Do you think that existence is ultimately meaningful or meaningless?

I try to live in the middle, with a bit of both.<br><br>On the one hand, there is no objective purpose to our existence. We’re just a collection of cells, meatbags, that are driven by chemical reactions and electrical impulses. There is nothing objectively right or wrong with that, and no inherent value in it. There’s nothing we could do to make the universe more meaningful. This is the meaningless perspective.<br><br>On the other hand, the fact that we exist is, in and of itself, a beautiful thing. The universe is an amazing place to exist in, and our lives are filled with beautiful experiences and relationships. There are things we can do in life to create and appreciate meaning, whether through relationships, or experiences, or personal achievements. Even if the universe is ultimately meaningless, our individual lives are meaningful to us. This is the meaningful perspective.<br><br>Do you have any thoughts on this? Do you lean one way or the other?<br><br>This reminds me of the story of the two pilots.<br><br>The story goes that there were two pilots that were flying over the Atlantic Ocean. The plane had an electrical failure, and they had to abandon ship. One pilot grabs a lifeboat and jumps in the ocean. The other pilot, however, grabs two lifeboats and jumps in the ocean with both.<br><br>A few hours later, a passing ship finds the first pilot floating on one lifeboat. They rescue him, and ask him why he only grabbed one lifeboat.<br><br>“Well,” he says. “I figured that if a ship came by, they would see I only have one lifeboat, and they would be sure to rescue me.”<br><br>The ship continues on their way, and a few hours later, they find the second pilot floating on two lifeboats. They rescue him, and ask him why he grabbed two lifeboats.<br><br>“Well,” he says. “I figured that if a ship came by and saw I had two lifeboats, they might think I could take care of myself, and they wouldn’t rescue me.”<br><br>Both pilots thought about the same situation—the possibility of being rescued by a passing ship. But they drew completely different conclusions, and prepared for the situation in completely different ways. This is kind of how I see life. Some people see the same situation, and come to completely different conclusions about it. Some see life as meaningless, and try to live their lives as if they don’t matter. Others see life as meaningful, and try to live their lives as if every moment counts. And there’s nothing wrong with either approach.