Shortly after my father died I took another long look at meaning. I had a revelation at 41 that I wanted to record. During my research I discovered that many other people have also had these same revelations and had even sorted out similar theories into familiar classifications. It is perfectly fine to be late to the party; I wasn't ready for this terminology yet. You only truly believe something if you come to the conclusion yourself using your own process.
Please read the three definitions below to see if any of them resonate with your perception of meaning:
- Zen Buddhism (Also related to existentialism): If there is no God, and life is short, we have only a series of moments. If there is any value in life, the value must exist in the moments that make up life. So the only way to find meaning in life is to imbue the present moment with meaning. The best way to do that is to value the joy and beauty in what is around us and in what we do at every moment of our lives.
- Nihilism: there is no meaning of life
- Existentialism: there is no meaning of life other than what we choose to imbue with meaning. Every individual has the right and the responsibility to decide for themselves what is meaningful.