intro

Why Are We Here? What is the meaning of life? Why do young people have their lives cut short?

Alongside these familiar questions, many people quietly wonder whether there is anything more to expect from life than a short span followed by nothingness. These thoughts often surface most sharply when we realise just how brief life really is. But we don’t need a crisis to start asking them. Disappointment, routine, or simply noticing the patterns of our own choices can stir the same reflection.

Many people ask, ‘Is this it? —Will I only live a brief period of time and then die? Or is there something more?” It’s oddly humbling to realise the Earth has been spinning for millions of years while even the oldest trees manage a few centuries. Meanwhile, we humans—armed with medicine, technology, and endless ambition—typically get only seven or eight decades, assuming we dodge accidents and terminal illnesses along the way.

Our lives are brief flashes against a vast geological timeline, more like footnotes than chapters. Yet maybe that brevity sharpens things—urgency, meaning, and connection. Bearing this in mind, there must surely be a reason for it?

The psychiatrist Viktor Frankl observed a similar struggle among some Holocaust survivors. After enduring unimaginable suffering, many returned home only to find that the people they longed to see were gone. Frankl wrote, “Woe to him who, when the day of his dreams finally came, found it so different from all he had longed for!”

Those Who Raise the Question

People across generations have wrestled with the purpose of their existence. Ancient accounts describe people who, overwhelmed by grief, loneliness, or hardship, questioned why they were alive at all. Their words echo the same human feelings many experience today: exhaustion, confusion, and the sense of being adrift.

A Successful Trip Through Life

Life is often compared to a journey. You can set out on a trip without choosing a destination, but doing so leaves you vulnerable to drifting, getting lost, or mistaking movement for progress. The same is true of life. Without a clear sense of purpose, it’s easy to get swept up in what the “the busyness of life”—achievements that look like success but feel strangely empty.

After all, what good is increasing your speed if you’re not heading somewhere meaningful?

The search for purpose crosses cultures, ages, and backgrounds. It reflects a deep need that remains even when our material needs are met. People try to fill that need in many ways—through work, relationships, pleasure, or accomplishment—but often find themselves still wondering what their life is really for.