What is it all about then?

At a less fundamental level, it is about the purpose of our individual lives, its relationship to nature and other beings with which we find ourselves entwined in life. It is also about the existence of God and his/her nature and relationship to us. At a trivial level, it is an outlet to deal with the depressions, failures and disappointments in our lives.

All of us ordinary people deal with the question at these two levels. There is also the possibility that life has no meaning at all, and it is the human mind which tries to ascribe meaning to it because of its inability to contemplate the possibility of leading an existence that is just a series of chance events. The idea that love and happiness are the answers to this vexing question is true only if you want to restrain yourself from asking deeper questions as to whether the love and happiness that we experience are illusions in themselves.

I feel that everyone who is bothered by this question must find the answers for themselves at their own level of development. It may turn out that one might find an answer that is at a trivial level but as far as he/she is concerned it would still be a real answer thereby reducing this angst. And the person may stay at this level for the rest of his life in which case the question has been 'solved ' as far as he/she is concerned. On the other hand, if the person develops further to a point where this answer is no longer an answer, then he can rejoin the search for an answer.

Summing up, I guess I am saying that there are no answers to the question, as well as that there are a million answers.

Meaning cannot come from outside oneself but from within. When people say, "This is boring, that is boring," it suggests that they are bored with themselves. Just as we have to invest interest in things, we have to invest or invent meaning.

We need to know ourselves and our needs in order to find meaning, for meaning is not 'out there'. This is why it is more difficult for rich people to find meaning; they think it comes from things. One may buy a nice house, but if one does not enjoy life then it will not make one happy. To find out what has meaning for one is to learn about oneself in a deep way.

For the majority of us fulfilment comes from having and raising children. In general, we derive much meaning from helping others. Though this is fulfilling, it might still not entirely satisfy us. But our meaning cannot just be centred on other people; we must also focus on our own needs, so as to realise our own inner potential. Sometimes we deceive ourselves when we are helping others, thinking we are "only doing it for them", whereas in reality our motives are mixed. An indication of this is when we resent it if the recipient is ungrateful. Such self-denial leads to resentment.

If our life is unbalanced then we are busy chasing after only one area of life and all the others suffer. I do not think we can derive enduring happiness from just one part of life, such as work or children. There is much to be said for the Greek ideal of balance. Workaholics lack the contrast because they do nothing but work. We need to find a balance.

Another vital element that gives us meaning is love - loving oneself and loving others. For many of us it is easier to love other people than to love ourselves. To realise and fulfil our own needs, as mentioned earlier, is part of loving oneself.

Happiness, in my opinion, is something that needs to be shared. I have read about how hostages, such as Anderson and Keenan, reflected on their lives while they were imprisoned and helpless. What sustained them were not their professional successes, but the love they had shared with their families and special moments, such as the birth of a child.

The choice of the right partner is also crucial, since it allows one to work on the relationship once the romantic 'in love' phase is over. This takes time, so if one is a workaholic then one's relationship will suffer. One needs to have a fertile ground on which happiness can grow.

Even if we have love, it may still not be enough to make us happy. The trap is that the more things we desire, the more voracious we are, the less happy we will be. The external trappings will not make us happy.

I think that it is harder for people who do not read, do not listen to beautiful music, or who are passive, to find meaning. Beauty, whether in music, art, nature or an activity, is an inspiration.

However, we should not think that what made us happy twenty years ago will continue to make us happy. This is like returning to the same place for a holiday, or to a piece of music that meant a lot to us in our youth. The magic cannot be repeated. We are harder to satisfy than it would appear. Meaning is not something we can capture and keep. It needs to be regenerated all the time.

Closely linked to meaning is having the right values, such as love, a connection with others, and not pursuing money as an end. It is easy to get trapped by materialism; then our ideals are compromised. If we have a high mortgage, this might adversely affect our life, inducing us to work unearthly hours and hence sacrificing family life.

If we choose the wrong partner, then our values become suspect. Because we are struggling with our partner, we might have to be dishonest. We will not even get to the question of what meaning is. The vast majority of people in the world do not have the luxury of thinking about meaning because their lives are a daily struggle for existence.

To help us find meaning it is valuable to discover what our passion is. As I see it, the difference between a passion and a hobby is that you steal time for a passion, whereas a hobby is just an enjoyable pastime. Many people in the West are happy to allocate their time to work and duties, but not to 'unprofitable' activities.

In my own case, my profession, teaching Egyptian and other Ancient History, has given me great fulfilment because I am teaching this fascinating material to students. I have also been fortunate to discover a passion for working in silver, which led me to develop myself in many other areas relating to design and manual skills. Many people profess to envy my creativity, but I am convinced that the potential to be creative is in all of us. Persevering with it, especially in the beginning, is the hard part, as it takes years to achieve really high standards.

Another important component contributing to meaning is contrast. For example, if trekking up a mountain is followed by a good meal, this generates a feeling of achievement and pleasure. Pleasure needs to be offset by contrast. It cannot be more and more, because ironically, it becomes less and less. The very nature of pleasure is fleeting. Similarly, happiness is momentary. One cannot expect perpetual happiness.

I envy those developed individuals who avoid the trap of prevailing values, living instead a life that is both meaningful and pleasurable; a life of service as well as enjoyment. Such people are "artists of life". They draw others to themselves, because of their capacity for fun and high achievement. They live their life in a creative way.

In my opinion, life becomes more meaningful as we become unified with God and the universe. I believe that God is n-dimensional, and our souls are n-dimensional also. Our souls seek to unite with God, and our bodies seek to become more familiar with the 3-dimensional space we inhabit. Thus we have a 2-fold means of attaining happiness and meaning in our lives: meditation and contemplation for our souls, and scientific study for our bodies. Through meditation we are able to guide our souls into the multi-dimensional "space" outside the physical world. God is omnipresent and omniscient; all we have to do is open ourselves to God. As we become unified with God, we become more like God -- loving, forgiving, creative, kind, gentle, peaceful. This process naturally results in helping others (perhaps through volunteering or other altruistic pursuits) and giving love (to our families, our friends, and even our enemies). From this point of view, spirituality becomes more important than religion. Religious doctrines are useful to the extent that they help the individual become closer to God.

Scientific study allows us to become more unified with the physical world. The more I know about this space I live in, the more I feel a part of it. One must understand something thoroughly in order to truly belong to it. Also, the world becomes less of a threat to me as I gain knowledge of it. Although all people are not suited for full-time scientific research, I think it is beneficial for all of us to learn as much science as we are able, and to keep learning about new discoveries throughout our lifetimes. Feeling connected to the physical world leads to conservation of resources, concern for endangered species, and interest in the problems of population growth as we begin to realise that whatever takes place in the rest of the world will eventually affect us in some way.

Those who ask the question usually find an answer that suits their disposition. Sometimes they find the answer in other people's beliefs, like religion. There is no "True" answer to the question, for each of us has their own world to search. Embryo fertilisation is a casual affair and to believe that a particular union of sperm and embryo has a particular meaning or purpose is to stretch the imagination beyond belief.

Truth is a point of view. Change you viewpoint, change your view.