The Inherent Meaninglessness of Life

Does your life lack substance? Are you searching for your place in the world? Do you want to live a life filled with meaning and purpose?

Let me let you in on a secret; we all want that.

Yet our constant search for meaning can leave us feeling stressed, overworked, and downright depressed if we fail to find the fulfilment we so desperately seek.

But what if we embrace the idea that life is meaningless? Sure, on the surface, the sentiment seems positively nihilistic. However, if we dig deeper, we start to see that a healthy dose of realism could be just what the doctor ordered.

Why we’re obsessed with finding purpose.

The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr is a fantastic book. I bought it a few years ago to help me with a creative writing course I was taking. Although the writing advice was invaluable, it was the ideas presented on the very first page that really blew me away.

The author begins by reminding us that we, as humans, are acutely aware of the fact that we’re all going to die, as will everyone we love. Our planet will eventually cease to exist rendering human life meaningless.

Okay, nihilistic so far, yes, but stick with me.

What Storr is describing here is the basis for terror management theory, an anthropological explanation for human beings’ obsession with finding our life’s mission. As animals, we are hardwired to strive for survival, and yet we’re all painfully aware of the inevitability of death.

If dwelt upon, this knowledge is enough to make anybody anxious. So, instead of dwelling on it, we distract ourselves. We keep busy, and we search for meaning in all kinds of places, utterly convinced that if we can just find a purpose and become part of something bigger than ourselves our feelings of hopelessness will dissipate and our desire to feel important will be satisfied.

We all want fulfillment.

So, life is inherently meaningless, but here’s the thing; people who perceive their lives as being meaningful experience loads of benefits.

Studies show that people who class themselves as having meaningful lives are less likely to suffer from mental illness, are better able to cope with life challenges, and actually live longer than those who consider their lives to be lacking in purpose.

Viktor Frankl remarked in his iconic book Man’s Search For Meaning, an account of his time spent in Nazi concentration camps as a prisoner of war, that those who survived the horrific conditions were not necessarily the biggest or the strongest, but those who had a purpose.

Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher, was famously quoted as saying, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”

But in our goals-oriented, capitalistic, status-obsessed societies finding meaning can be just another burden. It’s yet another desire that can be monetized. Our social media feeds are littered with advice on how to find direction, be successful, and live a life of purpose. And yet, you may ask, if life really is meaningless, what’s the point?

The benefits of embracing the meaninglessness of life.

Storr goes on to suggest a cure for the existential crisis we each face upon realising our insignificance; story.

Our brains distract us from this terrible truth by filling our lives with hopeful goals and encouraging us to strive for them. What we want, and the ups and downs of our struggle to get it, is the story of us all. It gives our existence the illusion of meaning and turns our gaze away from the dread.

This got me thinking.

If our aspirations and goals are simply distractions we put in place to stop us from dwelling on our mortality, then they’re really not as important as we like to think.

While this thought might encourage the YOLO attitude in some people as they stare into the abyss, nursing a glass of wine as they ponder their dedication to an illusion, I find it freeing.

Philosophers, scientists and laymen alike have pondered the question, “What is the meaning to life?” since time began. But when faced with the notion that life is inherently meaningless, we come to realise that it’s our job to define what a life of purpose looks like to us.

There is no gold star, no correct answer. Your life and your story are for you and you alone.

So, stop putting so much pressure on yourself.

In the words of Bryant McGill, ‘We may know our true purpose in life because we may choose our purpose in life.’

The choice is yours entirely.

And isn’t that freedom of choice liberating? If you can find something that makes your heart sing, brings you peace and causes no harm, that’s meaningful enough if you just let it be.

The takeaway.

I spent years obsessing over finding my life’s purpose. I consulted life coaches, took deep dives into astrology and read most of the self-help books on the market. And while those things undoubtedly helped, what helped me the most was accepting this life for what it is. When you do, it becomes easier to find meaning in the everyday.

So, remember that berating yourself for not yet having ‘found your purpose’ is a fruitless exercise. You could live one of any number of lives, but right now you are where you are. Embrace it, enjoy every moment for what it is, and know that your ‘purpose’ can be whatever you choose it to be.

And if you mess up, who cares? We all know how this ends.