What is the Meaning of Life? (How to Answer This Question For Yourself)

It's sad when we come to a place in our life when we question it's meaning. It's scary when we question our purpose in life. If you choose to allow these thoughts into your mind and entertain them enough to come to this article then you are braver than most. But please keep reading because there is joy in learning - what is the meaning of life?

Meaning comes from within us as humans. We give names to items, people, animals, and all living things. We are the ones who define aspects of our life. We find meaning and purpose through what we do, what we love, what we hate, and the relationships and connections we make.

Of course, that is a simple explanation with very little guidance as to how to find meaning in life. But don't worry. In this article, we will go through what meaning is and what it means to find it. Then we will go through ways to find meaning in your own life.

The Meaning of Life is the Absence of Death

When I first started studying this topic I asked my grandmother what she thinks is the meaning of life. She said nonchalantly "It's the absence of death." Genius woman, my grandmother. But she's right. The fact that we are alive, thinking, moving, loving, hating, and everything in between means that there is meaning in life. We just need to see it.

Viktor Frankl, who was an Austrian psychiatrist, founded his own realm of psychotherapy called logotherapy. This therapy helped his patients search for life's meaning as to motivate them in their life. He's the guy to do this. Before creating logotherapy, he was a medical student and worked in a psychiatric hospital and put together a program to help reduce the rate of suicide in teens. Anyone involved in the program did not commit suicide. Then, he spent years in Nazi concentrations camps and experienced the worst horrors one can experience. After he got out, he created a way to help people find meaning in their life, even in their darkest of days.

What is my purpose in life?

Our purpose in life may change. One day our purpose is to go to school and learn. Then one day, our purpose is to earn a living, or to raise a family. Finding what your current purpose in life is is simply the act of putting your priorities in order. Your priorities should be based on where you find meaning, because that is where your motivation will come from.

Saying that, however, is to not say that you can't find meaning in everything. Viktor Frankl found it in suffering in the concentration camps. The important ingredient to finding meaning in what you set your purpose in is through your values. So, what are your values? What do you hold important enough to live for?

How do I find meaning in life?

Finding meaning in life is a little more abstract than finding a purpose. They often go together, but you can have good and worth while things to do that you don't find meaning in. Because what happens when you can't do that good thing anymore? Or the interest in it leaves you? You must find a meaning in your life in every part of your life. Viktor Frankl says to find it through what we do, how we express ourselves, and through our suffering. But again, it's not what we are doing, but how we do it. We just find what that looks like for us through what we do.

Let's look at someone else's experience in finding meaning. Someone who didn't suffer like Frankl. Instead, he was the richest, most powerful, and wisest man on earth. I'm talking about King Solomon. The book of Ecclesiastes is full of what what Solomon believes is meaningless. He describes nearly all things as vanity. the only thing he found meaning in is following God and obeying His will. All he valued came from God. Everything else he realized would pass away. No matter what he did, it was meaningless to him unless it was for the glory of God.

Final Thoughts

It's up to us to figure out our own meaning in this life. It's up to us to accomplish tasks in a manner that brings value to our lives. Some find this through religion, love, art, work, family, and suffering. But it is up to you.

I have a whole post on the power of believing in a higher power called Does The Universe Control Destiny? If you like this post and want to continue on this journey to finding truth and meaning I suggest that one.

Also, be sure to read Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, and the Book of Ecclesiastes. No matter your belief, both help think through what brings meaning into one's life.

Personally, I am a believer in Christ and I live for Him. I find meaning in bringing others to Him and by sharing God's Will.

I hope this encourages you to find meaning in life, and to find joy in everything you do!