,and spirituality.and they have all proven dud. So what’s the meaning of life…there isn’t one,I don’t want to participate in this parade any longer. Thankyou again for your email

          • Alfred James says

            Can I ask, are you able bodied? Would you be able to grow plants, vegetables, fruits? Do you have a garden? If not, perhaps you could get an allotment, or join a community grow project. I am sure this will change your life for the better. It has helped me cope with trauma, anxiety and making sense of these bigger questions. Immerse yourself in nature and things will slowly start to make sense. Reconnecting with the soil creates a massive perspective shift and is very healing.

    • Colleen J Anderson says

      This outlook did not help me as I am searching for a more simple answer based on the belief that there is nothing else when we die…so what is the REASON for living life IF there is NOTHING else?

      Reply

      • Alfred James says

        Life is the point of life. That is what we know, or at least what science can offer as an explanation: Everything in nature is energy, and it is impermanent and interdependent.

        If I die (in the human sense), the energy that enabled my physical being manifests itself in nature in some way; be that my body decomposing into the ground and becoming compost that spawns the life of maggots, insects and plants, or my ashes that mesh with the waves of an ocean. So perhaps you never really die? If you see yourself as energy, as a conglomeration of atoms, and this mass of energy, once you leave the human form, is absorbed into nature to take on new forms, then “life” is not over and there is something else.

        We burden ourselves with this judeo-christian-islamic notion that there must be a specific afterlife (heaven or hell) and one entity (God) pulling all the strings. Free yourself from that thinking and look around you. Life (energy) is everywhere. You are one small aspect of that energy. As I always say: In Mother Nature’s eyes, humans have no more significance than an ant.

        Reply

        • Chris says

          Nobody know’s the real POINT of Life. Life itself is most probably a fluke of Nature. We are born we live we die….that’s it…or is it?

          If there is a ‘better place’ to go, why go through all the issues and problems of life, illness and other things. Is Planet Earth a ‘Proving Ground’ for a future existence to see how we fair. If this is so, and it ‘possible to create a place for say, deceased Souls form away back, why not create ‘perfection’ from the outset and save some time?

          Who’s in charge….anyone, or is it God. God gave his only Son to us to keep us on the straight and narrow. BUT why only ONE Son, it seems strange. The Universe has 100 Million Galaxies, each may contain 100 Billions Stars. If ONE Person has control over this Earth and ‘creates’ all things, does this mean there is a God for each planet or each Galaxy.

          God had one Son, did God have a Wife, did He have Parents, etc. A Deity doesn’t spring out of nowhere, so was He created, if so by whom? Lots of questions that have no definite 100% conclusive answers. I believe in something, lie a conscious ‘Transfer’ to….well, where. Perhaps all the pent up energy of a life, goes into powering the Universe and we are each a form of Battery. What a bizarre thought?

          As we are all here for now, I think the best thing to believe in is one’s self, because we exist for sure. The time span of a normal Human life since the Earth began is 1/30th sec. if you break it down as a fraction.

          So, is there a Point to life….nobody knows as we are not supposed to know, and if we are not supposed to know, there must be someone in charge! Don’t think about it too hard because you will come up with so many flaws and ‘what if’s’, you will give up wondering.

          You can create ‘Life’ easily by getting some cream and a bit of spittle, sit the sample on the other, put it in a very small glass receptacle and within a week, a Culture will appear which IS life Jim but not as we know it. I won’t use the word God, but because of the Bacteria, it gives the opportunity for something to grow from ‘nothing’. Bateria is in the air so the conditions needs to be right. We may be ‘Spacemen’ from billions of miles away, come in on a Comet or meter from a distant Planet. It’s all very likely?!

          We can ALL be Creators of Life given little knowledge. Life happens and we are still none the wiser as to what the point of life really is, if at all?

          Reply

          • Alfred James says

            Brilliant. So yes, “life” itself is the point of life. Beyond that, we know nothing. No choice but to live it once you’re here. Thanks Chris.

        • penny says

          I am 50 years old. I have been saying that for many years. I believe we are just organisms on a host…like fleas on a dog. I dont believe in the “creater” or heaven or hell.

          Reply

          • Alfred James says

            Indeed. It is very possible that we are a tiny insignificant part of something far greater that is beyond comprehension. But this is what we have, what we know, so we might as well make the best of it.

      • Ben says

        I’m chiming in a little late here, but hopefully not too late.

        If we strip away all the layers of complexity like religion, science, opinions, beliefs, philosophy, etc. we can clearly conclude that life is all about thriving and growing to ones highest and best existence and everything that surrounds it in the form of experiences are all nothing more then opportunities to do so.

        And yes, I am a believer of a much greater and higher being that’s orchestrating all this; where else would we get this ability to even be able to communicate and process in all the amazing ways that we do; there would be no purpose in being able to do so. If truly there were no real purpose in life, we would be nothing more than a rock only existing through mere existence and nothing more.

        Reply

        • Chris says

          I think the word which covers most of this is ‘Evolution’. Strange though it may be or perhaps not, conscious life happens…almost out of nowhere. All of a sudden a ‘thing’ becomes more than an ‘it’, it becomes living, so who or what actually puts the life of ‘being’ and ‘doing’ into what is initially a speck of nothing, just out of the blue to evolve what we are today, an intelligent species. There may never be a true answer for us…until later. We have evolved from say, a point in time ie 1912 which sees a guy jumping of the Eifel Tower thinking that he can ‘Fly like a Bird’ and without even considering finding a Manikin or Dummy, not even knowing about Aerodynamics, and attempt to test his theory first! He leaps of the Platform only to plummet to certain death.

          After just 67 more years, we have evolved to the point of putting a Man on the Moon. Amazing progress in such a short space of time, or perhaps (as per Ancient Aliens TV series), being subjected to being fed by telepathy, progressive thoughts to continue to better ourselves as some incredible outside force (ie God or maybe something else), that wants to see how we fair in the grand scheme of things, only to be awarded our ‘prize’ at the end of all things, when in 3-4 Billion years, we are engulfed by a swelling Sun that runs out of Hydrogen. All Souls who ever existed will be in a parallel dimension where all things that ever were and places that existed, are still there, somehow. Everything thing we see and do, is recorded in our memory for all time, so perhaps there IS a reason. As I mentioned while back we cannot be certain why, and probably never will be. There will never ever be a reason that tells us why we are here because it must remains a mystery for all time. There is no credible answer unless one happens to be an Atheist. In which case, we live and die and that’s yer lot!! There MUST be more to it than that (Hopefully). Dreams, though muddled, may not JUST be dreams!

          Reply

    • Jaden says

      I’d like to argue that the point of life is destiny. Destiny, in my own definition, is 2 paths set for you to take. For example, let’s say someone bumps into you. You can simply ignore it, or take matter’s into you’re own hands. Also, another possibility is that the point of life is set in your own role, mentioned under the actual website explanation. From the most powerfulest leader in the world to the smallest molecule in the world, each thing plays it’s own role in life. For example, I’m a middle school student DESTINED to continue the generation of my ancestory, but I also make people happy. THAT is the point of life in my oponion.

      Reply

      • Alfred James says

        That’s really well put Jaden. The interactions, the impact, and the continuation you note is the point.

        Reply

  2. Isaac Frederico says

    I found this post quite interesting. It brought to light blah blah blah. Anyway, I’m done with the boring philosophical nonsense that most comments would be. I really enjoyed this post, because it made me think. It made me think of what I’m doing with my life, and it made me realize that what I’m doing is exactly what I should be doing. I’m doing what I love to do, which makes me happy, which makes life tolerable. I’ve thought many times about what it would be like to die, in fact I’ve thought about it so many times that death no longer scares me. The only thing that keeps me from exploring those thoughts with actions, is my addiction to entertainment. Video games and youtube videos have become what anchors me down, and give me purpose in life. I know I said the boring philosophical stuff was over, but I kind of needed to use a bit of the boring stuff to stick the rest of it in a softer, more yellow light. I know that at least one person who reads this might think I’m suicidal or something, but I’ve only thought of what death would bring, not because I’m depressed, but because I’m curious. And just to clarify, no. I don’t want to die anytime soon, because I’d miss out on all the video games and youtube videos that haven’t come out yet and that I want to see. Thanks for reading if you did.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Interesting that you should bring this up as it’s something I’ve written about previously: the fact that generally we steer clear of thought, conversations and references to death, as if it is morbid and scary. But death is part of life, like night is part of day — it is essentially part of the same cycle. As you allude to, being comfortable with death, with the fact that you will die, brings with it a liberation in the now. Once we accept that we were born to die, that every moment is a step closer to that part of life, a weight is lifted off our shoulders; there is freedom in that acceptance and subsequent happiness.

      Keep enjoying those games and videos, and looking forward to more!

      Reply

      • JAZ says

        Y’all are amazing… Running across this is in sync with my life. Reminds me of experiences that I’ve had in the past that showed me the truth in a way that I could not explain fully… The moment similar in which you can live inside of it and experience it but never explain it fully… Which to me adds that much to the experience of life. I love video games and videos too :)… I think it’s beautiful we have these ways of being entertained. It’s been a very long human history of rough times… It’s great we can relax and laugh at comedy or play another character in a game for fun:)

        Reply

        • Alfred James says

          Absolutely Jaz. I think you explained it pretty well when you wrote “you can live inside of it”. When we fully live an experience, it is profoundly different to what we have come to see as “normal”. Thanks for your comments.

          Reply

          • Ending my self-lies says

            I came to this site because I was thinking about death and why we are here, what we are here to achieve, and I have to agree that reading, watching videos and enjoying entertainment is the only thing making life worthwhile right now (highschool is a hellhole) and I’ve been banned from those and life has been so boring and pointless without them, because those are what makes me experience true joy, not the malicious pleasure from winning a game and seeing someone angry, not the hillarity that humans have been brainwashed to enjoy through worthless humor and dirty jokes (which, to any girl reading this, a guy only makes originally because his friends laugh and it makes him feel warm and then it conditions him to tell it to others to get that feeling again); not the lusty pleasure from getting off or the adrenaline high or endorphin high, true pleasure that you only get when you don’t have the creeping fear in the back of your head that the people around you are judging you and laughing at you. That feeling is one I believe you can only get from watching someone play a game or enjoy something and you can join the experience, or playing a game with strangers who have no connection to your life, so the things you truly beleive cannot be brought back to your life in the real world. Sure, there are videos and games that make you get pleasure from others suffering, but unless you say something you meant to not be a joke, or said it as a joke and didnt tell the person that, then it is fine since you most likely will never meet the person, and the easiest way to make someone put their fist through a tv, is to comment spitefully on their failure. That is my opinion on the subject and it is a little draining, but I decided to get everything I believe on the subject out in the open, so I can ge back to studying for midterms and not contemplating suicide. P.s. I already know its probably selfish, but I am curious to the world after death, and though I am christian, I really cant say that I have seen anything that was irrefutably a miracle, and not something that could have been a massively convient coincedence, so I don’t really believe, I like to say I do, and the pragmatic approach of “theres no harm done if there isnt a God” pretty much applies to me. Sorry for writing problems.

          • Alfred James says

            Hey, I can relate to what you’re saying. School sucked for me too. I never felt like I belonged there and I was surviving rather than learning and thriving. But I realised later in life that the experience equipped me well to deal with difficult people and situations in life. My schooling was an education in life, and I ended up educating myself in things I was interested in when I left.

            your deep-thinking mind will become your greatest asset. You are a critical thinker and this will enable you to do great things such as helping others find their way through difficult times and helping the world become a more compassionate, fair place.

            The point of life can seem bleak at times, but know this: You are unique. There will never be another you. Why? None of us know, but we do know that if there is such a thing as a miracle then that is it.

            Keep being you. Be positive. Good people will respect you for it in the long run and you’ll attract prosperity into your life.

            Today is the point. Now is the point. You have the power to change this moment for the better. Do it.

        • emanuel says

          This text gave me a clear view of my life to which I felt like living it was useless cause death’s always waiting……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

          Reply

    • Jorge says

      I like this. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this and for giving me new perspective on thoughts of death and life and how curiosity and a sense of contentment ties it all together.

      Reply

  3. Daniel Kamiri says

    I found this post really interesting because there is a powerful transformation in every now moment. Desires are great and they make us have the will to continue living and doing whatever we do so that when they are achieved,one can now feel what they knew that achievement would bring. However before the desires are manifested they are first previewed in our imaginations of a now moment in a particular time. Then from that now moment one either proceeds with the feeling of either getting closer to their dreams or their dreams getting away from them or even living their dreams even at that particular moment and appreciating that they are at a perfect position in alignment with future desires,thus feeling that they are totally living their own perfect happy life that is missing nothing but connected to everything that they could ever want provided they have the chance to get it. That chance is being at this now moment. The moments after now will always be from now and it is even funny that they will be felt and experienced only by other now moment of that time when they will be achieved. so why miss the fun of today because of yesterday or tomorrow that are not actually whats going on now. The now moment is what is the I know moment because it is the it is regardless of the way it was or the way it will be. Just feel it!

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      That is really well put. I think we all have our “now moments” but find ourselves disconnected from them too often. Like Isaac mentioned below, his now moments would be his videos and games; it’s whatever anchors you contentedly in the now. You mention desire, which is always a contentious word when talking about being content and living in the present, because desire is usually associated with lusting after something and allowing it to pull our mind in different directions, which clouds our judgement of “what is real” and may lead to bad decision making, stress, anxiety, etc. But I take your point that there is healthy desire, and it is this that gives us that will to fully live our “now moments.

      Reply

  4. edwn roworth says

    Correct me if I am wrong, but you seemto not to be able to Be Impersonal Love. Its perfectly ok, to play with mental concepts, but to be able to Witness, in my exoerience required many many years of Loviness, as a state of consciousness. Only after Lovng God, (in others) more than myself, was it possible to Be of No Mind.. You are a Perfection Reflection of a state of Consciousness and could not be anyother than what you are..Blessings Ed

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      I think that’s a great point you allude to, that learning to love through others can lead us to loving ourselves. Have a great day.

      Reply

  5. Urska says

    I think that this phrase meaning of life implies looking to life from outside. Since we are inside, we can’t even know that the point of life is life itself. You can beleive it 😉 As many other things.

    Reply

  6. edit-ing.services says

    This is a very philosophical article, because you can endlessly hold a discussion on this topic and not come to a single decision.

    Reply

  7. Mark says

    It’s hard to argue with your logic. I can’t seem to get it out of my head however that death might be better than dealing with life. Thanks for the thoughts.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      It’s a possibility. Life is seemingly a precursor for death, but what death truly entails we don’t know. When studying the impermanent and interdependent nature of nature, it would make sense that the cycle continues but simply in a different form. In that life doesn’t die but the energy simply manifests itself in a different way. It’s like I told my daughter: we bury the bird and the bird becomes the earth, the earth grows a plant and becomes the breeding ground for other life, etc. https://www.pocketmindfulness.com/how-to-explain-death-child/

      Reply

      • Notpink says

        I loved your initial post, the simplicity focus’s your mind but the response to it has clouded the essence of what you are saying. We are so brainwashed by expectations thrust upon us from all sides we can’t se the wood for the trees.

        Reply

        • Alfred James says

          Hey, which part in particular do you think is clouding the essence of what I am saying? I think it’s the case that a post like this naturally invites a lot of different questions and opens up a debate on many related points, which is a good thing. But fundamentally, I always come back to the same point, which is the essence of my post.

          I agree, we are brainwashed by expectations, and one of the main points of my blog is to get people to stop living on autopilot for a moment and start thinking about their happiness and how it relates to those expectations that they are living under.

          Culture is a powerful influence and we tend to just follow along. We are educated into our certain culture, and we tend to follow the culture of our parents. We then grow up and follow along with pretty much what everyone else in society is doing. I think we all, to a degree, intermittently question the status quo, the purpose, and the morality of the life we are living, but is much harder to opt out and take another pathway than it is to just stay on the inside and fit in with everyone else. Being the odd one out, the outspoken one, the one who goes against the grain, the one who essentially accuses everyone else of doing something negative, brings with it some very difficult challenges.

          Reply

  8. Scott says

    “When we start living through what we know to be real, the point of life falls into place; it has context, substance and meaning.”

    I know what I am living to be real, the point of life has NOT fallen into place.

    Imagine saying to the man preparing to jump from the rooftop “oi mate don’t have faith in the future, today is your only reali..” “no don’t jump it was supposed to be a positive thing to say”
    “What’s that? Your whole family just got murdered apart from your cancer stricken mother? Well don’t have faith in the future. Just focus on what you know right now”
    I can’t see it being good advice really.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      By all means have faith in the future. This is not advice on how to avoid the tragedy of life but to realise your place within it. Life is indeed tragic and beautiful. Like life and death, suffering and joy are intrinsically linked. They are interdependent. You, me, all of us, we are small parts of this interdependent cycle that create the point of life. There are an infinite number of living organisms that make up the picture, and none of them can see the picture in its entirety. All we can see and understand is what’s within our role. That’s our “point”. There is comfort to be found in that.

      Reply

      • Tony says

        You simply can’t have faith in the future – how can place trust in a resource when you don’t how much of it you have.
        The past can’t be changed the future may not arrive, all you can be sure of is now. Great article.

        Reply

  9. Joan says

    OK, so I get that the point to life is life itself, I get that I have learned bucket loads of stuff over my almost 60 year life, but now what do I do with all of this learning. Will it come with me, have I just wasted the knowledge that I have learned, the traumas and tribulations that I have faced (and there has been a lot), and continue to face? When I was younger I thought that by this age I would be living in a rose covered cottage with a picket fence and that my family would continue love and cherish each other but that hasn’t happened, so what is the point????

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Hey Joan,

      And that’s how living in thoughts of the future and what might be can cause unhappiness: because we are always trying to get to somewhere better, to reach a place where we achieve self-actualisation, some sense of “I’ve made it”, I’ve finished, conquered life, reached all my goals. But for every milestone, another appears. For every dollar, every personal goal, every life achievement, there will be another created by the mind. This causes us to continually grasp and strive to get to this place in our minds which doesn’t exist. This causes us to feel restless, stressed, unsettled and always like something is missing. Ultimately, you reach the point you mention, what’s the point?

      The point is that we’ve missed the point so many times along the way. This moment, this one right now, is life. Whatever is happening now is the point, because time is an illusion – something fabricated in our minds.

      When we accept that none of the problems we face, or the successes we achieve, have no inherent meaning to Mother Nature, and like everything else we will live and die according to the rules of impermanence that every other organism ensures, everything starts to make more sense. Why? Because we re-connect with our “nature mind”.

      Sending you peace and love.

      Reply

  10. Casey says

    This is now for me, Honestly for some reason tonight i got down on my knees and started praying (haven’t prayed in a while) and couldn’t concentrate on my own thoughts and what I “subconsciously thought, there was another thought right after that that.

    Honestly I didn’t THINK or you know tell myself to think, the thought was just there, (and then i swear after reading this sh** i realized all this just keep reading).. subconscious in this same moment like 10 mins ago I thought if someone put a gun to my head and said he would fire if I stand for christ would i take the bullet? Probably definitely not and I’m going to ask my dad the same thing but whole other story but i have a weird compulsion i look up and think what is the point…

    I go on my phone look up average death toll per year for military and i just sat on the search engine and didn’t know what to type but again subconsciously types whats the point of life takes me here like I’m literally about to use this to break up with my girlfriend… Well this is going to make it easier.

    I have a lot more to say but uhh yea this happened in my now and I’m tired thanks for opening my mind a little more.
    Also let your thoughtsleave you a night you restless thinkers! I know i cant

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Hey Casey, I’m glad your found this post and it helped you tonight. Hope you had a good sleep and the day will shine brightly for you tomorrow.

      Reply

  11. That guy in green says

    If life is precious, why do we loose it all in the end. I mean, after we die, none of the things that we do actually mean anything. So whats the point of trying so hard when doing something. In my view life is a pointless pointless cycle that happen to be accompanied by unnecessary pain and suffering with occasional happiness every now and then.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      To lose it suggests we own it, or have owned it. Life is impermanent and ever-evolving. Sub-consciously we know we aren’t in full control, that we don’t own our existence, and perhaps that’s why we cling to material things – as a distraction, a comfort, a way of avoiding having to embrace this truth.

      If life cycles, if one thing dies and out of that bacteria grows new life, then is it ever lost? Surely it just takes on a different physical form?

      I think life is precious in that collectively we can take care of each other, of our planet, and reduce suffering and improve the time we spend here. The fine lines between happiness and suffering and life and death are always being straddled, but acknowledging and embracing the fact that “this is it”, this is what we know and what we can do now, goes a long way in helping us accept life for what it is.

      I can’t disagree with you, though. Indeed, it could be said that there is absolutely no point. But even that would be a point in itself, wouldn’t it? The modern concept of success and failure are social constructs that have no interest to Mother Nature. Fundamentally, she wants us to eat, sleep, take care of our environment and reproduce. And if we don’t, she’ll do what’s necessary and re-balance accordingly.

      Reply

  12. Sambo says

    I often leave a situation thinking ‘I should have enjoyed it more’.

    Just this morning before I got up I thought ‘what is the point of my career’ – what purpose should I be trying to achieve. Should companies and individuals also have such purpose to bring meaning to their careers…?

    Why do I do what I do, I thought.. then I realised it’s because I enjoy it. Then… I thought about the things I read where ‘you can’t love someone else until you love yourself’ – same with my career. I can’t fully help a cause until I’m happy doing what I’m doing.

    I could work for a Charity doing a job I find boring but then I’d lack the passion and so how much use would I be to them..? Or moreso to the cause I’m supposedly trying to support…
    And so, it actually sits better with me now, it is essential that I enjoy what I do, and whatever selfish motivations (money / work flexibility etc) drive that motivation.

    Because then, knowing that deep down I want to leave this life having been a force for good, I can pursue a desire to fulfill that goal, make a positive impact on the planet rather than a negative impression. To sustain life for future generations.

    Then I thought, is it better to be the Charity (Water Aid etc) or to be the multi-national profit making entity that pumps millions of pounds annually into such charity to help them do their work? I guess the answer is they both have good cause, assuming this global business has an overall positive impact on being a ‘force for good’ – they’re in environmental / social profit not just financial. Maybe I’ll coin that term.

    So, what about this article? Well, I liked it, because it made me aware of a couple of simple truths. Namely to enjoy the present because that’s all we have. Striving for more, materially with the belief that will make you happy, but it doesn’t. So, are you happy right now? Yes, great. No? What’s making you unhappy, can you put your finger on it? Right, well that’s what needs sorting. Or does it, is it something else? Your belief is that when you sort it you will become happy, but will you? That’s the point. Take immediate action to be happy and work from there, in each moment.

    Like with your career. Find what you like and do that. Throw yourself wholeheartedly into it, if you want to help make the world a better place then work with companies that do that, or do a little something yourself either on the side or weave it into your business model if you’re an entrepreneur.

    That’s what I’ll do, so now I can continue to enjoy what I’m doing and knowing the reason why I’m doing it. And that each decision takes into account environment, sustainable life and the best way to do that is enjoy what you’re doing, be happy and anchored in the present and that you’re a good person and there you go.

    So maybe the point of life is life itself, because what else can there be? Are we only here to procreate, or not? What does it matter if we do, or don’t? If humans no longer existed would it matter..? Probably not, so what’s important to you? Be a good person, be happy in the now, live a sustainable life so others can benefit from the same happiness you had in your existence.

    I like being alive, I like experiencing the world and people in it. Selflessness of others gave me that opportunity (or selfishness, whatever you think) so I need to be happy and make sure others can have that same experience however I can.

    Reply

  14. Mike says

    To reply to the guy in green and Alfred, fundamentally all mother nature wants is us to reproduce, nothing more or less so back to “what is the purpose” as a sentient being. I was brought into this world without choice, nothing before and probably nothing after which begs the question WHY? To experience a bit of happy and a lot of struggle and pain so I can live in the moment. For some reason it does not add up. Ask the refugees, the millions dead thru the centuries lost to time.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Hey Mike, I don’t disagree. What we know is that the purpose is just that, life itself: this now, what we are sensing and perceiving, that’s the purpose. And with that inevitably comes some suffering. But the fact is that much of the suffering, like the example you gave, is avoidable. Indeed, much of our suffering is self-inflicted. What we know is that if we work together and utilise our intelligence and science and technology to its full potential, we can reduce suffering and improve life for our planet. The problem is that all too often we stand in our own way, we aren’t truthful enough with ourselves and allow ourselves to be manipulated by politics and ideologies.

      Reply

      • John Wick says

        Easily said than done. Compare people to 100 years ago to now. We live in a paradise. But tell me, why does the suicide rates constantly grow and doesn’t show any signs of slowing.

        Reply

        • Alfred James says

          I think there are many different reasons why the suicide rate and depression rate is continually growing, but here’s a few of my thoughts…

          I think we are too disconnected from nature, disconnected from ourselves, and caught up in this idea that material growth is the measure of our success. I mean, at the very core of our lives is the economy, and all politicians talk about is how much the economy has grown and how we need to achieve more growth, as if sustainability is a bad thing!?

          The majority of people are caught up in a culture that promotes the idea that the material wealth of a person is a measure of their worth: We are obsessed with more: bigger, better, faster, more expensive, better looking. We are constantly in a mode of striving to achieve more, to have a bigger house, to have a better job, to be perceived as important or valued, to fit in, to be accepted.

          Of course, I accept that it is human nature to want to improve your lot in life and have a better cave, so to speak, and eat better food, and have better clothing to wear in the winter. But we have the resources and technology to create a better life for everyone without destroying our mental and physical health and the environment

          Generally people are very stressed. Many of us live very unnatural lives, sitting in offices for eight hours or more a day, spending fewer and fewer hours with our families because we have to work — some people a second job — just to pay the bills. And inevitably in such a fast paced, highly competitive environment where it is very difficult to sustain the standard of living expected of you, or to be a certain type of person, be those expectations from your parents or society at large, some people inevitably cannot cope. Some people feel like they just don’t fit in, or can’t keep up.

          Compound this with the coping mechanism people develop: poor nutrition, excess alcohol, recreational drugs, prescription medication, and you are creating a recipe for depression and potential suicide.

          We should be encouraging people to work less, to spend more time with their families, to enjoy more social activities, to get out into nature more and turn off our phone and television, to exercise more, to eat more natural and less processed foods, to enjoy more live music, poetry, read more books….the list goes on.

          Nature is a huge one for me, and you don’t realise the effect it has on the way you feel until you start spending more time in nature or you move to a rural area. For example, I live in a more leafy area now. The other day I travelled into town on the train and, after a day of fumes, litter, people pushing and hustling and bustling on and off the trains, I couldn’t wait to get back home. I literally came in and straight away got a chair and sat in the garden and listened to the birds overhead for 20 minutes – to re-centre myself.

          Interestingly, when researching this, there have been numerous studies over the years that show the effect nature has on people’s psychological disposition. For example:

          Over the course of 8 years, Japanese officials studied the physiological and psychological impact of forest bathing. When compared to the city, they found that levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, dropped after participants spent just 30 minutes immersed in nature. The forest environment also appeared to decrease activity in the sympathetic nervous system which triggers our bodies “fight-or-flight” response. Furthermore, the study showed that time spent outdoors can even help bolster immunity, increasing the activity of human natural killer (NK) cells, which protect us from cancer, amongst other diseases. And such protective effects appeared long-standing, lasting up to a month after a weekend spent in nature.

          Anyway, that’s just a few of my thoughts…

          Reply

  15. brown says

    The point of life, big question, even bigger answer…
    If I can quote a Prince song, “Let’s look for the purple banana until they put us in the (crazy) truck.”
    The secret to life and the point of life is figuring out what your purple banana is, and it most certainly is as different for everyone and unique as you are.

    Good luck on your quest and dont forget to hit the top floor button in the elevator of life.
    Who knows where it will take you.

    Reply

  16. Tóth András Miklós says

    Well. For one you choose to believe that what you percieve with your senses is reality and you call it “knowledge”. Whereas by now we know through science that our perception is only adapted to our immediate needs, and we only see a fraction of our reality. What you are doing is choosing to limit yourself to the signals to your senses and shutting your mind to the possiblity of to anything outside of it – because as you wrote, it is indeed easier. If you think what you see is what you get, you don’t have to stare into the unknown, the abyss. If you did, you might get scared and become fearful, and the abyss might look back through you. This, you do in spite of that fact that science is already hinting us at a reality that is much more vast and complex than we ever thought in religion. What you are recommending in this article is practical, but it’s still a faith for people who want to adapt their limited minds to an infinite reality. Anyone who have heard of Plato’s cave metaphore or have seen the Matrix will know what you say is just lying to yourself so your life becomes controllable and you can deal with small things only. People have been doing this via religion for a very long time, thinking they “found” the nature of reality and meaning in life. Now that the gods are dead, it is tempting to say “there’s nothing after death, we only live in the now and all we see is reality”. Truth is, we don’t know what’s up, hence the pondering for meaning. It is not useless, it’s our nature to be curious – that was the point of religion and science as well.

    Reply

  19. Lori says

    Life is to exist and reproduce. It is the fundamental requisite of our energy fueled cellular being. Free floating anxiety results from any perceived threat to our existence or our ability to reproduce at a cellular level. Life is unpredictable, chaotic, and non-supportive of sustaining our cellular life. Life must be sustained by “doing.” In “doing,” we create the perception of control over our environment and alleviate our fear and anxiety created by non-distracted awareness of our lack of control and ability to continue or existence. Busy people spend less time in reflection and thought and more time in actions and distraction. The more distractions (which can include art, music, video games, videos, other entertainment, work, hobbies, care giving, etc.) the less our minds focus on our inner reflections which inevitably lead to our falling into the rabbit hole of philosophically questioning our existence and “place” within the vast dark matter of the Universe. Physics has demonstrated that all awareness is merely our observation of the “probability” of matter existing at any one place or at any one moment, so the best we can do is manifest this illusion. If it is the feeling of joy or happiness one seeks, it is obtained through our focus on the activities that acheive these feelings while alleviating our anxiety and sustaining our being with keeping busy “doing” what we need to do to manifest energy that fuels our ability to exist and reproduce at a cellular level.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Theoretically this makes sense, and to a degree I think there is truth in this, but then why are people so anxious, stressed and in many cases depressed when continually “doing”? My personal experience is that there is sanctuary to be found in stopping to ponder, ask questions, understand and accept things for what they are, instead of continually immersing myself in distractions to avoid the inevitable nagging questions that want to be answered. Indeed, this is why mindfulness/meditation is being used instead of prescription drugs in many areas of therapy. Surely there is contentment to be found with a balance between the two?

      Reply

  21. Tino says

    Why does everyone write as if what they say is fact. This entire article is subjective in nature.

    The only true fact we know is that we try to understand this world the best we can with the skills and technology we have. There is still so much we do not understand in this world and never will.

    The fact is that we don’t know much and it scares the shit out of us. We are weak, small and insignificant. We don’t know more than we do know and one day we will no longer be what we are now. We are literally decomposing as we speak and the world around us will all be dead soon.

    We don’t know what happens when we “die” and we all are just here humble and scared.

    We have the equivalent of a blink in time during our journey on this Earth and we spend it arguing and fighting about things that don’t matter when you die.

    My advice. Get off the damn computer and go “find the meaning of life” while you are still alive.

    Good luck to you all…

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      It is subjective in nature, and this is me sharing my thoughts with you and anyone else here who reads the post. I agree: get out there and start living. But it’s also a wonderful thing to share our musings and ideas, which of course evolve over time.

      You are correct when you say: We are literally decomposing as we speak

      It’s funny you say that: The other day I said to a friend that we are dying from the day we are born; with every day that passes we are a day closer to death. She had never thought in this way and I assume thought I was being morbid. But these conversations are liberating for me; they put life in perspective and motivate me to live it more and appreciate the small blessings.

      Reply

  22. Annie Collyer says

    This was a very interesting article for me. It gets me thinking, again, about something that I have pondered from time to time over the years. The point of life, the fact of death and what it all means. Remember, ‘What’s It All About, Alfie?”
    To me being present in the moment is very important. It is what I have. It is not what I had before, or wish I had had, or what I hope to have, or fear to have, in the future. It is what is, right now. And the choices and actions I take in this moment.
    For me, all my moments are becoming more aware of the Infinite Intelligence and the Natural Laws that govern the universe, growing and unfolding to become my highest and best. Being mindfully aware of what is happening and how I am responding and acting helps me grow and unfold and become. I may be failing to grow, but if I am mindfully aware, I can make the course corrections and take the actions that better suit me.
    I also feel that our emotions are our internal guidance systems, that help us to know the best and highest for each of us individually. Being mindful of those helps me to make the choices and take the actions that are best for me.
    Thank you for these thoughtful remarks.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Hey Annie, so eloquently put; thank you for sharing that.

      I love this:“It is what I have. It is not what I had before, or wish I had had, or what I hope to have, or fear to have, in the future. It is what is, right now”

      Have a great day!

      Reply

  23. Phalanxia says

    There’s only one of me, and that one is a unique object.
    But that object will decay, I still don’t see the point of my existence. I work a dead end job for a corporation that doesn’t care, for a corporate capitalist system that ultimately doesn’t care if you as an individual lives or dies just providing that you keep buying more shiny objects and perpetuating debt. There are thousands of dying children on the streets and the homeless records are insanely high. What is the point of an existence if it ultimately means nothing? “find your own meaning” I hear you say, but that’s the moot point, there is no meaning, no grand design or schematic, simply an arbitrary system designed to prolong a meaningless existence.
    To quote philosophy, to live is to suffer.
    To quote Science, We are genetic mistakes.
    To quote politicians, I promise you this, I won’t do as I promise.
    To quote Religion, You are gay, you are damned.
    To quote Capitalism, spend more and perpetuate your own debt. Enjoy the death tax.

    Isn’t it all so hopeless. In the end, nothing you do will matter.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Every job is a dead end job, essentially. Mother Nature doesn’t care if you’re a famous actress or a cleaner, a football player or a store worker — this is all in our heads.

      I understand where you are coming from, and yes, seen in this way nothing has any point. But you describe systems, manmade paradigms, one size fits all constructs designed to create order and give people “purpose”, if they want it. But we all have the power to shape and change “the system” in our own way — even if it’s just one small step at a time. We have the power to choose where we spend our money and do so on ethical brands and positive purchases; we can voice our opinion and views through multiple forums, the Internet, the work café, meet up groups, or an exchange with stranger in a social setting; change our job and do something that makes a difference to the lives of others.

      You could work with those homeless people or those kids. The meaning of existence would then become one of helping others to have a better existence. There are millions and millions of people who feel the same way you do and are actively doing something about it: trying to make a change and bring a better existence to others, perhaps by improving the environment, educating people on better food choices to prevent and reverse disease, using a talent to entertain people, or providing a much needed skill to help the disadvantaged.

      If nothing else, we have the capability to make each other happy now. it might not be lasting, but this is the nature of existence, it is in permanent – everything is in a state of change.

      You might see your existence as pointless, but this morning I have opened your comment and read your list on philosophy, science, politicians, religion and capitalism and found it really thought-provoking. It has made me think deeply about these issues that you highlight and the fact that so many people feel the same way, and indeed what we/I/you can do to make this existence a happier one, a more bearable one, a more emotionally prosperous one for others.

      If you can reach halfway across the world and infiltrate my thought space in the way that you have, then no doubt you could reach out and positively affect so many other people in your life and from all other walks of life.

      So while there may be no meaning, no grand design, and while we are all educated like drones into an arbitrary system designed to prolong a meaningless existence, we still have the ability to make a difference to someone else’s life right now, and in turn reward your own being with a sense of contentment and purpose. No system can take that away from you.

      Reply

  25. McGrey says

    Hi, thank you for sharing this post. I don’t have any negative troll remarks or snarky internet muscle flexing for you, just a thank you. I was feeling low and knowing others have felt this way and worked through it helped me today. Take care, McGrey

    Reply

    • David says

      Hi ✋. I just think Life is what you make of it, it come its goes. Its the choices you make inbetween that decifer you as a person. You can sit and moan or dwell on horrible moments in your life, like loosing people or for some everything. But it you and only you who can change things !!. The one thing thats free in this world is your mind as long as you dont feed into the tv, news etc. No one can determine your outcome except you !!!!

      Reply

  27. Lerxst says

    I am surprised money and the system by which we live has really not been a big reason for the problems laid out in this article and in the comments . When your forced to survive in such a badly flawed system that makes you stress and struggle for a green piece of paper each day . The purpose of life in my opinion was not to be put here on this earth to live this way .

    People are so dam brainwashed into this selfish I me me mine type of life that they can’t get beyond helping themselves let along helping humanity evolve in the something greater we should be achieving. If people lived longer like a couple hundred years I am sure they would tire of this selfish ride of acquiring things . They would see the insignificant of their lives here on earth and direct their energy to the betterment of mankind .

    Just think what could be accomplished if the planet was working together as a opposed to each group trying to do what’s best for them and screw the rest . They would finally look towards working together and solving real issues involving everyone instead of just theirselves . Unfortunately what I envision cannot happen at this point because it’s to ingrained in people at least in the USA that in can never change .

    Life itself is just a biological wonder that we are all experiencing as far as we know we are the only ones in the whole universe to be aware so as of right now we are special very special and unique but humans are so badly flawed the way they were arranged it’s a shame .

    Animals only want to survive they don’t go out of their way to hurt things or make things harder on other animals they are not spiteful like humans . You won’t see a flock of birds and talking about taking a crap on people just for the fun of it . I respect animals way more than humans .

    But all humans in my country at least are ruled by money and greed that is our way . People are talking to you with an angle on how to get something g from you for their selves .

    I mean look at we do for money we know all this fast food is shit to eat yet we promote it because we can make cash but it doesn’t matter that we are hurting our own kind . Like I said humans are just wrong . I hate living in a world where I know everything is about hate and money and that it is a ruse . I am just to much of a realist at this point in my life .

    I can’t pretend and bullshit and play the game anymore so I am getting more and more introverted as I get older . I can deal with all this in my head I just accept things for the way they are and live my life it just kind of makes me sad somethings that more people don’t want to or just can’t identify what’s going on around them if there more people aware then changes could start being made on large scale for the betterment of humankind , real evolving and change instead of this selfish way of life we live .

    People gotta start realizing they are only very small and life flows within and without them . GH . It’s time for man to start evolving and leave the shit show behind for something more universal . Peace out !

    Reply

  28. Peter Solm says

    Reading this made me laugh. If you are concious of your life being determined then you are free of the illusion of both life and death. What thoughts have disturbed me for over 20 years is the fact that i have knowledge to change the world but not the free will to act upon it. I know i can be happier, healthier, richer. But i choose like some meat robot or dream like conciousness to be sad, self indulgent and poor. There are no choices. Only gods will. Even i with this knowledge cant choose to accept my own fate and find a point to life. Its actually hilarious. Cheers all. Good read.

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Yesterday I read this, by a guy named Tim Ferriss.

      When asked “What is the meaning of life?” I have but one answer: It is a characteristic state or condition of a living organism.

      “But that’s just the definition”, the questioner will retort, “that’s not what I mean at all”.

      “What do you mean them?

      Until the question is clear and each term in it defined there is no point in answering. The meaning of life question is unanswerable without further elaboration.

      Before spending time on a stress inducing question, big or otherwise, ensure that the answer is yes to the following two questions:

      1. Have I decided on a single meaning for each term in this question?
      2. Can an answer to this question be acted upon to improve things?

      “What is the meaning of life?” fails the first and thus the second.

      I am 100% convinced that most big questions we feel compelled to face – handed down through centuries of overthinking this translation – use terms so undefined as to make attempting to answer them a complete waste of time. This isn’t depressing, it’s liberating.

      Interesting.

      Reply

  30. 4JV says

    The real point of life is to see how karma plays out on all the jerks you have had to endure – let’s just be honest. We call it “social justice”.

    Reply

  31. Alison says

    It’s a question that I feel unqualified to answer. Sometimes I feel like I “get it.” Other times I’m like, why are we here, in such conditions?? If Jesus’s second coming is real, why is it taking so long? Haven’t things gotten bad enough? He says we will see the worst of the worst first. Men will be puffed up with pride and war will be the norm. We are there! I’m tired of the burdens that men put on other men for selfish purpose. I’m tired of fighting. God says to let him do the fighting. But I constantly lose sight of how that works. It seems like the point is to endure until you die, without losing faith in love. God supposedly sees the big picture better than we can. And so few people seem to be able to even glimpse it. With so many naysayers in my way, how will God’s ideals come to fruition? If we have to let him, how can my perception be enough? I cry out daily. Money never seems to fall away. The people who control the flow of money are still in control of our lives. I’m feeling pessimistic today because I’m so drained. Normally I am full of optimism because I truly believe love is the answer, and if I am another one to give up on it, the enemy will be given more room to win. So I don’t give up. But I’m drained, God. I’m so tired of it. Can you please do something big? Something that makes the strongest cynics realize we have the power to overcome greed? I believe in what you say. I didn’t expect my comment to become a prayer. But I’m getting to the bottom of the barrel, closer every day, and I’m so sick of people just going on, working their menial jobs and being so able to pretend this is just reality. Please God if you can turn our hearts to truly see you and believe in your truth so much that we sacrifice our security in order to present your truth. So many abortions performed in the name of poverty. When there is plenty of resource for everyone to thrive each day! What lies we believe! So many people unable to actually think outside the box. Please God open our eyes and hearts. Remind me that my despair right now can be turned into faith for you and please help keep me from falling into the lies again. I’m so sick of people not believing in love being the answer. So many people claim to, but then go on about their daily lives without really letting love take over their hearts. I was such a bitch to my husband this morning. I too am so fucking fooled. Right after saying love is the answer, I still fall into the trap of my ego. Please help me. I am chained to evil even though I know the truth. Every move I make today, I am somehow sifting through sin. It means something! And I need help. To refrain from blaming others. I need help to see my true freedom that men try to blind me from. I am so insecure and afraid deep down. I want the strength to face hate with confidence but still I do not do so. The point of life is life itself, and there’s so much more, that until I climb out of whatever hole my soul is in, I’m not going to be able to see it.

    Reply

  32. Anonymous says

    Read/Watch Jordan Peterson. You don’t have to mindlessly believe him, but what he has to say is interesting.

    None of these questions are new, in fact they are as old as our species. But regardless, you can extract meaning, out of the near infinite stories of the past with these questions embedded in them.

    Peterson likes to say that responsibility gives your life meaning. And he isn’t wrong. The Greeks had this form of believe embedded in their culture and over time, people even have them embedded in their genes. (Example, Atlas bearing the world on his shoulders) To elaborate on that, I present Carl Jung. The idea has been presented that we extract morals and meaning from stories. That itself is the method by which we learn. And each culture has similar stories. If you look at them long enough, you can identify the paradigms of such stories and patterns begin to emerge. For example – the “archetypal hero.” Every culture on earth has almost exactly the same archetypal hero. From the story of “King Arthur” to “journey to the west” the archetypal hero emerges. And if you take all the heroes and align them down the length of a axis and look down the length of them, something like God emerges.

    I would recommend you study humanities if you are inundated with nothing but materialistic existence (e.g. like we are nothing but vibrating atoms, or as this author says, we don’t have an choice in our decisions because neurons or something) or nihilism. You need to set a goal and take steps to reach it. You might never know the true reason why you are here, but you will heal your heart and soul by extracting meaning out of all that is around you, and you can start by taking responsibility of things around you. Keep taking more and more responsibility. Take the most responsibility of all that you can. But your goal, is to take all the responsibility. All the responsibility that there ever was and ever will be. Make it all yours. Embrace it. Lift it. And carry it. When you do that, everything aligns itself to your journey and your existence and supports it. Just like the gymnast that shows people something they have never seen before. Shows people something that people never knew was possible. They have no choice but to stand and cheer, because this person stood at the edge of disaster on the border of chaos and order and reached beyond chaos and established order before their very eyes. And they watched it happen. An explosive ovation ensues.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU64s0_38AE

    Reply

  33. anonymous says

    We are animals whose brains have evolved with complex connections. While this makes for brilliant and creative thinking, connections in our mind seek patterns and perhaps this is why we want a reason for living.

    Life is random-that’s what quantum physics seems to be telling us-so you can easily feel hopeless if you think about it; perhaps distraction can play a part.

    If it’s possible, get outside yourself, try to like or respect something on this Earth. The trying is probably the most difficult thing.

    Reply

  34. Ruby says

    I have come to this site drowning in despair and looking for meaning. I think most people who are searching for meaning come to the search from a place of hoplessness or an attitude of whats the point of it all. When I read things like this I feel like I am drowning in the ocean and the lifeguard is saying just be present and enjoy the present moment. Or don’t worry about it, there are better times ahead. Maybe it’s true, but it provides no relief from the black hole within that makes you search for meaning. I’ve read the new age books, done seminars, traveled, went to reiki and shamanic ceremonies, joined a cult, meditated all day at mediation retreats, practiced law of attraction, most of the things. I conclude after a long and exhausting search that there does have to be a meaning, a creator, a set of rules and a savior to help those who are drowning. I believe that person might be Jesus. I have searched and searched and I believe when we have exhausted all the other avenues we realize we do need a savior and there is a meaning.

    Reply

  35. Tony says

    Nice piece. Sometimes life itself seems meaningless. Because upon all our struggles to be happy and successful in all facets of life; we leave everything behind when we die. However, we ought to enjoy the fruit of our hard work. I believe thanking God every day helps to put you on the right path.

    Reply

  36. Kim Land says

    Hi Alfred,

    insightful article! I like the premise that the point of life is life itself. At the end of the day anyone only has a certain amount of time left. And I think we should live our lifes to the fullest. That doesn’t necessarily mean partying all the time. I mean more in the sense of living with awareness and mindfulness. So we can do as much positive change as possible.
    Even smiling while a stranger walks by has a little positive effect.

    Anyway, keep up the good work!

    Reply

  37. Zoe says

    I typed in Google search, ‘what is the point of life’, and your blog came up. Interesting perspective and view. There is also a feeling of sadness after reading the comments from everyone. Mainly because there appears to be so many people all over the world struggling with this question, life in general and all its boundaries and its not just me.
    I am firm believer in educating, learning from people and seeking answers. Some come easy others don’t, but what i do know is that YOU are the only person that can make YOU happy however that looks. Step away from the everyday crap of social media, news and TV shows that dull the mind. Go outside (providing its not raining or freezing) take your shoes off, connect to the ground, grass and take a deep breath. That moment you are feeling is you and the earth. Thats what matters. Life can be simple, happy and easy, just have to stop competing with the world and being the best at everything. No need, your uniqueness is your best asset and to be honest coming from someone who has been around for a while. Everyone is struggling… money or no money, success or no success, family or no family, alone or surrounded by family and friends. We are all trying to work out what the hell we are doing here and how can we contribute and seeking that purpose.
    Just live, just do something that makes you happy, that makes you smile or even someone else.
    PS. Keep being the beautiful people I know you all are, gosh knows we need more people like us!

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      So eloquently put. I love this. Thank you.

      “That moment you are feeling is you and the earth. Thats what matters. Life can be simple, happy and easy, just have to stop competing with the world and being the best at everything.”

      Reply

  38. Draven says

    honestly, what IS the point of life? We’re all like a bunch of mindless zombies, waling around earth. if this article is true, then we really don’t have control over our bodies. all we do is spend money and laugh at other people who make mistakes. i honestly don’t see the point in is? Idk, maybe its just me but i don’t like this. i honestly want to know why we were put on this earth. why did we evolve into what we are today. why do we spend ridiculous amounts of money on things that we wont even need after we die, what was the point of buying all of that useless junk. why are there greedy monsters we call humans who want nothing but money and do anything just to have that feeling of cash in their cold hands. why are there people who kidnap innocent souls and then continue to rape them and murder them. Why does the government keep people who used drugs in jail longer than people who rape children? i could go on and on forever. we honestly live in a messed up world and i’m sick of it. this is horrible. so please, will someone tell the actual point of life? im honestly so tired, i just want this to end.

    And please!! parents, teachers, counselers, friends, anyone!! If you see someone you know showing symptoms of depression, please talk to them. let them be heard, let them have a voice. Even if its a younger child! Im personally 14 and i’m suffering from depression and anxiety and i’ve had no one to talk to. so if someones out there, reading this and you’re suffering from depression and anxiety or any other disorder, please PLEASE seek help!

    I love you all, you all are valid and perfect in your own ways. Don’t let the bullies get to you or your mean boss, theres someone out there for you. you just need to push your boundaries and step out of your comfort zone and talk to someone.

    if you need help, please call 1-800-273-8255, they’ll talk to you and listen to you. you have a voice, use it!! please stay safe everyone!

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      You sound wise beyond your years. I think you have a lot to offer this world in terms of compassion and kindness. Keep up the good fight and look after yourself.

      Reply

  39. Dom says

    Hey Alfred and other people on this thread,

    Just want to give a big thanks as I don’t feel quite so alone now! I’m 25 and gone down quite an academic route for success; but since i was 13/14 I have always been asking myself what is the point of it all if we are gonna die anyway. I think in that sense ‘deep thinkers’ are cursed, as I always overthinking a situation instead of being happy. I find the concept of ‘The Point of Life is Life’ quite insightful, as I think it serves as a reminder to maybe stop trying to overthink the future and just live in the moment; when I am in my death bed I would rather have memories of all the times I let go and had fun, rather than all the times I just overthought!

    P.S. I know im late to the party but I still have seen some comments from this year, so I thought I would drop a reply!

    Reply

    • Alfred James says

      Hey Dom, exactly right. And that’s actually a good guide for decision making. “When I’m on my deathbed and look back on my life, what would I be proud of having done? What memories would make me smile?”

      Life is full of ups and downs and we can’t control the external factors most of the time. But we can control the effort we put in and therefore what we get out as result. It’s a learning journey. And maybe all that learning does serve some greater purpose. But for now, all we have to do is put one foot in front of the other and live it.

      Best of luck to you!

      Reply

  40. Abigail W says

    I agree with “life is the point of life”. Animals are born, their whole point is to be able to get to adulthood, so they can procreate and pass on their genes. After they’ve bred, there’s not much left for them. Perhaps life is like that for us, too, as we are animals. People seem to assign meaning to things, such as going and getting drunk, going to parties, going on vacations, going golfing, seeing celebrities, being noticed…as important things. To me, these are peripheral things, and cannot provide any real satisfaction to me. People I know think I am weird, because none of that is important to me. I don’t care about Facebook or Twitter. Some people try to find meaning with “God”, but no god ever talks back to us. It’s just talking to the ceiling, and it gets pretty old.

    Reply

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