It's the question we can't stop asking...

In the book, I asked the question “What is the ultimate meaning of life?” seeing as billions of us ask
it at least once in our lives. But rather than give you an answer to that question here, let us go
outside for a moment.

“It is winter in england now. The temperature is minus three, there is a hard frost on the ground, and
with the wind chill factor, it feels more like minus eight (so says the weather forecaster). Ok. Now
let us imagine that I am suddenly thrown out of my dwelling with only the clothes I am wearing
(jeans and a shirt). I have no money, and nowhere to go.

As the day continues, the temperature drops further. I am now beginning to get hungry and the cold
is really starting to affect me. Yesterday I was a man with a high powered job, I had a car, a warm
house, warm expensive clothes, and plenty to eat. Yesterday I was thinking about where I would go
on holiday this year, exhibitions I would visit. I thought of what I would do in the evening; perhaps
I would go out for a nice meal with my friends, or perhaps go to the movies, followed by a pizza
afterwards. Today I stand in an alien land. I do not know how to interact with it, yet I am told that I
am part of it.

It is now dark. I am very hungry and I do not know if I will make it through the night, I am so cold;
my mind that yesterday had thoughts of holidays and fun can only think of where I will find
warmth, and some food. I am getting desperate. I find a bridge to sleep under, and spend the night
shivering, as my body tries to generate some heat. For the first time in my life I am scared, really
scared. What will happen to me? Will I die?

I fall into a shallow sleep but am awoken with a start as I hear cars going over the bridge. Got to
find food, got to find shelter, got to find some warm clothes I think to myself. I can feel myself
getting desperate. My mind is not so clear. It is racing, jumbled. I am so very cold...

I look at my watch. It's 6.00am, the shops won't be open for another three hours. But even when
they are open, how can I go in? I already look dishevelled. My shirt is creased, and I am starting to
grow stubble. My mouth tastes disgusting, my hair is unkempt. I feel terrible.

7.00 am, 8.00 am... Finally 9.00 am. I find the nearest large store and walk in. Oh how the heating
feels good against my cold skin... I hurriedly go to the toilets and wash myself in the warm water
and the luxurious soap, and take time to savour the heat from the dryer. Soon I will have to go
outside again, I will not be able to stay in this shop for too long. I must get some food. Where can I
get food from? I have no money to buy anything. I need a coat, but where will I get one? I am so
very cold and very tired.

Maybe I could ask someone for some money for food, maybe I could steal a jacket. Maybe I could
steal some food.... I leave the shop and head out into the cold again. The wind is icy against my
shirt. I must eat. I must get warm. I find a large food store where I won't be noticed and walk
around. All this food available but because I have no money I cannot eat. Perhaps if I steal
something I will be stopped, reported to the police and they will feed me in the cells... Oh how I
need to sleep. Where will I go tonight? I cannot bear to spend another night under that bridge. I
cannot face another night of shivering and the constant waking up.... What will I do?
***
Ok, I think we'll leave it there for now. It's only been one day, and one night, yet our subject who
has been left penniless and homeless is already desperate. He cannot think about tomorrow, let
alone where he will be going on holiday later in the year. His life, as he knows it, is over. His life of
business, fine wines, and friends, and exhibitions is no more. He will wonder to himself how he will
go on living. And with good reason. You see, being outdoors as a human in winter with only a shirt
and a pair of jeans is not going to keep you warm for long. Perhaps and hour or two max. But then
the cold starts to bite into the flesh and the body has to work harder to keep itself warm; but to do
this it needs food...

What is the ultimate meaning of life? You have your answer the moment you step out the front door
into the cold. Suddenly the question that people have been posing for thousands of years is
answered in a flash.
***
As humans, we use our big brains to invent new technologies; discuss politics and philosophy; and
generally congratulate ourselves at being so damn clever. You see, no other species has achieved
what we have. No other species has ambition like the human. In fact, come to think about it, there's
a good reason. No other species needs anything the humans have invented! Why? Because they are
perfect just as they are. “Nonsense!” Says you, “the only reason the other species haven't invented
the things that we have, or have progressed as much as we have is because we have the biggest
brain; we are the most intelligent species on the planet don't you know!” Blah Blah Blah

It seems to me that the human – great homo sapiens – with all his talk of creating better societies,
helping the poor, saving the planet, etc etc is just passing time on this planet spinning somewhere. It
seems to me that any purpose that homo sapiens had, has long since passed. Now, you may not
agree with me here, and that's good! I want you to think for yourself. But I ask you now: What is
the humans purpose on this planet? I do not believe our purpose is to educate ourselves, learn about
ourselves, become enlightened, those are merely external activities.

We have come so far since our ancestors (if you believe in evolution) came out of the trees in africa,
but where have we been going? Forwards or Backwards? “Forwards of course” say you. Look at
what we have achieved in the last million years. We have invented everything from the wheel to
agriculture; from discovering fire to firing a spacecraft into orbit. People are living longer thanks to
us learning about the human body...” But is that a purpose or is it merely passing time?
We are born out of nature and nature reclaims the body to the earth at the time of death. In the in
between time we call “living” the human mind is in control. So lets see what the human decides to
do with his short time here shall we? Well you can probably guess can't you? He tries to condition
and indoctrinate everyone to his way of thinking. He controls and subjugates. He criticises and
shouts. He is jealous. He is violent. He is greedy. He is aquisitive. He lives for money. Anything
else? He is afraid. He believes in supernatural beings. Then after all this. Dies. Great work homo
sapiens.

So why do we behave like this? Well, I'd like to go back in time to have a word with the first person
to experience thought and say “nooooo don't do it!! You have no idea the problems you will cause
by thinking.” Thinking is what is causing us to behave like this. We have no idea what we would be
like if we hadn't been passed down faulty thinking through thousands of years. The way I see it. The
faulty software that we originated with has been passed down to us and we now have no idea that it
was faulty, as it has just been accepted by everyone, much in the same way everyone just accepted
microsoft windows bug ridden software! (oops I feel a law suit coming on)

Some religions say that we continue to experience this life until we have worked out where we are
going wrong, where we finally are allowed to ascend to paradise, others say that you either party
with angels or dance with the devil depending on what sort of life you have lived here! But I'm
sorry but all religion is just man-made. Just the human, now surplus to requirements trying to fill his
time here on earth by telling others of this afterlife, and how you have to live a “good” life to get to
have sex with as many virgins as you want in heaven, and drink fine wine.

Maybe it's just me, but can anyone see how we, the human, who through his cleverness, has
rendered himself unnecessary to the well-being of the planet, is now just passing time here.
Pretending that life has some ultimate meaning, where in fact, as we saw in the previous story,
when you are cold and hungry there is no other meaning to life, except fulfilling your basic needs.
We are pure animal, with the added bonus of being aware of ourselves, and being able to construct
complex thought and languages; but the human is at its heart, a frail creature. We need clothing to
keep out the elements, primarily through moving to areas where we were not well adapted to
survive, and now, by the ruling society telling us that we must wear clothes. Once again, no other
species has this need. If we fall from a height our bones splinter and break, if you cut us we bleed.
I'm sorry, but if someone tells me one more time that man is not like the other species on the planet,
that man is above all other species, then maybe they would agree to being pushed off a bridge (as an
experiment you understand!).

But as we crash headlong through this life, trying to “improve” our lives we have forgotten that life
was already perfect, it was our perception of life that wasn't . We perceive that we are unhappy. We
compare ourselves to others constantly. But when we stop thinking, we can see that everything just
is. The tree just is. The bird in the tree just is. There is no meaning to those things, so why should
we try to apply a meaning to our lives? Why? Because we can. Because we have thought to keep us
busy. But as thought has been passed down through centuries of conditioning, and tradition, by
force and by education (sorry, where's the difference?) we start to believe it as originating from our
own minds.

The world we live in is an illusion. Not in the way the spiritualists talk about, more in the way we
are controlled and guided by a higher power (erm not god, the rich and powerful). They decide how
our lives should be. They decide how our society should be. They decide what is right and wrong. If
you no longer conform to society's expectations you will find a very different world from the one
you left, although you do not need to move to experience it. We talk so much about all the great
deeds man has done but the universe doesn't care, nor do the animals, and the birds, and ultimately
all deeds will be forgotten as the world carries on after our death. Who will remember that you
knew about art and philosophy 10 million years from now? Who will care? I think you already
know the answer; but still we fill our heads with knowledge and we pretend to all that we are more
than we are – a human animal, homo sapiens, tourist of the universe.

The only meaning life has is the meaning you apply to it. Life has no inherent meaning, except
eating, keeping warm (or cool) and procreating – the rest I'm afraid has been created in man's
imagination. Sorry to disappoint you.
What is the meaning of your life? Discuss it on evolvingbook.org in the topic "meaning"