Life has no inherent meaning.
Oh, you want more?
Life is simply the result of a replicating pattern that was really quite inevitable given the available resources of the universe and an unlimited amount of time. Some patterns find themselves in situations unfavorable to reproduction (i. e. they are killed or die without producing offspring) while others, through chance or by exhibiting traits advantageous to their surroundings, flourish and replicate exponentially. This has happened enough times to result in the world as we know it. There is no purpose or meaning in this. If one particular type of pattern, be it carrier pigeon or homo sapiens, finds itself eliminated by some set of circumstances, other patterns will continue until they, too, are disrupted to the point of extinction.
But here’s the good news: We can create purpose and meaning! I will discover the things in this world that mean the most to me and pursue them. I will find joy and comfort in my surroundings or take the initiative to change my surroundings so that they include those things that provide me with a sense of fulfillment and contentment. This is the purpose I have assigned myself.
I enjoy my family and friends, increasing my body of knowledge, entertaining others with my creations, and dreaming of the future; these are some of the pursuits that shape the significance and importance of my life. The universe did not give these to me, I was not born with these, they have been instilled in me by my upbringing, the society I find myself in, and the hard work of an unrelenting quest for satisfying accomplishments that I have devoted myself to.
Search for meaning, chase opportunities for happiness, define your own life on your own terms.
You are a pattern. Nothing more, nothing less. But you are a self-aware pattern that is the result of billions of years of fine tuning, with the capability to change the world around you in ways that are only limited by your imagination.
Have the courage to construct your own questions and answers to life, the universe, and everything.
