If I were lost, who would find me? If I were broken, who would mend me? If I were joyous, who would join me? And if I wander alone do I cease to be?
I suppose not many people follow a vacation itinerary such as mine, where part of it is to contemplate the meaning of life. Do I contemplate my life, or should I contemplate the collective meaning of human existence? I tend to allow my thoughts to pursue both.
As a biologist, my stance is that we simply exist by a mechanism we have yet to discover but have evolved from creatures who were first created by the unknown mechanism. Survival is our purpose. We require food, shelter, and water to maintain our bodies and to reproduce offspring. Sadly, we are failing miserably at maintaining an Earth that will support us. Our population will reach a point where the planet and all of our ingenuity and invention will not provide food, water, and shelter. Did you know that there is trash and plastic pollution in the Mariana Trench?
Something happens when you are human. There is more than a will to survive, and there are days when seeking a higher purpose, a meaning for the madness, a truth to behold, a truth to be told is what your mind seeks as high priority. These days, the meaning of life becomes a complicated wash of elation, misery, contentment, ambition, sorrow, and happiness that is soul cleansing. Is that meaning or emotion? For me, it is a catalyst to choice. Choosing my reaction to emotions, choosing a path that brings as many positive emotions as I can fit in the tiny space and short time I occupy, and choosing to be present for as much of it as my daydreaming mind will allow, are all choices which give my life meaning. Choices let me be me.
Is this your truth? At the very least, spend a brief time contemplating the meaning of your life. I don't pretend to have any answers as my thoughts and perceptions change often, and I hope the next time I use brain power for this task, I find new enlightenment. Maybe I will be blessed with an epiphany.