Let me first lay out the framework:
We are a bag of complex chemicals infused with electricity that are capable of thinking.
Our consciousness is created by a neural network much more complex that the most sophisticated computers.
We have a sense of identity that is probably a false construct.
We find it hard to imagine that we could possibly cease to exist or that our lives and the existence of this ginormous infinite universe might be nothing more than chance.
To solve this we invent elaborate eternal afterlives, gods and religions.
We came from nonexistence and will return to nonexistence.
Our conscious formed gradually from an accumulation of cells until there were sufficient to form an intricate network coursing with ionic waves of polarisation, intricate chemistry and patterns. That made us aware.
We are very complex and sophisticated having evolved from simpler bags of chemicals for billions of years.
We live on a small insignificant planet orbiting around a small star out on the spiral arm of a small, normal galaxy.
We crave immortality.
We achieve that through reproduction, through the tangible remnants of our existence (artefacts, machines, structures, words, images, art, music, buildings etc.).
But one day very soon we will cease to live. The electricity will no longer pulse, the waves of polarisation cease and the complex chemistry will grind to a halt. We will cease to be. The identity we had may live on in memories of others or the things we left behind but that is it.
All our history is on this one small precarious planet.
We exist courtesy of a massive ecological network of plants and animals that produce our atmosphere, shield us from cosmic rays, provide our food and inspire us. This ecological web is resilient but also fragile.
If we manage to survive a few billion years more the sun will enlarge into a red dwarf engulfing the whole planet and vaporising every last fossil and artefact so that there will be no evidence of our existence or any other form of life.
If, by then, we have managed to escape our doomed solar system and set up around another star or in the depths of space we may be safe for many billions of years to come.
Eventually, due to entropy, the universe will run down, the stars will go out one by one until the entire cosmos is dark, the heat will drain and atoms will fall apart. All that will be left is a vast puff of hydrogen.
There will be nothing to show we, or anything else, ever existed.
Now we arrive at the purpose of life.
In one sense there is no purpose whatsoever.
In another our very mortality and short lives, coupled with the immense wonder and beauty all around us, provide us with a number of highly motivating purposes.
Instead of becoming depressed at the thought of our demise we should be spurred into action to make the most of every single second of this incredible experience. Ever been on a zip-line? Thrills don’t last forever but they do provide us with excitement!
Our purpose must be something we decide for ourselves. It may be creative, fun, exploratory, educational or simply thrilling. We might find it in competitive sport, in investigating history, in designing the future, helping others, travelling and discovering, filling ourselves with awe and wonder at nature and the universe or a wealth of creative project. Anything that is rewarding and fulfilling.
We have one life measured in seconds. We can fill it with joy, pleasure and wonder or we can waste it.
Futility is in the mind of the terrified.
The purpose of life is to use every second wisely and create a fulfilling lifetime for our bag of chemicals.
May your electricity zing!
