Chapter 1: The Question

Chapter 1: The Question

         Throughout recorded history, and even perhaps throughout the entire period of contemplative thought, humankind has brought forth the question over and over again. What is the meaning of life? For those who suspect I may have the hubris to claim to know this answer, rest assured. I will not presume to know the answer of this question, though others using logic, religion, and varying forms of ethics have tried to in the past. Instead I wish to conceptually analyze the motives for asking this question. Through the study of motives, we may better understand the true source of our curiosity.
         
         Though there are many motives I would like to address, the first, and frequently most influential motive for any animal action or thought is fear. Fear is an instinctual tool that guides its hosts to seek answers to problems that may not readily be available. Fear is a lifeforms' tool for survival, its safety mechanism to ensure the sustainability of the gene pool.

         In this case, one of the motivating impulses behind the ultimate question, is the ultimate form of fear; nonexistence. Though death is generally considered the unifying fear, the great equalizer of men, this fear of a natural occurrence is really part of a greater, and far more terrifying theory. What if there is nothing after death, what if there is no reason to live, to love, to be? Just the simple void of the inevitable oblivion. It would condemn every worldly pursuit, demolish the purpose of legacy, and state in no uncertain terms that you do not matter, or at least will not matter 60 or 70 years from now. A chilling thought, to be sure.

         At this point I would like to recall a transition period in my own life, one that I suspect many, if not all of you have undergone. It was when my mind evolved to the point where it could conceptually assess the idea that all that I think I know, could be false. That after death, there may not be a God, nor heavenly gates beckoning. I may just cease to exist. I was eleven and at summer camp. I remember crying myself to sleep every night for three days.

         Of course a fear like this cannot be reasoned with, not at eleven at least, and I proceeded to block it from my mind. Denial and avoidance, these were my tools to keep myself sane and relatively happy. As I aged and advanced my process of thought, so too did my defense mechanisms for dealing with the concept of nonexistence increase in complexity and effectiveness. I have listed some of them below with my names for them. Perhaps you may see a parallel between some of my methods and yours.

The Stoic - If death and nothingness is my fate, then I will just have to accept it and try to live my life with that knowledge
The Rebel - If life means nothing, fuck it! I don't care, It doesn't matter anyways. I'll do what I want when I want until death takes me
The Aesthetic - I must appreciate every experience, feel the extremes of human emotion wrought from physical and bodily sensations
The Greedy One - I must have as much as I can, I must have more and then I will be happy. More money, more things, and eventually I will die happy.
The Legacy - I must leave my mark on the Earth and be immortalized by my lasting influence.
The Philosopher - I must understand, and through understanding find the enlightenment to accept my death
The Religious One - If I pray to God I will be saved. Faith preserves me.
The Altruist - I must live through good action towards others. I must define my existence through morality.
The Oblivious One - Don't think about it. Out of sight out of mind. Just live and deal with death later.

         And now for my controversial statement, one that will probably cause much criticism from many different people. All of these methods are forms of denial. Now as I say denial, keep in mind that I do not suggest that any of these possible beliefs is incorrect. On the contrary, it is very possible that some of these modes of thought may indeed preserve a degree of ourselves beyond death. Nonetheless, we use such thought processes to cope with the inevitable conclusion that almost everyone has come to: that there is a possibility that after death, only a vast empty and purposeless abyss awaits. In that realm of unknowing, mankind finds his greatest fear; absolute ignorance and absolute insignificance.

         Now we have delved into the realm of death and coping mechanisms, but what about the question originally addressed. What is the meaning of life? Though  it seems we may have gone off on a tangent, I would rather suggest that this ultimate fear is directly relevant to this question. In fact, in my belief, it is the question's polar opposite.

         This theory has the same themes as Pandora's Box. Where there is darkness, there must be light; where there is despair there must be hope. In the search for the meaning of life, we seek to disprove this fear of oblivion. By establishing that there is in fact a purpose to living, we do not have to worry about fading utterly from existence. Similarly, human beings are inherently seeking the answers to life's mysteries, as a way of combating the worse case scenario. If there was a particularly dangerous disease, for example, the modern human being would seek to understand why that disease spread and injured in order to prevent it. With proper analysis of the disease itself, preventative measures could be taken. Unfortunately, analyzing what happens to an individual after death is an impossible feat, since no one can have a first hand account of an after death experience. This is why there is no universal agreement to the question of the meaning of life, and since experiences after death are unknown and humankind tends to fear the unknown, there is still a widespread fear of the worst case scenario. For many this worst case scenario is absolute oblivion.


*Not quite done. I realize some holes so far, seeking to fill them. Feel free to offer suggestions.