I’ve often asked myself questions about the meaning of life and my own existence. Why do I live? Why was I born, why am I alive? Do I even exist, and why am I conscious? What is the meaning of my life?
I know it’s a popular topic because I often encounter these questions in private messages and online discussions. These are existential questions, probably chewed over for as long as humans have existed and thought. For me, they are strictly related to our identity: where we come from, who created us, are we here by accident, or is there some purpose to it?
It’s hard to find a single answer to this. I’m of the opinion that everyone has to find their own. I encourage you to search on your own, and treat my opinion—which you’re about to read—only as a hint. You have to look for answers within yourself, and treat others’ opinions—including mine—merely as inspiration. You can read more about my philosophy in the articles Be Your Own Guru and 8 Billion Souls, 8 Billion Paths.
Why Were We Born?
I believe we were born for a purpose. On one hand, it’s something simple—like giving life to the next generations, so that other souls can enrich themselves through physical life. It’s also about shaping them according to my values and taking care of the environment around me. This ensures that future generations can continue to benefit from the planet.
On the other hand, I was born to enrich my own soul. I’m here to learn something, to grow. My soul is me—I am the soul, but here, in earthly life, I exist in a physical body. I believe in a soul or something similar; in spirituality understood as having a physical body but also a non-physical body. It’s called different things; I say “soul”—probably because my worldview was shaped in the Christian religion. But that’s just naming. I don’t treat the soul as being tied to any specific religion. It’s about that “something,” that part of us that is before birth and after death, that is eternal and immortal.
I am also open to reincarnation and karma, which give additional meaning to my life and answer many of my questions. So, I treat my life as part of my soul’s journey, and that in itself gives it meaning.
So, What Is the Goal and Meaning of Our Life?
I believe the goal of our life is to live it in the best way possible. I mean working on yourself, on your flaws, developing talents, with the aim of serving humanity, but also all of nature. The concept of universal consciousness speaks to me, where on a certain level everything is one. I’m passionate about quantum physics, and intuitively, I feel there is something more than our material life. I’ve already mentioned the soul, but I mean that something we often call God.
For me, God is what many theories refer to as universal consciousness. For a long time, I was interested in quantum physics, but deepening my knowledge often led me toward a materialistic view of the world. Even though I felt we are energy—through the laws of quantum physics, the structure of atoms, and all those micro phenomena—I couldn’t find God in it. My perspective changed when I came across the book Physics of the Soul by Amit Goswami.
In this book, I discovered the concept of universal consciousness. I learned that, according to his theory, our individual consciousness connects the soul with our mind, which is part of our physical life. Consciousness influences the brain’s plasticity, creating everything around us rather than the other way around. This strengthened my belief in the soul, which I had previously felt intuitively.
But what if there is no God? If life is just a tool of nature? What if we are here not because of some grand spiritual plan, but simply as a result of evolution—a way for nature to ensure its own survival and development? Does that make our existence less meaningful?
I don’t think so. Even if we are just a product of nature’s processes, it doesn’t change the fact that we have the ability to think, to feel, and to create. Maybe that’s exactly what nature intended—to give us the tools to shape the world, to innovate, and to adapt. If we are nature’s way of evolving, then every step we take, every decision we make, contributes to something greater than ourselves.
From this perspective, life gains a different kind of meaning. It’s not about serving a higher power or fulfilling a divine plan—it’s about being part of a larger system, a chain of events that started long before us and will continue long after we’re gone. Our role, then, is to use the gifts we’ve been given—our intelligence, our creativity, our empathy—to make the world a better place, not just for ourselves but for all living things.
This doesn’t mean we are insignificant. On the contrary, it means we are deeply connected to everything around us. Our actions matter because they ripple through the web of life, influencing not just our own future but the future of the planet and all its inhabitants. And even if there’s no ultimate purpose, we can still live with intention, guided by values that reflect our unique ability to think beyond ourselves.
If you’re interested in my reflections about God, you can read more here: Do I Believe in God?
How to Search for Answers?
I search for answers by looking deep inside myself. How do I do it? I’ve introduced a bit of meditation into my life. I practice mindfulness understood very broadly. I indulge in reflection—for me, it is a conversation with my soul. Spirituality is meant to help me choose how to act—to give form to life in the material world and my actions here and now.
Spirituality for me is getting to know one’s soul, while meditation, mindfulness, and reflection are just tools. Spirituality isn’t supposed to replace action, but help choose its direction. To help and give strength when overcoming difficulties, and during times when things are easy and pleasant—to help me not get too carried away by pleasures. In the sense of: not getting tempted to stray onto a bad path, which I understand as stopping living in accordance with my own values.
Why Is My Life the Way It Is?
I don’t have my own theory on why my life is this way and someone else’s is that way, but I like the theories that say our soul had an influence on the choice of our life. According to them, we were born into a poor, average, or rich family; into a model or pathological family; in a beautiful, ugly, or average body—because we chose it (us as a soul) to realize some goal, experience a lesson, and enrich the soul. I can’t prove this; these are just concepts that speak to me. That’s why I treat life as a task, and crises as tests where I have to choose how to act.
But setting aside those kinds of theories, my life is this way because it is, and I have to accept it. In the sense of accepting the fact, but that doesn’t mean doing nothing about it. It’s a starting point from which you can reach a completely different point. But you have to act. But to act properly, you must accept what you have. Action, of course, doesn’t guarantee you’ll get where you want, because many things can happen along the way, but focus on the path, not the goal. Pick a goal, but treat it as a bonus. Don’t worry if you don’t reach it; enjoy your path.
I accept what fate brings, but I make the choice on how to act to change it—I take action, I don’t sit and worry.
Do We Live to Constantly Search for Answers?
Although I try to deepen my spirituality, I also enjoy the pleasures of life and strive for a better material life. I don’t see anything wrong with that, as long as I don’t go against my values. After all, life, at least as I understand it, is for living, not just constantly searching for answers.
However, if searching for answers is your passion, like it is mine—you like to read, analyze, ponder, or philosophize—then by all means, it is a way to live life. But if you constantly ask yourself questions like: “Why did this happen to me? Why me? Why now? Why in this way?” and you do it in a way that leads to worrying, then you’re falling into a vicious cycle. You need to get out of that cycle.
Asking questions during a crisis isn’t bad—it’s natural. But don’t let those questions define your future life. Ask them, give yourself time for an answer, and if you don’t find one, accept it and move on. Remember that every experience, even a difficult one, carries a lesson. Maybe it teaches you patience, humility, or shows you what is truly important in life. Try to see that lesson, take something from it for yourself, and move on.
I believe life doesn’t serve solely for finding answers—that should be just an element of life, a reasonably used tool, not the goal of life. After every crisis, every life turn, life goes on. We are here to live it, but also to learn at every step, draw conclusions, and act.
As a side note, I found answers to my questions resulting from crises quite quickly, and many of them lost their meaning after getting those first ones. I stopped asking “why did this happen to me specifically,” and treated the crisis as an opportunity for change, to open a new chapter in life. I analyzed the old chapter to know what I could change in my life to make it better. I rediscovered and redefined the meaning of my life, chose a direction, and I’m going. I live and enjoy life because that’s what it’s for. My problems didn’t magically disappear, I have bad moods, but I know that’s life—something comes, something goes, you have to accept it and move on.
In summary, I live according to universal values as I understand them, not worrying about the past or future, but celebrating the present, drawing conclusions from the past, and planning the future, but without the obsession that everything must work out for me.
So, What Do We Live For?
I believe that life is meant to be lived. Not for constantly meditating, praying, partying – avoiding or escaping problems this way into spirituality or mundane entertainment. That doesn’t mean they are bad. Quite the opposite. Mundane entertainments, like broadly understood social life, passions and hobbies, sports, but also love and erotic life, add color to life. You can, and I even think you should, use them, but wisely—in accordance with your values, which we discover by deepening our spirituality.
Are these values universal? I think so. “Do not do unto others what is hateful to you” (or „Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”)—for me, that contains practically everything. Do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery. But also, don’t do to another what is unpleasant for them—that is empathy.
Living by these values requires more than just understanding them—it requires conscious effort and intention. In life, intention is important to me. I try to act with good intention, with mindfulness, so that my actions align with my values and do not harm others. Good intention means for me that I make decisions not out of greed, anger, or revenge, but from a need to create something positive—for myself and for others. Intention gives direction and meaning to my actions and makes me feel at peace with myself. Even if I make mistakes, I know I was guided by good motives, and that is most important to me.
So, why do we live? Why are we born? Why are we alive?
I don’t know about you, but I believe it’s to live as well as possible.
If you found these thoughts interesting and want to explore more about the meaning of life—why we are born, live, and die—I encourage you to read my article: The Meaning of Life: Why We Are Born, Live, and Die. In that article, I look at this topic from different perspectives—biological, philosophical, spiritual, and social—offering a broader view on these timeless questions.
If my writing has inspired or helped you, I would be grateful for your support.
Need support yourself? Discover how I can help you.
AI Disclosure
I see my thoughts as the essence, much like the soul, and AI helps me give them form. It supports me with research, translation, and organizing ideas, but every perspective is my own. Curious how I use AI? Read more here.
