The Meaning of Life is a philosophical question concerning the significance of life or existence
in general. It can also be expressed in
different forms, such as "Why are we here?", "What is life all
about?" or "What is the purpose of existence?" It has been the subject of much philosophical,
scientific and theological speculation throughout history. There have been a large number of proposed
answers to these questions from many different cultural and ideological
backgrounds.
Pagan wisdom traditions have no consensus on how to
understand human nature or the meaning and purpose of life, other than for each
individual to forge his or her own sense of self-understanding, meaning, and
purpose. Within this broad framework, there
are several ideas that can be found within the contemporary Pagan community.
When
some think about the meaning of life, they love the words of Rabbi Abraham
Joshua Heschel, who said, “Just to be is a blessing – just to live is holy.” For others, life’s true meaning is found more
truly in the sentiments expressed by others:
Henry
David Thoreau:
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in
which you can walk with love and reverence.”
Kurt
Vonnegut Jr.:
"A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling
it, is to love whoever is around to be loved."
A.
Powell Davies:
"Cattle die, kinsmen die, the self must also die;
I know one thing which never dies: the reputation of each dead man."
One Wiccan belief statement:
"Wiccans believe that
the spirit of the Goddess and God exist in all things. In the trees, rain, flowers, the sea, in each other and all of natures
creatures. This means that we must treat
'all things' of the Earth as aspects of the Divine."
In Monty Python's The Meaning of Life,
there are several allusions to the meaning of life. At the end of the film, a character played by Michael Palin
is handed an envelope containing "the meaning of life", which he
opens and reads out to the audience: "Well,
it's nothing very special. Uh, try to be
nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some
walking in, and try to live together in peace and harmony with people of all
creeds and nations."
Listen like the Dark, Dance like the Maiden, Laugh like the Mother, Think
like the Crone. And Do No Harm.
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