Must Life Have Meaning?

 In 2015, I listened to a lecture by Professor Dae-Shik Kim from the Department of Electrical Engineering at KAIST.

The first slide had the sentence:

"Must life have meaning?"

The lecture discussed how, as AI technology evolves, humans will face challenges from machines armed with AI.

From the universe's perspective, the world is the master, and individuals are the subjects. Individuals are born into given environments, age, and eventually disappear. Why are humans destined to age and die?

Professor Kim references the world's first novel, the Epic of Gilgamesh. Humans were granted an elixir of eternal youth by the gods but it was taken by a serpent. When they asked for another, the gods sharply refused. As a result, humans live their lives running their course like relay runners and then exit.

Nature, the master, gave more energy and resilience to the young, while the elderly, deprived of reproductive power, are neglected. And so, the question resounds again like a shout:

"Must life have meaning?"

This question reminded me of a saying by Venerable Beopryun:

"It's not that we were born for a reason, but because we were born, we find reasons."

Because we are born, finding that reason and giving it meaning is an individual's responsibility. It is also an individual's freedom to live recklessly, thinking life has no meaning. However, I do not believe in the Epic of Gilgamesh nor that nature favors only the young.

The universe is one living organism, and we are all connected. Humans cannot live forever, but their spirit and quantum (quantum, quantum) are passed on through genes.

This connection is not limited to parents and children. The connection of spirit is confirmed through empathy and conveyed through warmth. We are all parts of the vast organism called the universe.

I believe the reason why life must have meaning is because we all participate in the universe’s seasons. Just as the world exists in harmony with yin and yang, we, as our parents have done and demanded, have the duty to pass on the wisdom of living good and virtuous lives, balancing desires appropriately, to our descendants.

If we truly desire a better world, life must have meaning, and living a life striving for meaningfulness is beautiful. Oh, I should omit the word “truly.” In fact, the emotion of “truly” is itself an excessive desire and often disrupts peace of mind. All parents should be teachers, and great teachers at that.


#MeaningOfLife, #MustThereBeMeaning, #SinceWeWereBorn, #ReasonForExistence, #FutureOfHumanity, #DutyOfOurGeneration



Location: 대한민국

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