Pondering the meaning of life means that we automatically ask ourselves at least one simple question; “Why are we here?” When contemplating this I am automatically reminded of the first Star Trek movie “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (Paramount, 1979). In this movie we were introduced to Vger, […]
One might think by now someone would have come up with an answer—Meaning of Life? The very supposition that there is meaning is a question unto itself: What constitutes meaning? Where does it originate? Is it developed or simply exogenesis and we tap into it? Such philosophical conundrums drive […]
The words we use and questions we ask ourselves often shape our lives in ways that can be insightful or hurtful. What is the meaning of life is an example of the latter. This well-meaning question allows philosophers to speculate without evidence, religious people to maintain that unsubstantiated beliefs […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Désilets: what is the meaning of life? Saida Désilets: Life is a mystery. A grand, delicious, at times horrifying, and often surprising, mystery. What meaning can we give this mystery? For me, life is less about figuring it all out and more about falling in love […]
Excellence Reporter: Rev. Kowalski, what is the meaning of life? Gary Kowalski: Whether you believe it or not, your life began 13.7 billions years ago when, inexplicably, things started. From the beginning, your birth (and that of countless of others creatures) was written into the world-lines of a […]
You have many dreams. You have countless aspirations. You want to live a life worth writing about. A beautiful story that captivates and endures. Sometimes you feel that big success is the only thing worth writing about. That you have to go out and achieve big things and […]
Excellence Reporter: Joanna, what is the meaning of life? Joanna van der Hoeven: For me, the meaning of life is simple: to give your life meaning. What we do each and every moment is an expression of who we are, and in being mindful and compassionate in our […]
Life is a blessing with rich soil to grow every possible contribution we can make with our time and resources, for a good life for people close to us, in our ecosystems, and most of all, that people 500 years from now, have far better lives. LOVE Life […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Bekoff, what is the meaning of life? Marc Bekoff: For me it all boils down to do all I can to make the world a more peaceful and compassionate place for all animals, nonhuman and human, than the moment I emerged from my loving mother’s body. I […]
The meaning of life rests with each of us, in each of our lives to carve out. We can take a nihilist stance that says our bodies/souls are the result of a cosmic throw of the dice, a random conflagration of proliferating atoms warmed mysteriously by the ancient […]
Since I was a young man, I have from time to time fallen into dark spirals. Within the spiral, everything that was interesting to me the day before is as valueless and dull as used chewing gum, and every goal I set seems either empty, unreachable, or both. […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Vost, what is the meaning of life? Kevin Vost: I think we are likely to find life most meaningful when we develop and perfect the kinds of powers and abilities we all share as human beings, like the fundamental intellectual powers to grasp concepts and […]
Excellence Reporter: Jenny, what is the meaning of life? Jenny Smedley: Life seems tough doesn’t it? One of the reasons for this is that before we were born we had a master plan, a definite goal in this lifetime, and we were equipped to focus on it and […]
Excellence Reporter: Altazar, what is the meaning of life? Altazar Rossiter: Whenever I hear this question I think of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. In his books he asked the meaning of life, the universe and everything. The answer was revealed as 42, and […]
Excellence Reporter: Fr. Seán, what is the meaning of life? Fr. Seán ÓLaoire: Life is a dream that the ego is having; the ego is a dream that the soul is having; the soul is a dream that Spirit is having; and Spirit is a dream that Source […]
Excellence Reporter: Pamala, what is the meaning of life? Pamala Oslie: I’m aware that there will be as many answers to that question as there are souls on this planet because each of us has a different perspective and a different experience of life and “reality”. Therefore, my […]
Excellence Reporter: Laura, what is the meaning of life? Laura Plumb: I once heard Joseph Campbell answer this question by saying he doesn’t believe there is so much a meaning to life, but rather that we are alive to feel ourselves fully alive, and that when we come […]
Excellence Reporter: Mindahi, what is the meaning of life? Mindahi Bastida Muñoz: Life on Earth is possible due to the presence of the four sacred elements: fire, water, air and earth. All beings are the reflection of those elements; we, as humans, are too the reflection of those […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Frankel, what is the meaning of life? Estelle Frankel: The Hebrew word for meaning, mashmaut, comes from the root sh-m-a, which means to listen. This word (which itself is pregnant with meaning) suggests that meaning arises through listening. The meaning of our lives is not a static, […]
Once in a coffee shop, I overheard a middle-aged woman telling her friend, in a hurt voice, “I feel so judged by him.” Therein lies the history of humanity’s suffering. So long as we identify with this ego “self,” this “I” we take ourselves to be, suffering—in the […]
As a scientist who has spent most of his life in the aerospace industry, studying at NASA and working in space agencies around the world, I understand the value of science in our lives. Science has extended our lifespan, brought benefits to our health, opened the skies for […]
Excellence Reporter: Andy, what is the meaning of life? Andy Smallman: I think the MEANING of life is self-evident when we are able to surrender ego, or to realize on a core level that we are part of something bigger than our individual selves. But that makes it […]
I discovered the meaning of life at the moment of my spiritual awakening, late one night, Jan 4th1998. I was working my night shift. As an architect, a family man and a community activist my life had two shifts. One for the day to interact with my clients […]
Excellence Reporter: Pema, what is the meaning of life? Pema Namdol Thaye: I learnt the meaning of life from my precious spiritual teachers: my Amala (mother) and my uncle Lama Gonpo Tenzing Rinpoche. They devoted their entire lives to benefiting others. This is something they lived, and breathed, […]
I love being outside and physical activity to balance the counseling, workshops and writing, which I also love. I enjoy walking the dogs with Joyce, mowing the lawn, fixing things, gardening, doing anything to be outside. Some folks like to sit around when they are on vacation. Not […]
When the bright lights of London City went out, I was in my late 20s struggling with an addiction, and a chronic eating disorder, and having to admit I was no longer sweet 16. It became apparent that the lure of big cities, 5-star restaurants, a fat wallet, […]
Today is a good day. I move effortlessly between morning yoga, my computer work, feeding our rabbits some tasty raspberry leaves, reading about God and now writing this piece. I feel spacious and calm, and the sun is shining outside and inside. This weekend was not so good. […]
Excellence Reporter: Megan, what is the meaning of life? Megan Hollingsworth: The question itself implies a mind that seeks and even requires meaning. And one who has lost a sense of meaning for it’s own life. For each is a meaning and, thus, life’s meaning in total. The […]
Excellence Reporter: Rick, what is the meaning of life? Rick Snedeker: Intrinsically speaking, life has zero “meaning.” It is incorrigibly insensate and random, despite what poetry and religion constantly labor to imply. We are but an infinitesimal wisp in an infinite enormity of emotionally dead atoms and irresistible […]
From a Buddhist perspective, life is precious. Human life is especially precious, because human beings have the capacity to make our lives meaningful, according to our inclinations and capacity. Regardless of individual limitations, each human being has the freedom to create meaning in life. Each of us creates […]
When asked the question what is the meaning of life?, I would be tempted to reply, “I don’t know”. Every day, I am more and more in awe about this incredible place called “the universe” we live in. And every day, I am more and more aware of […]
Karen Armstrong’s quote that begins, “A Compassionate City is an uncomfortable city” is the fastest way to dispel the gross misunderstanding that compassion is a warm, soft, and consolatory expression and a City of Compassion is just a nice flag to wave over City Hall. It also states […]
Excellence Reporter: Leigh, what is the meaning of life? Leigh Brasington: I don’t know what the meaning of life is. I gave up on that question a long time ago. The question that seems more important to me is “What are you doing to make this world a […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Harvey, what is the meaning of life? Richard Harvey: Life itself is its own meaning. There can be no tricks, seeing round corners, or philosophical search for the true meaning of life. But neither can there be some hidden gain, some extraneous reason for believing that […]
Excellence Reporter: Cynthia, what is the meaning of life? Cynthia Brix: The meaning of life is to remember who we are, and to live from the depths of our true being—including who we are in relation to each other and in relation to God (or the Beloved, the […]
My favorite book of all time is Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. For over a decade I read that book annually and always received new insights. Frankl asserted that even if we don’t see inherit meaning in life, we must either find meaning or create meaning for […]
The question “What is the meaning of Life?” is such a moving target, isn’t it? Since we’re all part of this same mysterious system, it’s like a lot of slightly different questions that all lead to the same thing: “Why? Why me, here and now?” Why is this […]
Excellence Reporter: Carolyn, what is the meaning of life? Carolyn North: Frankly, I have no idea what Life ‘means’ but I do know about the experience of living. It takes place in my body – indeed, everything alive has a container of some sort in which the live-ness […]
Many years ago, standing on stage at one of my meetings with readers, I was looking into the audience, inwardly waiting for the moment when the question “What is the meaning of life?” would finally be asked. Yet, to my regret, among the many questions posed, it never […]
Excellence Reporter: Emma, what is the meaning of life? Emma Slade: Like many people the ups and downs of life have encouraged me to reflect on, perhaps even stand face to face with, this question. I feel very lucky to have been born at a time and in […]
Excellence Reporter: Liz, what is the meaning of life? Liz Mitten Ryan: I must preface what I’m about to share with an introduction that it comes from source through a clear connection to animals and nature. I have lived on a 320 acre sacred land removed from radio, […]
*** ~Clair Brown, Economics professor at UC Berkeley, Climate activist, and author. Prof. Brown has contributed to our understanding of how economies function, including the standard of living, inequality, sustainability, and development engineering. Her Buddhist Economics: An enlightened approach to the dismal science (Bloomsbury Press, 2017) describes […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Yogendra, what is the meaning of life? Smt. Hansaji Jayadeva Yogendra: During my regular session at The Yoga Institute, one of the students was asked according to him what is the meaning of life? He answered life is B and D. Means life is “B” […]
Excellence Reporter: Amy, what is the meaning of life? Amy B. Scher: The meaning of life is to embrace it with curiosity! When I was struggling during almost an entire decade with a chronic illness, I fought every day to find a cure. I even traveled all over […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Oberon, what is the meaning of life? Oberon Zell: Cherish diversity! Find fascination in the strange and unusual. Live passionately. Explore everything, especially things forbidden, with boundless curiosity. Read voraciously. Grow a garden. Establish and maintain altars in your home. Celebrate the ever-turning Wheel of […]
Excellence Reporter: Tiffany, what is the meaning of life? Tiffany Lazic: Trying to find a simple answer to what is the meaning of life is akin to trying to find the loose end of a snarled jumble of wool. There are so many possible threads to follow that […]
Excellence Reporter: Tom, what is the meaning of life? Tom T. Moore: The meaning of our lives is much more complex than we can imagine. Here is what I’ve been told in my meditations. The Creator of our universe (there are billions of creators and billions of universes) […]
Excellence Reporter: Raphaelle, what is the meaning of life? Raphaelle Tamura: This question brings to mind the classic cartoon image of an earnest spiritual aspirant breathlessly climbing to the top of a mountain in order to ask an old, bemused Master who quips something funny or ironic. This […]
Q: Robert, what is love? Robert Adams: Love, happiness, peace, joy, are all your real nature. It is a feeling beyond the feeling. It is a total ineffable something that you are. It makes you know that you are one with everything. Everyone is your brother and sister. […]
Excellence Reporter: Michael, what is the meaning of life? Michael J. Tamura: All questions of meaning lead us to the mind, don’t they? Whenever we ask, if we don’t get distracted along the way by other thoughts and feelings, the seeking of an answer leads us step-by-step to […]
I wrote this for YOU By my SELF What if…… I am living heaven on earth right now What if…… My heart was exploding with love for All that IS Right now What if……I knew what I felt to be true What if…… Every moment I take a […]
Excellence Reporter: Laura, what is the meaning of life? Laura Silvana Aversano: As I am sitting here pondering the meaning of life, I can only share with you what my own experiences have shown me thus far. God-willing, I will have many more lessons to learn, more challenges […]
Excellence Reporter: Rinpoche, what is the meaning of life? Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: A lot of people ask me this question, “What is the meaning of life?” I think it’s helpful to also ask why we’re asking this question. From a dharmic point of view, it’s simply because we want […]
Excellence Reporter: Samantha, what is the meaning of life? Samantha Thomas: Astrophysics has yet to discover whether there is meaning of life in the universal sense, and if there is a meaning, we may never know what that is. However, it is important that human beings feel a […]
“To seek to know the significance of life is itself the result of good karma in past births.Those who do not seek such knowledge are simply wasting their lives.” “Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world. Happiness is your nature. It is not […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Fellingham, what is the meaning of life? Paula Fellingham: Life has had different meanings for me during my nearly 70 years of living. As a girl growing up in the glow of a famous parent, defining the meaning of life never crossed my mind. I laughed […]
We each enter life with desires, goals, and challenges to overcome, and we choose birth conditions that will best help us meet these objectives. Arriving with dreams from the past that are seeking fulfillment, we find meaning as we are able to satisfy these karmic imperatives from the […]
Excellence Reporter: Frank, what is the meaning of life? Frank DeMarco: When we ask the meaning of life, we are also asking about our own nature, and the nature of the world we live in. If the world were what it seems to be, and if we ourselves […]
As a child I would ask that simple yet complex question to myself all the time. I would look into the mirror at my golden brown cat eyes, my athletic tall Goddess Warrior™ body and see the depth of my soul. I would ask myself why am I here, […]
“What does the Lord your God demand of you?” This is the question that Moses asks the people of Israel as they near the end of their journey in the wilderness of Sinai, and as they stand at the threshold of the Promised Land. He is asking them […]
Excellence Reporter: Robert, what is the meaning of life? Robert Beer: I have come to believe that death alone reveals the true moral and ethical stature of life, and while that life is being lived this issue always hangs in the balance. We are born with amnesia, and […]
Excellence Reporter: Raven, what is the meaning of life? Raven Keyes: I believe we are all encoded with a special mission we came into this life to fulfill – a mission we chose for ourselves long before we were ever born. As I see it, the meaning of […]
Excellence Reporter: Chandanni, what is the meaning of life? Chandanni Miglino: There is no meaning to life as it exists. We are the ones who give it meaning. We are essentially born into a senseless and meaningless world and through ritual, ceremony and culture we create and define […]
Excellence Reporter: Kat, what is the meaning of life? Kat Farrants: The meaning of life is, for me, connection. My journey in this lifetime is all about the connection and connectivity of life. Everything that my dharma leads me to do is in acknowledgement of the importance of […]
There is an adage in the spiritual world declaring that life has a perfectly unfolding divine plan, and that one’s happiness is dependent upon knowing this, and somehow tapping into that flow. On the other side of this equation is the recognition that life is chaotic, random, and […]
The question that precedes the question of the meaning of life is “why is there life at all.” And that has no answer. And the next question is “what is life” and that has no answer as well. Except those answers that are constructed out of the emptiness […]
Excellence Reporter: Eric, what is the meaning of life? Eric Edmeades: I believe that being born into this life is a great adventure and that our purpose is to enjoy that adventure as much as possible. While people may identify various missions — charitable work, industry, parenting, etc. […]
Excellence Reporter: Nischaladevi, what is the meaning of life? Nischala Joy Devi: The question “What is the meaning of life?” morphs into “what brings meaning to life?” Life seems more meaningful when we embrace love and joy, in every moment. We are all searching for something to bring us […]
Excellence Reporter: Yanti, what is the meaning of life? Yanti Amos: I was watching a documentary recently which followed the daily routine of a traditional Japanese sword (katana) polisher. The polisher’s discipline is not an easy one, for he must do justice to the character and nature of each […]
Excellence Reporter: Acharya, what is the meaning of life? Acharya Mangalananda: As an American with a life-long connection with India and its practices and beliefs, I speak both through the Traditions I have been involved in, but also through the direct experience that this connection has brought me. […]
The paddles of my kayak dipped gently into crystalline turquoise water. I was gliding like a bird through the late afternoon sun. Utterly by myself I deeply enjoyed the luxury of silence. I chose to make a right hand turn into a cove that was flanked by two […]
The meaning of life is to shine your light as your highest self. It is to regain touch with the divine purpose of your life and share your gifts with the planet. It’s to make your mess into your message and rise up into your full potential, with […]
The meaning of life — this is the eternal theme of human meditation. All philosophical systems, all religious teachings strive to find and give to men the answer to this question. Some say that the meaning of life is in service, in the surrender of self, in self-sacrifice, […]
Excellence Reporter: Ms. Karpinski, what is the meaning of life? Gloria D. Karpinski: As an intuitive counselor and spiritual teacher for several decades, I can testify the number one question behind all other questions for most people is the quest for meaning. What is the mission? Why am […]
Excellence Reporter: Shakti Anand, what is the meaning of life? Shakti Anand: This is one of those eternal questions which marries to the other eternal question with which it is linked, who am I ? This question is asked from a logical frame of the mind to find meaning, […]
At some point, we’ve all thought about the meaning of life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Is this all there is or does the journey continue when the physical body no longer functions? As both human and spiritual beings, it’s essential that we consider these […]
After more than two decades as a monk, I have begun to recognize that a shaved head and a brown monastic robe is an invitation for people to come up and ask all kinds of things: I’m used to people approaching me at airports, on the street or […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Lasater, what is the meaning of life? Judith Hanson Lasater: Life is the process whereby the Universe makes itself manifest to us, and for us, in myriad and amazing ways. The greater meaning of existence is to find our own special relationship with this Universe, […]
Humans and all creatures are meaning-making “machines”; no living creature would survive without meaning-making. Everything that happens to us and around us that we encounter for the first time causes us to assign a meaning to it. Once we see the same pattern of experiences occurring in our […]
It is our task as Spiritual beings to remove the blocks that inhibit the native joy and passions of our Spirit. We must delve deeply into our own mysterious being and begin to rediscover the poetic voice of our own Soul. To become courageous Spirits, we must loosen […]
~by Camille Hamilton Adams Helminski Day by day we venture closer; we turn the handle of the door and enter. Room upon room opens in the vastness of Your Palace reaching the heavens and pouring water to the earth through fountains hovering mid-air. Hu¹ would have thought we could […]
Excellence Reporter: Peter, what is the meaning of life? Peter Smith: This is a question that has been asked down through the ages so many times. It is a question about our very existence and the catalyst for the most incredible journey. I have witnessed first-hand the inner magnificence […]
The meaning of life is to have an immersive experience of being alive in a fabulously creative, thought-responsive, conscious universe. We are alive to explore and share the transformative power of love, and to wake up to who we really are on the deepest level of reality. Waking […]
Kyle, Texas ER: What makes a compassionate community? Gudjon Bergmann: On a bad day, people in a compassionate community will tolerate each other and help if the need arises. On a good day, people in a compassionate community will go out of their way to treat each other well and support those who […]
Excellence Reporter: Myra, what is the meaning of life? Jaya Jaya Myra: I don’t think there is a single, concise answer for the meaning of life, but if I were to try to give you just one answer, I would say experience. Consciousness has a desire to experience […]
As a theologian and priest, the meaning of life for me is simple: serving my Gods to the utmost of my ability (and hopefully gracefully, but I’m still working on that part!). It’s my commitment to the Holy Powers and to honoring my ancestors that defines every single […]
In my clinical experience I have found it critical to help people find the meaning of their experience within their perception of life to be critical. Victor Frankl was very perspective when he described that it was precisely this factor that predicted whether prisoners would die or live […]
Excellence Reporter: Rose, what is the meaning of life? Rose Marcus: Simply stated, it is a heart journey. The purpose of life is to experience yourself as the creative powerhouse that you are. What are you here to do? To accomplish something truly extraordinary. It’s something only you can […]
Excellence Reporter: Vishvapani, what is the meaning of life? Vishvapani Blomfield: I like to ask, ‘What makes my life meaningful?’ I prefer that question to ‘What is the meaning of life?’ An answer comes when I stop thinking about ‘me’, ‘my life’ and ‘my experience’. I’m here for a […]
Excellence Reporter: Jennie, what is the meaning of life? Jennie Lee: Love. Love is the meaning, the purpose, the beginning, and the end of life. It is the harmonizing, unifying energy of the Universe from which we all sprang and to which we all return. Whether we recognize ourselves […]
Excellence Reporter: David, what is the meaning of life? David Michie: On a day-to-day basis, each of us finds meaning in different things according to our backgrounds and temperaments. For some people that means being a parent. For others, a mountaineer. I believe we find our maximum fulfillment […]
Excellence Reporter: Jane, what is the meaning of life? Jane Sloane: The meaning of life is in what we learn about our capacity for love, kindness, generosity and forgiveness. It’s in our acts of creation and in our experience of loss and grief. It’s in our work to […]
Excellence Reporter: Jennifer, what is the menial go life? Jennifer Urezzio: Well…living years of a spiritual life I want to say connection. And, today that meaning doesn’t fit. Today, I feel out of sorts and longing for something I can’t put my fingers on. Days like this, the […]
The meaning of life is to be present, to live fully and to help others realize their full potential as well. It means living in balance, realizing that we`re a small speck in the universum, and actualizing the wisdom and compassion that naturally resides within us. Michaela […]
Excellence Reporter: Katalin, what is the meaning of life? Katalin Koda: Life is the opportunity to discover our true nature and gifts and offer them in service to others along the path. True meaning becomes apparent in the practice of offering, being of service, to dissolve our smaller […]
I suppose that when we reflect on what is the ‘meaning of life,’ or perhaps what the significance of existence has been, we are in essence wondering what underlying, common thread has given continuity, or integrity, to our myriad, varied experiences. The question is often answered in generic platitudes—to love well, to […]
Excellence Reporter: Debra, what is the meaning of life? Debra Moffitt: Most people think of life as confined to what happens from birth to death. But that’s a limited view of who we are. When put into the bigger perspective, we are multidimensional spiritual beings beyond the body, […]
Excellence Reporter: Catherine, what is the meaning of life? Catherine Bell: This is a profound confronting question. Philosophers, mystics, scientists, and sages have been examining this question for a very long time. Some might say it is to discover what the meaning of life is. And responses to this […]
What is the meaning of life? Humans are basically dogs with thumbs. And canines – like humans – are opportunists: trundling along the path, looking for anything odd that we could possibly eat. The ‘odd’ thing: That’s the ticket. Opportunist species look for things that are out of […]
Excellence Reporter: Monk AnShin, what is the meaning of life? Claude AnShin Thomas: “To open one’s eyes widely and to breathe consciously. Everything else will reveal itself from there…” *** ~Claude AnShin Thomas, Zen Buddhist Monk, Vietnam Veteran, International Advocate of Nonviolence, and Author, was ordained in the […]
Excellence Reporter 