How to find the secret to the meaning of life

Talking to a clever and deep thinking friend at the weekend about many diverse subjects we briefly touched on a subject that I thought I knew the answer to, but his answer to it was a different one, so I’ll ask the question here and am fascinated to hear your thoughts and responses to it.

The question was “What is the meaning of life?”

Now, I know the answer is technically “To pass on your genes through your children”. But then, that means that life is just to carry on passing your genes for ever more as long as the earth exists. So, is that really the meaning of life?

And in the meantime, what do you “DO” with the life you have?

Now, I am sure that a lot of people would say that the meaning of life is to bring up your family, is to find happiness, spend quality time with friends, is to visit beautiful places, is to have lots of nice experiences, is to do good, is to find spiritual fulfillment, to attain lots of money through hard work, or through crime if need be, to get power, to have influence through political means, or to advise powerful men, to live in a big house, to live by the coast, to be at one with nature, or to collect wonderful things.

But I can narrow all of that down to just one thing.

As can my friend I was discussing it with at the weekend.

My meaning is described in three words.

His in one word.

So, I really want to know.

What do YOU think the meaning of life IS?