The Meaningless Life

“The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and so obvious and so simple. And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.”
--Alan Watts

For a little over three years now I've done amateur studies in Eastern Philosophy, mostly the works of Alan Watts (trying to read the ancient text, like most ancient manuscripts, felt like swimming through quicksand).  But the interpreters of this philosophy, such as Watts, Nhat-Hanh and others, have helped me to overcome some of the dark places in life that often plague people who "think too much."  And it was the idea of the meaningless life that intrigued me.

For most of us in Western society we've been trained to believe that we must find our purpose, or meaning. That some people are laborers, others are lawyers and doctors, etc.  Somehow, we are all predestined for a singular goal.

Obviously, this is an absurd quest that is doomed to failure and heartache.  I think of Camus' Myth of Sisyphus when he describes the means replacing the end.  When we say we've found our purpose in life, what we mean is that we've found what it is that makes us happy, and calling it our "purpose" alleviates the uncertainty, and convinces us that the time we spend doing it is not in vain.

It is an illusory concept.  Because when we are constantly searching for our "meaning," we're searching for an idea, and as Aeschylus said, we "lose substance while grasping for the shadows."

And I know there are many who say this viewpoint is selfish, and that nothing would be accomplished if everyone believed this way or felt this way.  I would simply ask, what is accomplished by living a life you don't enjoy?  What is so scary about opening yourself to the infinite possibilities and joys of existence, rather than pigeonholing yourself to a fate that is beyond you?

Is my current job something that inspires me?  I would say no.  I enjoy the people I work with immensely and that helps quite a bit, but at this moment it is my reality. Happiness is a choice, as is frustration.  Seeing life as meaningless doesn't change what you do or who you are, it changes how you see what you do, and allows you to be who you are without judgement or pressure.

Why do I write?  Why do I play music?  Why do I take random mountain-climbing trips and read history books that some would consider as punishment?

Because I love those things.

Forget the idea that you need a reason, what you love doesn't have to be labeled with a purpose or meaning or end-goal.  They are you, that's IT.

The quickest way to ruin what makes you happy?  Over-analyze it, judge it, and try to make sense of it.

When we shed the mask and live a life without expectation (from within or without), we begin to live in the moment. Because living a meaningless life doesn't make you stop caring for others or keep you from doing something good or beneficial for others, it shows you that everything is your meaning, your ARE existence:

Do what you love, all of it.