One Apple A Day #544 - no meaning
A few days ago, during a casual conversation, someone asked: "why do wasps exist?". It was an innocent question due to the annoying presence of some wasps in the house. But that question made me think, so I asked a bit more. We discuss the fact that wasps, apparently, have not a known role like bees, they don't make honey. I realise how human-centric is our vision of the universe. So, I push the conversation a bit further asking: "interesting, so why do we exist?". Obviously, I wasn't expecting an answer. We just laugh together about the whole conversation. Plus, a quick search on google showed us that wasps, like bees, pollinate plants and flowers. So, they have a vital role in nature.
But the role of wasps is not the point. The point is that when we ask about the meaning of life or of anything in the universe, we are pointing our attention in the fruitless direction. It is only when we look inward, and we ask ourselves what meaning we want to give to our presence in the universe, that we take responsibility for our lives and in the end, find freedom.
"We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life—daily and hourly. Our answer must consist, not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfil the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." - Viktor E Frankl