The Basic Questions of Life: Why We Exist and What Gives Life Meaning

Let’s begin by exploring the world around us. Do you know a young child under the age of four? If so, you probably enjoy spending time with them, until the moment they start asking the endless “why” questions.

Be patient, because you were once the same! In fact, these questions are very important, and we should never dismiss them. If only we kept asking such questions as adults! Sadly, over time we lose our curiosity about life’s mysteries. That’s why I believe it’s worthwhile to return to some of those childhood questions that remain unanswered.

The Basic Questions

Certain questions naturally arise in the human heart:

• Is there meaning to life?

• What is the purpose of life?

• Why does the world exist?

• Does the world itself have a purpose?

• Is there someone who governs it all?

• Why are we here?

From now on, let’s call these our “basic questions.”

The fate of these questions is tied to the natural course of life. When a baby is born, everything is new: the sky, a table, an ant, a person, and even the very idea of a world. Because everything is unfamiliar, the child feels a deep need to search for meaning and begins to ask questions. As they grow, the world becomes ordinary and routine, and curiosity fades. This is the power of habit, and it affects us all.

The Power of Habit

What exactly is habit? When you receive a gift, you open it with excitement, eager to see how you can use it. You examine its details — the brand name, its features, and it captures your attention. As time passes, you get used to it, the excitement fades, and eventually you forget about it altogether — perhaps because you’ve received another gift, or simply lost interest.

Life works the same way. When we were born, everything seemed like a wonderful gift. We looked at the world with joy and amazement, eager to take in every detail of creation. We searched, we explored, and we asked questions about the meaning of things. But as time went on, we became too busy. We lost the time and energy to marvel at the world around us. Society pushes us into a life full of exhausting routines, where the main concern becomes “How to live,” rather than “Why to live.”

And yet, to live a meaningful life, every person should revisit these basic questions.

A Parable: Waking Up on a Plane

Imagine someone goes to sleep, and instead of waking up in their bed, they suddenly find themselves on a plane mid-flight. After regaining their senses, they start acting like any other passenger: choosing a movie, deciding what meal to order, fiddling with the air-conditioning, even daydreaming about upgrading to first class on their next trip.

Strange, isn’t it? This person hasn’t even asked the most important questions: How did I get here? Where am I going?

This is similar to people who live their lives without ever asking the basic questions.

The Journey of Life

A person is born into the world, and the very first thing they do is cry for food. Soon, life becomes a series of pursuits of finding nourishment, seeking companionship, earning a degree, getting a job, winning promotions, buying a house, traveling, and so on.

If at no point they pause to ask: What is my purpose? Why was I born? What is the point of all this?, they may end up living empty and directionless lives.

A wise person knows their destination. They recognize the direction of their life and whether the journey is headed toward something meaningful. The very first step should therefore be to stop and ask the basic questions.

Understanding the Meaning of Our Actions

Human beings are meant to understand the significance of their actions. If you live in a typical Western society, chances are you grew up learning math, science, and languages; you spend hours watching screens; you like drinking soda and eating sandwiches. If your financial situation allows, you probably plan to attend university, start a family, and earn as much money as possible during your lifetime.

Notice how little time is left to ask:

• What value do these things really hold?

• Why do I study?

• Why do I work, or plan to work?

• Why do I believe it’s important to marry?

These are not simple questions. It’s difficult to conclude what meaning our actions have — or whether they have any at all. And yet, we cannot simply accept a way of life just because “everyone lives this way.”

The Need for Honest Answers

It's not enough just to ask ourselves questions, but we must also seek genuine, honest answers.

Only by doing so can we avoid the trap of living as passengers on a plane, forgetting to ask where we’re going, and instead live a life with purpose and meaning.