I frequently find myself asking the indomitable question, "What is the meaning of life?"

The moment seems to come to every person during the duration of their natural life when they begin to ponder that question and find themselves at a dead stop as to the answer.

"What is the meaning of life? Wouldn't you like to know? I would. "Maybe then we would have purpose. Dear God, Hi this is Ink, I know I haven't been all that faithful lately, but I was wondering. What is the meaning of life? Thanks."

But even then, if we knew, would it be important enough to care about?

It's very strange when I see people in some of my classes failing because of lack of effort even when they know that they need the class to graduate.

"Not to be insensitive, but unless you pass it now and get out, guess what? You have to do the same thing next year!" So why do they waste their time sitting there, doing nothing, not caring, when they will just have to do it again, and still hate it. Are these people our future? Sometimes I think the next major disaster that will wipe out all life on this planet is human stupidity.

And you know what else I notice about people? If you get one by him/herself and actually talk to the person it's amazing how interesting their life is. You get to know how they think and feel and live. But if you talk to the same person in the masses he/she could come across as an ignorant sap, or a pathetic bore.

So today I was thinking about all this and I was thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. For some people this is easy, and can be summed up in a few words, Don't go to hell. Yeah hell isn't my choice eternal vacation spot either but I'm not too worried. I think that people value that stuff too much. I think they should worry more about what is going on now then valuing their afterlife so much. Now don't get me wrong, if your religious beliefs tell you to live that way, great, not my problem though. And just because you believe that, doesn't mean that I got it wrong.

But I digress, back to the topic of the meaning of life. I was recently talking to my mother and told her about my aspirations to snowboard, and get into parachuting and all that other "extreme" stuff. She replied with the usual, "But that's so dangerous!" Yeah, so what? We are going to die anyway aren't we? Not that I'm planning to die from any of that. I'm actually planning just the opposite, to live.

What is truly living? To get up and go to work everyday at 6:00 A.M., have lunch at 12:00 P.M. right on the dot, make a five figure salary before dinnertime, and get home in time to pick up the kids from school and take them to the baseball field? To some people, that is life! For 30-50 years of their natural life, that's what they live for. It is life.

I just have doubts about that for myself. I mean if I got a job like that I would always be dissatisfied with myself, Ink, when are you going to climb Mount Everest, Ink when are you going to visit the tombs of those Chinese philosophers in the peaks of the Da Hinggan Ling range, and most of all, Ink when are you going to spend you're life pursuing the meaning of life? But the more I think about it, the more I think I got it. The meaning of life is staring us in the face and we just have to embrace it!

It isn't a single answer, it isn't 42, it isn't Kennedy spelled backwards, and it isn't some strange metaphysical enlightenment. There it is, it's right there. Some of us search for the meaning of life our whole life and we never realize that we already found it before we begin the search. I bet you're just dying to know now, I won't tell you, but if you think about it I'm sure you'll figure it out. Just like we all do at some point.

I don't know maybe I'm crazy, I'm different, I'm not the average guy with dog. I'm Ink, and I finally realized both the meaning of life and my purpose in relation to the aforementioned subject. I'll search all my life and die knowing that I already knew. That's a great thought to end on.

But before I go I have something to ask of you, next time you're out in the world doing who-knows-what, think about somebody else's perspective. Next time you see that crazy lady with an afro holding up the sign on the street dancing for money, just ponder for a minute, maybe she's not crazy, maybe she has found out the meaning, just as you have.

I guess we all will eventually understand, some people just seem to get it before others, it may take you your whole life, it may take you one day, and it may take you five minutes, but when it comes you'll know it. It's like love, when you feel that, you know that something amazing just occurred, even when you might be unsure of what it is, inside, you know, you really do.

So next time you see me aspiring for the far reaches of the troposphere on the pinnacle of Mount Everest, hiking through the lush jungles of the Amazon, or maybe even exploring the farthest reaches of China, seeking the legendary center of the earth, don't call me crazy! Take a minute to look at it from my side, and think about the meaning of life, and then smile.

Inkwell out.

The Meaning of Life

To me, the meaning of life consists of three major areas; enlightenment, happiness, and service. In my life I want to become as enlightened (by being open minded and understanding towards all other people) and intelligent as possible while simultaneously being a happy individual and aiding my society through various services and volunteer organizations. In order to assimilate as much information as I can, within the relatively short time span of my life, I must enlighten myself to as many different lifestyles as possible. I have taken many steps to be open and understanding; without this open mindedness I would be more prejudiced and would discount many peoples views and lifestyles as "wrong" before truly understanding them. I also am sure to keep as many avenues open, so that I can change any situation that I get myself into if need be. In my life I strive to be self satisfied and content, yet not complacent. Happiness is an essential part of any life, as it is in many others. In conjunction with making my own life enlightening as well as enjoyable, I believe that helping others is an important part of life. By committing myself to certain community organizations, I am helping individual people as well as the collective whole of the community in which I live.

In my life, I want to understand people, and enjoy their company. The only way to be close to as many people as possible is by being open to their views and opinions, even if they differ from mine. Understanding is an important aspect of becoming enlightened, and without an understanding of a situation, many mistakes would be made before a lesson could be learned. In order to be understanding with all the different people around me, I must remain open to ideals that vary greatly from my own, and I must be willing and able to accept their validity. In my life, I keep an open mind towards all opinions before forming an opinion about them, which allows be to gain a subjective understanding. Another form of openness is keeping ones options open. I have made a conscious effort to have as many options as possible in whatever situation I am in. This is especially true of my education, since I have become an unconventional student by becoming home schooled, my options have increased from the limits of public high school to a nearly endless list of possibilities. By taking this step out of an institutionalized education, I am able to take college classes while other people my age are trudging through their final year of high school. In my life, being open and understanding gives me a better view of other people, as well as helps me keep my options open.

I predict that any answer to the question "What is the meaning of life?" will include "happiness". Being self satisfied is important in life, to be happy whether alone or with company is invaluable to a persons individuality and independence. There is little that I am unwilling to do in order to be happy. However, to be content in life does not mean to be complacent. In order to be a happy individual, I strive to be assertive in order to be content, this not only helps me be cheerful, but avoids a dangerous complacent attitude. I am unwilling to remain in an uncomfortable situation, and will not allow myself to stay upset for long periods of time because of my strong belief in happiness. An assertive attitude helps me remain self-satisfied which feeds into my happiness. With the help of friends, family, and an assertive attitude, I am able to maintain a joyful disposition.

Life should not be lived with only ones self in mind. Helping others is important because it enriches ones own life by bringing joy into other peoples lives. Also, community services are important because they aid to the betterment of the society in which we live. I am active in several community organizations including: Food Not Bombs (where we cook all vegan meals to serve on Sundays downtown) and Free Radio Asheville (a micro-powered radio station that stands up for the First Amendment Rights of all Americans). I find that I feel better about myself when I give something back to the community in which I live because I know that my actions are having direct effects upon the microcosm of our society which the town I live in portrays.

The meaning of life is to become enlightened upon as many different views and opinions as possible while remaining open, understanding, and happy. However, a life cannot be lived all for itself. Helping others, and giving to your community is an invaluable gift that you can give to the world.

It's friendship, right?

I got it once when I was trying to wax philosophical with her (rather sophomorishly, I admit). I asked her, what would she do if she awoke one morning and found that everyone else on Earth was gone? Her answer amazed me. But my understanding of the truth behind her answer didn't hit me until recently. She said she'd kill herself. I think that's a great answer, and no, don't run away... Hear me out. See, what purpose does life have if there is noone with whom to be friends?

Nietzsche wrote in Thus Spoke Zarathustra that women are not ready to be friends; only men are. Well, I disagree with that. I think a man might derive that conclusion if all his experiences of trying to establish friendships with women have always beem messed up by romantic feelings. It's not that men and women can't be friends. It's just hard because it's natural to want the false truth that romance should follow once a man and a woman successfully establish an emotional bond. But romance takes more than friendship, and so romantic actions can break apart those bonds if you pursue it with the wrong person.

A truly good romantic relationship has to have a good friendship at its foundation. So I'm not trying to separate the two.

Anyways, so perhaps the key to pursuing a good life is to find those people who are compatible enough that you can establish good friendships with them? That's what I'm going to believe. And what makes a pair of people compatible enough to be good friends? Lots of common interests, maybe? Complementary perspectives on life that allow the two people to grow from interacting with one another? It also takes work. If you feel you have a lot in common with a person, if you like them, and if you enjoy their company... don't let some romantic urges lead you astray. Or at least try hard enough to recover from them. They might cause you to pass up a good friendship. You also shouldn't pass up someone who you feel can really teach you important things. And who can help lighten up your life a little bit and help you get out and live a little. Certainly don't become a hermit or limit yourself to people you only talk to online, because maybe you'll find a purpose for living that way but your life won't really be all that complete. And you might just end up getting depressed all the time in spite of thinking that your life has meaning.