What Is The Point

What is the point of life? Why are we here?

From a physicist’s point of view, the purpose of life is to convert the low entropy energy we get from the sun into higher entropy energy through our chemical processes.

From a chemist’s point of view, the purpose of life is to oxygenate carbon.

From a biologist’s point of view, the purpose of life is to ensure the survival of our genes for as long as possible.

From a programmer’s point of view, the purpose of life is to convert coffee into code. Add some cake into the mix if you want to get really good quality code.

There is no predefined meaning of life. Life just is. We define what life means, and what we want to accomplish in the limited time we have here.

A life without an externally defined meaning may sound bleak at first. It is all a matter of perspective. It can actually be liberating and emboldening. It is amazing to be able to define the purpose of your own life, what you want to accomplish and what kind of person you want to be.

Think for yourself, and define it yourself based on what you learn, experience and feel. Be strong, brave, kind, productive, fun. Make the most out of life while it lasts.

Edit: After reading this post someone asked me – “So what’s your point of life?”. My answer was “To be the best version of myself, to be happy, and to make a positive impact on the people in my life”.

There are 3 parts to analyze here.

1. To be the best version of myself: This means to make the most with the cards I was dealt in life. Everyone has different circumstances, different genetics, different experiences that shape their life. It is not possible for everyone to be the absolute best at something, but everyone can do whatever is within their power to be the best version of themselves. What best means here is subjective, and that is on purpose.
2. To be happy: This means that I don’t want to live a life of sacrifice. I want to live a life that I am proud of while enjoying the journey. My goal is not to optimize life in a way that sacrifices my personal happiness and enjoyment.
3. To make a positive impact on the people in my life: This means that I don’t want to lead a self-centered, hedonistic life of solipsism. We are social animals and positive social interactions make life better. I want to live a life where I can be a positive influence on others, and be a person (at least some) other people aspire to be like.